Taiwan gets taste of i-Mode

Taiwan's KG Telecom (KGT) on Thursday launched the region's first non-Japanese version of the popular i-Mode service, while rival Taiwan Cellular Corp (TCC) attempted to trump it with the launch of its multimedia messaging service (MMS).

The service uses KGT's existing general packet radio services (GPRS) over the global system for mobile (GSM) network. The system has been bundled with NEC's N530i colour handset. A Toshiba handset is expected to hit the market by the end of the year.

More than 80 content partners have already signed up for inclusion on the first-tier i-Mode menu, with about 9 per cent of a content-provider's revenue going to the operator.

First-tier partners charge for access and download of specific content items. For example, record label EMI Taiwan has hooked up with i-Mode on a service called i-stars, charging NT$50 (about HK$11.43) for eight photographs, an autograph and biographical details of its singers. The company also provides ring tones and e-cards.

According to KGT director of product innovation Roger Chen, content partners are put through a rigorous program to ensure their content is up to scratch.

'Mobile users aren't going to accept any news which is out of date. They want to see updates at least 10 times a day, instead of once a day,' Mr Chen said.

Users can also access non-menu sites by keying in a URL directly, with content providers needing to code their sites in compact-HTML (CHTML).