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DoCoMo eyes pet-tracking
HONG KONG, China (Reuters) -- If your beloved dog goes astray in Japan a few years from now, you may find him more quickly with a wireless device than by sticking notices on telephone poles. Pet-tracking is just one of the applications cellular giant NTT DoCoMo Inc is looking at to boost demand. Like cellular carriers in many markets nearing saturation, DoCoMo is desperate to come up with reasons for people to use more wireless services. "Some people say growth comes to a halt if cellphone usage reaches 70 or 80 percent of the population. But that's only one way of looking at it," NTT DoCoMo Senior Vice President Tamon Mitsuishi said. Currently, six out of 10 people carry mobile phones in Japan, with higher penetration rates in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan. But DoCoMo is already looking ahead. Some of its wireless innovations are already in practical use. For example, a small number of people with diabetes in Japan now check their blood sugar levels with a device attached to their mobile phone, which transmits data for routine check-ups, eliminating the need for a trip to the doctor. DoCoMo's Mitsuishi believes the service will be particularly useful for people living in rural areas where doctors are scarce. "This is not only for diabetes. It can be used for blood pressure and heart conditions, as well," said Mitsuishi, who was visiting Hong Kong for an industry convention. Elusive growthDoCoMo's location-based devices are already used in the Universal Studios Japan movie theme park to find lost children. The pet-finding application will be possible when smaller versions become available. Mitsuishi declined to predict the exact earnings potential for such unconventional mobile functions, but said they may eventually top traditional voice service in revenue for DoCoMo. "It could become bigger than voice communications a few years down the line," he said. DoCoMo estimates potential demand in Japan for 450 million devices for unconventional mobile uses such as remote controls for home appliances and remote monitoring of vending machines. DoCoMo, Japan's dominant cellular carrier, now has 42 million mobile subscribers and is keen to boost its market by developing applications beyond person-to-person communications. With slowing demand growth at home, DoCoMo went on a 1.9 trillion yen ($15.29 billion) shopping spree that backfired after the tech and telecoms bubble burst, incurring a massive loss to write down the value of its foreign assets. DoCoMo last year became the world's first operator to launch a high-speed third-generation (3G) mobile phone service based on the WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) technology. But its 3G service so far has met only tepid demand due to limited geographic coverage and short battery life. Copyright 2002 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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