TOKYO, April 13 (UPI) -- Japanese wireless firm NTT DoCoMo hopes Olympic promotion of its mobile Internet service will bolster its European market, the Financial Times reports.
A deal with Greek mobile service provider Cosmote will mean big exposure for i-mode, DoCoMo's wireless Internet service that allows mobile phone users to download things like games and trivia. At the Olympics, to be held in Athens this August, DoCoMo plans to unveil their 3G-capable i-mode handsets in Europe for the first time.
I-mode is a hit in Japan, with more than 42 million subscribers and $9 billion in annual revenues. But the service has bombed in Europe, with only 2 million i-mode subscribers between the seven European companies that have partnered with DoCoMo.
Cosmote plans to provide between 60 and 80 i-mode outlets by the Olympics kickoff. Cosmote's chief executive Evangelos Martigopoulos also noted that with China's competitive potential, the Olympics might be the last chance for i-mode to make headway in Europe.
