NTT DoCoMo: What is i-mode?

http://www.nttdocomo.com/corebiz/imode/what/index.html
i-mode is the platform for mobile phone communications that has revolutionized the way more than one-fourth of the people in Japan live and work. The first of its kind, this remarkably convenient new form of mobile service has attracted over 40 million subscribers since its introduction in February 1999.

With i-mode, cellular phone users get easy access to more than 70,000 Internet sites, as well as specialized services such as e-mail, online shopping and banking, ticket reservations, and restaurant advice. Users can access sites from anywhere in Japan, and at unusually low rates, because their charges are based on the volume of data transmitted, not the amount of time spent connected. NTT DoCoMo's i-mode network structure not only provides access to i-mode and i-mode-compatible content through the Internet, but also provides access through a dedicated leased-line circuit for added security.