DoCoMo targets $11bn in non-core service revenues in 2015

Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo is targeting $11bn in non-core service revenues in 2015, up from $6bn in 2012, according to Hiroyasu Asami, executive vice president and managing director of the firm’s Smart Life Business Division. Asami said that the firm expects finance and payment services, media and content services and commerce to each account for $3bn of the 2015 total, with other services making up the remainder.

DoCoMo is well positioned to drive these revenues because of a combination of high postpaid penetration, a large retail presence relative to subscriber numbers and high levels of handset customisation, he said. The firm’s user base is 99.7 per cent postpaid and all of the devices it offers apart from the iPhone are customised to prioritise DoCoMo services and the firm has worked to ensure that its services are available across a range of device and OS platforms, including Android, iOS, Tizen and it’s own iMode platform.

Despite the integration of a number of important capabilities into the Japanese smartphone, including mobile wallet, GPS and contacts databases, Asami said, the industry should look beyond these devices for future growth. “The smartphone can’t cover everything that we need and it is now high time that we see the limitations of the smartphone,” he said. Wearable and sensor-based technology are two important areas of focus for DoCoMo’s Smart Life unit. “Sensor technology has leapt recently so I’m positive that wearable and health technology will grow very much,” he said.