- New Answers to Niche Segments to Meet the Needs of All of the Market -

Back in 1999, then Chairman Koji Oboshi proclaimed that DOCOMO would not leave anyone behind in the growth of the mobile phone market, remembers Yoshinobu Nakamura, Director of the company's Product Department.

"Advances in technology were going to transform what we expect from the mobile phone. We had to make sure that all potential segments of the market were served with mobile phones appropriate to their needs and lifestyles," Nakamura explained.

That October, the company released the P601es Raku-Raku PHONE I (raku means easy to use), with three one-touch command buttons and larger, easier-to-read characters on displays. Nearly 10 years later, after 14 models and over 13 million sold as of June 2008 - the Raku-Raku PHONE is now a significant part of DOCOMO's business.

More than a Market - it's a Commitment to Customers

As Japan's population continues to grow older, offering products that cater to an aging population is more than a gesture of social responsibility, it is business imperative. Today's four-model Raku-Raku PHONE product line is representative of DOCOMO's commitment to serving all segments of the market, enthuses Nakamura.

With so many different models offered by DOCOMO, it is no surprise there are product lines like the Raku-Raku PHONE, the Kids' PHONE and, now, the remarkable Wellness PHONE. These are proof that DOCOMO is committed to serving all the needs of an increasingly diversifying market.

DOCOMO's strategy with the Raku-Raku PHONE concept has been built on three fundamental—easy to read, easy to hear, easy to operate. New technologies amplify high-frequency sounds as needed to boost clarity, use special microphones to automatically vary voice levels for clearer sound, and slow down the speaker's voice by 30% for easier comprehension. "I also find the speed reduction function particularly useful when I'm taking calls in English," Nakamura claims.

Today's F884i Raku-Raku PHONE PREMIUM is an example of how DOCOMO uses technology to enrich user experience, explains Nakamura. Take any features in the top-shelf 90Xi series—One-Seg mobile TV, mobile-wallet or GPS navigation—and the F884i makes them even easier to use.

But the real proof of how good the Raku-Raku PHONE PREMIUM can be experienced in the voice activated e-mail. The user merely has to speak into the phone, and up to 30 seconds of voice is instantly transcribed into a written e-mail message. This frees the user from the chore of having to manually input the message on the keypad. Now that's progress. "We tried to make the level of functional performance in the 90Xi series accessible to all, and we succeeded," he relates.

For Children, Safety First, Last and Always

When DOCOMO first introduced its Kids' PHONE in March 2006, it was after extensive consultations with a special advisory board made up of parents, teachers and experts, relates Yuko Kanekuni of the company's Product Department. Not surprisingly, the priority has been safety first, last and always.

The current F801i underscores this objective with well-considered security features, which include a 100 dB (approx.) emergency buzzer and light operated by pulling an emergency cord that, when activated, automatically makes a phone call to a registered phone number, with two alternate numbers called in succession if contact cannot be established.

But the safety features can be operated at deeper levels. A child in distress only has to hold down a button to send location information to his parents' e-mail address, with no sound output from the phone. Plus, a series of parent-controlled settings allow the child to find a misplaced phone, and inform when the phone is switched off. Even the battery is tamper-resistant.

The Kids' PHONE series has clearly been embraced by parents and children alike, proven by cumulative sales of about 600,000 units by June 2008. "Even the fact that these phones are waterproof has garnered high praise," says Kanekuni.

DOCOMO Introduces the Wellness Factor

DOCOMO's genius in using technology to better serve specific customer needs can now be seen with the slim and stylish SH706iw Wellness PHONE, released in September to meet the needs of health-conscious adults. It is equipped with a pedometer, and can be linked with various measuring devices that gather data from the user's body. The data is analyzed, and then health advice is given to the user. It is a fun way to monitor one's health, says Yohei Niiyama, who came to his Mobility interview with a pair of sophisticated-looking scales under his arms.

While the phone should have strong appeal to Japan's diet and health-conscious, who can use it to formulate their own weight-loss programs, it will also prove useful to office workers who undergo company-mandated health checks.

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