Japan's NTT DoCoMo increases stake in Access

Colin Dunstan · 12-03-2005, 12:23 PM

PalmSource has big plans for 2006. For starters, it plans to release it's first Linux-based Palm OS. Japan's top mobile operator NTT DoCoMo must have heard about it, too, since they just increased their share holding in Access Co. Ltd from 7.12 percent to 11.66 percent for about 15b yen (~US$125m).

[via CommsDesign]

Bob Russell · 12-03-2005, 12:48 PM

This concerns me. I see wireless network providers as being a natural enemy to low-priced and consumer-friendly evolution of wireless services. Their goals seem to be diametrically opposed. The consumer-friendly endgame makes them a commodity provider of network bandwidth. The provider-friendly endgame sees them with all kinds of new for-fee services being controlled entirely by the provider. And, unfortunately, people who create the mobile platforms are in a unique position to influence the balance of power. So now we have a 12% stake in a mobile platform creator (who is already vulnerable to the demands of carriers). Definitely concerns me with respect to the consumer's position in the long run. I'm not generally a Microsoft basher, but it seems to me that this same carrier and content provider influence has already struck home with Microsoft, influencing things for the worse relative to the consumer. Where does the balance come from? Maybe the best hope is that linux platforms will force MS, Access, Symbian, etc. to keep the consumer in mind relative to wireless charges. Thank goodness there are wimax and other longer range internet access technologies that may keep wireless providers on their toes.

12-03-2005, 12:23 PM	#1
Colin Dunstan Is papyrophobic! Posts: 1,926 Karma: 1009999 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: USA Device: Dell Axim	Japan's NTT DoCoMo increases stake in Access PalmSource has big plans for 2006. For starters, it plans to release it's first Linux-based Palm OS. Japan's top mobile operator NTT DoCoMo must have heard about it, too, since they just increased their share holding in Access Co. Ltd from 7.12 percent to 11.66 percent for about 15b yen (~US$125m). [via CommsDesign]

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12-03-2005, 12:48 PM	#2
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	This concerns me. I see wireless network providers as being a natural enemy to low-priced and consumer-friendly evolution of wireless services. Their goals seem to be diametrically opposed. The consumer-friendly endgame makes them a commodity provider of network bandwidth. The provider-friendly endgame sees them with all kinds of new for-fee services being controlled entirely by the provider. And, unfortunately, people who create the mobile platforms are in a unique position to influence the balance of power. So now we have a 12% stake in a mobile platform creator (who is already vulnerable to the demands of carriers). Definitely concerns me with respect to the consumer's position in the long run. I'm not generally a Microsoft basher, but it seems to me that this same carrier and content provider influence has already struck home with Microsoft, influencing things for the worse relative to the consumer. Where does the balance come from? Maybe the best hope is that linux platforms will force MS, Access, Symbian, etc. to keep the consumer in mind relative to wireless charges. Thank goodness there are wimax and other longer range internet access technologies that may keep wireless providers on their toes.

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