TOKYO, JAPAN, June 1, 2000---NTT DoCoMo, Inc., Dentsu Inc. and NTT Advertising, Inc. announced today that they will jointly establish an advertising agency for the i-mode wireless Internet service created by NTT DoCoMo. The new firm, dubbed D2 Communications Inc., will be headquartered in Tokyo, and its president will be Mr. Akihisa Fujita of Dentsu Inc.
In developing its i-mode-based ad business, D2 Communications will represent the media on behalf of i-mode, while aiming to develop advertising and marketing activities associated with the mobile portal business. The new advertising service that will be provided via i-mode is designed to provide i-mode users with more useful contents.
D2 Communications also intends to increase the marketability of mobile Internet service, and help vitalize content distribution by providing a variety of advertising content in response to strong demand among corporate customers.
Outline of D2 Communications:
1. Name of company: D2 Communications Inc. 2. Establishment: June 1, 2000 3. Capital: 490 million yen 4. Investment ratio: (1) NTT DoCoMo, Inc. 51% (2) Dentsu Inc. 46% (3) NTT Advertising, Inc. 3%
5. Business: (1) production and management of information-type advertising contents via i-mode (2) production and management of advertisements on "this week's announcements" website via i-mode (3) production and management of advertisements by use of PUSH-type information supply service (4) production of advertisements on information provider content sites (5) marketing activities for other advertisement agencies 6. President: Akihisa Fujita (dispatched from Dentsu Inc.) 7. Headquarters: Ginza AS Building, 3-5-8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 8. No. of Employees: Approx. 10 at time of launch
About NTT DoCoMo
NTTDoCoMo, Inc. is Japan's largest mobile communications operator. DoCoMo had more than 30 million subscribers as of May 2000, and consolidated sales of 3.7 trillion yen (approx. US$ 34.7 billion)* in fiscal 1999 (ended March 2000). It was formed in July 1992 to take over the mobile telecom operations and sales of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT). Services including cellular and PHS telephone, paging, satellite mobile communications, and maritime and in-flight telephone are provided nationwide through nine regional subsidiaries. The company also has subsidiaries in the U.S., France and Brazil. In February 1999, DoCoMo launched the "i-mode" service for continuous connection with the Internet via mobile phones. DoCoMo expects to introduce third-generation mobile communications based on its Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) system in the spring of 2001. The company is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
*US$1=107.15 yen as of March 31
About Dentsu
Dentsu Inc., based in Tokyo, is the world's largest advertising agency. Founded in 1901, the company has annual consolidated revenue of 259,784 million yen. In addition to its extensive domestic network in 31 cities across Japan, Dentsu's international network spans 41 cities in 27 countries. This March, the company entered into a strategic alliance with B|Com3, an enterprise formed by the merger of The Leo and MacManus Groups. Contributing to the company's uniqueness is its Total Communications Services capabilities, a concept pioneered by Dentsu and later adopted by other major ad agencies.
About NTT AD
NTT Advertising, Inc. is an agency that aims to make a habit of creating new value and offering multifaceted communication services. Our watchward is multimedia communications. It was formed in December 1985 as one of the affiliated companies of NTT (Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Corporation).
