Japan’s NTT DoCoMo to join with Google

Starting as early as the spring, users will be able to access Google search, e-mail, scheduling and photo-saving features through NTT DoCoMo’s i-Mode Internet network, Japan’s main business daily The Nikkei said, without identifying its sources.

The two firms plan to integrate the search feature with handset software, enabling the development of new services, the paper said.

Tokyo-based DoCoMo Inc. is also considering developing a next-generation handset using Google’s free operating system for mobile devices, it said. Such a phone could be introduced in the second half of next year, paving the way for the companies to roll out a wide range of cutting-edge services.

Kyodo News agency carried a similar report.

DoCoMo spokeswoman Makiko Furuta said users can already search the Internet with Google and other search engines through its i-Mode service. DoCoMo is also exploring other possibilities with domestic and foreign search service providers, but nothing has been decided, she said.

DoCoMo’s business strategy has been to handle everything from communications infrastructure to services. With the surge in Internet use, however, the company determined that it could not meet customer needs on its own, the Nikkei said.

While DoCoMo has logged strong profits under its existing business model, young customers — the core users of mobile Internet services — have recently defected to KDDI Corp.

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