NEWS Japanese mobile service provider NTT DoCoMo has teamed up with UK mobile operator 3 to launch an international videophone service, according to a statement from NTT DoCoMo.
The new service, which starts on 1October, allows third generation (3G) videophones in Japan to make videophone calls and 64 Kbps transmissions to the UK.
Subscribers of NTT DoCoMo's 3G service will be able to make face-to-face videophone calls and can dial directly into private LANs via data transmissions at a cost of about 72 yen (39p) per 10 seconds.
Application for the service is not required, and users simply need to dial 009130-010-44, followed by the Hutchison 3G UK mobile phone number, said the statement.
NTT DoCoMo expects to expand the international videophone/data service to other countries in the near future.
Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa, a major shareholder of 3, has already launched 3G services in countries such as Italy, Austria Sweden and Australia.
The Japanese mobile giant, which owns a 20 percent stake in Hutchison 3G, helped the UK operator establish the country's first third-generation high-speed mobile phone service, which was introduced in March this year.
Recently, the UK mobile operator teamed with Japanese handset maker NEC to launch a new 3G handset featuring two built-in cameras.