I-Mode

Definition - What does I-Mode mean?

i-Mode is a mobile Internet service in Japan offered by DoCoMo. The service is mostly accessed directly via a menu on I-Mode-compatible devices. i-mode makes use of DoCoMo’s packet-switched technology, which provides subscribers with "always on" network access. Thus, subscribers are billed based on the amount of data sent and received, not by the time spent on the network to access the service.

Techopedia explains I-Mode

Because of its rapid success in Japan, I-Mode attracted the attention of other wireless operators in Europe and Asia. About 20 operators in many countries partnered with DoCoMo to provide the service. Unfortunately, i-Mode did not enjoy the same kind of acceptance in the majority of those countries, forcing most of the operators to phase out the service.

Some I-Mode compatible sites can be reached via the i-Menu (a menu on i-mode handsets), while others can be accessed by entering their URLs. i-Menu services are subjected to a voting system participated in by subscribers. Since the criteria is based mainly on the quality of these sites’ content, owners of these sites constantly strive to maintain a high content quality.

i-mode websites are created using iHTML, a subset of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Thus, Web developers who are familiar with HTML can easily modify sites to be i-Mode-ready.

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