TOKYO-Tokyo Telecommunication Network (TTNet) plans to launch Internet access services by the end of this year, allowing Astel PHS users to browse popular i-mode sites. TTNet is scheduled to provide PHS terminals for the service, called Open Internet.
The service is based on a subset of HTML, the standardized computer programming language for the Web. Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo’s popular i-mode service is based on compact html (C-HTML), also a subset of HTML.
According to Fumio Kawabata, manager of the Astel Service Development Group of TTNet, due to the similarity between the two languages, users of Astel PHS can browse i-mode sites. However, they cannot see so-called “official” sites of i-mode, because accessing official sites requires registering with NTT DoCoMo.
It is said there are 1,000 official i-mode sites and 16,000 unofficial sites, with the numbers increasing daily.
TTNet has not disclosed details of its language, other than it is a subset of HTML. However, Kawabata said TTNet’s HTML subset contains more functions than C-HTML to meet new demands, such as full-color services.
TTNet plans to invite content providers to offer content for the Open Internet service. Because the service will be based on circuit-switched technology-all PHS services are based on circuit-switched networks-the carrier will impose a per-minute charging system of 10 yen (US$0.09) per minute. TTNet will not collect a monthly charge for the service, and some TTNet sites could charge for their content.
Because the new service will employ an open architecture, subscribers of Internet service providers (ISPs) other than TTNet can access the Open Internet service.
TTNet hopes to attract 300,000 users for this service during the first year. Because there will be no basic charges for the service, all Astel users will be able to receive the service.
TTNet operates the Astel Tokyo service, but Kawabata said all other Astel Group carriers will launch the service by the end of this year.
The number of PHS users in Japan has dropped significantly since its heyday, from 7.07 million in September 1997 to the country’s current 5.8 million PHS subscribers. All three of Japan’s PHS carrier groups have been going to great efforts to revitalize their businesses.
DDI Pocket will launch music distribution services in third-quarter 2000, packet-data communications services in the second quarter of 2001, and high-speed data communications services at 128 kilobits per second (kbps) by the end of 2001.
NTT DoCoMo will also launch music distribution services in the third quarter in cooperation with Matsushita Electric, Sony and Japan IBM.
Shunji Ishikawa, assistant manager of DDI Pocket, said PHS services can survive in the competitive mobile market because of PHS’ strength in high-volume data transmission, wider area coverage and better voice quality than cellular service.
