German operator E-Plus has become the fourth European carrier to announce plans to shut down its i-mode network. The move – scheduled for April 1st – follows previous closures from O2, KPN and Russia’s MTS.
Pioneered by Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, i-mode was a huge success when it was launched in its home country in 1999 and the company subsequently licensed the service to operators around the world. According to a Mobile Entertainment report, remaining European operators offering i-mode services include Cosmote in Romania and Greece, Bouygues in France, Telefonica in Spain, Wind in Italy, O2 Ireland, Base in Belgium and Globul in Bulgaria. The report states, however, that “many aren’t advertising the fact on their websites.”