According to the Guardian here, it’s ‘understood’ that O2 is ready to dump its i-mode internet service here in the UK. Lack of subscribers and compelling handsets are the reason cited and 260,000 active users is no return for the £10-million marketing campaign.
I-mode is basically a Japanese internet technology developed by NTT DoCoMo that fits internet based services neatly onto your handset and O2 took the exclusive UK rights to i-mode less than two years ago, signing up around 80-odd partners. While it snagged over 50 million subscribers in Japan, it never took off over here in Blighty for many reasons.
Firstly compatible handsets are limited and quite frankly yawnsome in appeal. There is access to free websites but the weightier and more interesting sites involve a monthly subscription of between £2 and £3. If you sign up to, say, five or your favourite sites then another £10 a month is added to your phone bill. O2 also cut off its free browsing last year, adding further data costs. Of course since then rival networks like T-Mobile, 3 and Vodafone are offering the full world wide web on your handset for a more affordable and transparent all-you-can-eat fixed monthly price. Alas, the days were numbered for i-mode from the beginning.
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