NTT DoCoMo to Release N900iL, First FOMA Wireless LAN Dual-Network Handset

November 15, 2004

N900iL

NTT DoCoMo announced today that the N900iL, a dual-network 3G FOMA handset that runs on both the FOMA network and wireless LANs, will be released on November 16, 2004.

The N900iL is specifically designed to support DoCoMo's exclusive PASSAGE DUPLE system for dual-network operation as both a standard FOMA phone and a VoIP mobile phone over a corporate user's internal wireless LAN. The phone and system will both be marketed through DoCoMo's corporate business division and partner companies.

Optional settings enable the phone to exclusively receive incoming calls from either the FOMA network or wireless LAN only, or both networks in dual mode.

Standard phone functions, such as call hold and call transfer, are possible in the wireless LAN mode.

Since the N900iL browser can be used both inside and outside the office, users always have access to important schedules, web mail and documents saved on intranet servers.

A callee status function enables the caller to dial another N900iL handset registered on the same wireless LAN and view its status onscreen (i.e., confirm if the called party is on line, off line, in a meeting, out of office, on a business trip, etc.).

Instant messaging between N900iL handsets on a wireless LAN is also possible.

Main Specifications of N900iL
Height x width x thickness (folded)	Approx. 102 x 48 x 27 mm (excluding camera)
Weight	Approx. 120 grams
Continuous Stand-by Time	FOMA: Approx. 350 hours (static) Approx. 270 hours (dynamic) Wireless LAN: Approx. 230 hours* Dual mode: Approx. 150 hours*
Continuous Talk Time	FOMA: Approx. 140 minutes VoIP: Approx. 160 minutes*
Continuous Video Calling	Approx. 90 minutes
Main LCD	Approx. 2.2 inches (320 x 240 dots); 65,536 colors; QVGA; TFT
Sub LCD	Approx. 0.96 inches (30 x 120 dots); 4,096 colors; semi-transparent STN
External Memory Device	miniSD Memory Card
Camera	Outer: CCD camera Effective resolution: Approx. 1 megapixels Recorded resolution: 2 megapixels Inner: CCD camera Effective resolution: Approx. 110,000 pixels Recorded resolution: 100,000 pixels
Color	Silver
Wireless LAN	Protocol: IEEE802.11b international standard
	Call control: SIP
	Functions: browsing, callee status and instant messaging

The announcement comes shortly after BT revealed its plans to launch the so-called "Bluephone", a Wifi-enabled mobile handset. BT’s new terminal, which will not be available until next year, will also offer the user the choice between VoIP telephony at a W-Lan hotspot, or normal mobile connection when out of WiFi range.

Whilst some analysts believe that these phones will threaten mobile operators’ voice service revenues, BT, at least hopes to benefit from an increase in fixed line charges. DoCoMo will hope to attract big-spending business customers to its new service. If it can do that, it believes the loss of any voice revenues at WiFi locations will be more than compensated for by increased usage elsewhere.