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NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced that subscribers to DoCoMo's FOMA third-generation mobile service surpassed the three million mark yesterday, just two months after reaching two million. The figure goes far beyond NTT DoCoMo's targeted figure of 2.4 million subscribers for fiscal 2003, which ends today.

DoCoMo attributes the rapid increase to its introduction of the 900i series, the most advanced 3G phones ever, which have the following features: high-capacity Java-based i-appli(TM) applications, HTML email (Deco-mail), avatar-capable video phone (Chara-den), combined video and high-fidelity audio for incoming calls (Chaku-motion), and two-million-pixel cameras. Amazingly, with all this functionality, 900i phones weigh only about 115 grams and offer about 150 static hours of standby time (the equivalent of DoCoMo's mova 2G handsets).

The number of indoor base stations has increased to 1,600 as of today in order to offer more widely accessible service in major buildings, underground malls and subway stations nationwide. As of today, service is also available in 97 stations on four lines of the Toei subway network, and in 43 stations on seven lines of the Eidan subway network. FOMA service will be offered in all Eidan subway stations as of the end of April (147 stations on eight lines).

FOMA's subscriber base is expected to continue growing at a rapid pace as the service is further enhanced in terms of both competitiveness and functionality. In the near future, DoCoMo will begin offering FOMA users unlimited access to i-mode(TM) services for a flat monthly rate. It will also lower the minimum allowances of selected charge plans without raising the per-packet communication rates.