Because it was easy to charge for services, content providers were further motivated to tailor their service to suit i-Mode. So while European and US carriers may offer voice handsets with a browser attached, NTT worked with vendors to design handsets optimised for data, he explained. For NTT at least, its m-commerce gamble has paid off. Earlier this year, when NTT unveiled its results, its bumper profits were linked to the m-commerce boom, in the face of declining profits in a saturated voice telephony market. In contrast, European carriers have paid hand over fist for third generation mobile phone licences, which few are convinced will provide a return on their investment.
Time is crucial if the rest of the world hopes to catch up with Japan.