| TOKYO, JAPAN, February 15, 2002 --- NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that subscribers to its cellular phone services exceeded 40 million today, less than two years (21 months) after surpassing 30 million in May 2000. After services were launched in 1979, the subscriber base grew at an average net pace of roughly 30,000 users per year for the first 10 years. Since 1993, however, annual growth has skyrocketed to an average net gain of 4.3 million subscribers. The company has rapidly grown its customer base by cutting prices, introducing smaller and lighter handsets, and developing innovative mobile multimedia services. The company's  mobile internet service has enjoyed tremendous popularity since its introduction in February 1999, contributing greatly to new subscriptions. In less than three years, i-mode has attracted more than 30 million users and reinvented the Japanese cellular industry by creating a huge market for non-voice services. In 2001, DoCoMo launched the world's first third-generation mobile communications service, dubbed  . In addition to crystal-clear voice, the broadband wireless service offers high-speed data communications for the enjoyment of a wide variety of mobile multimedia services. As announced, DoCoMo plans to continue enhancing the FOMA service by adding new handsets and services, as well as expanding the service area. |
| For detailed information, please see the attachment. Subscriptions to NTT DoCoMo's cellular phone services have grown as follows: |
| December 1979 | Launch | |
| February 1993 | 1 million | |
| April 1996 | 5 million | |
| February 1997 | 10 million | |
| October 1997 | 15 million | |
| August 1998 | 20 million | |
| June 1996 | 25 million | |
| May 2000 | 30 million | |
| February 2001 | 35 million | |
| February 2002 | 40 million* | |
| * The figure includes FOMA subscribers. | ||
| Attachment (.pdf) About NTT DoCoMo NTT DoCoMo is the world's leading mobile communications company with more than 40 million customers. The company provides a wide variety of mobile multimedia services, including , the world's most popular mobile internet service with over 30 million subscribers, and , the world's first 3G service, which DoCoMo launched in 2001. In addition to wholly owned subsidiaries in the United States, Europe and Brazil, the company is expanding its global reach through strategic joint ventures and other alliances with mobile and multimedia service providers in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.comi-mode and FOMA are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries. |
