Title: Why 'i-mode' mobile platform failed to succeed outside Japan: an analysis from a business model perspective

Authors: Mutaz M. Al-Debei; Enas Al-Lozi; Omar Al-Hujran; Anas Aloudat

Addresses: Department of Management Information Systems, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan ' Department of Management Information Systems, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan ' Department of Management Information Systems, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Amman, Jordan ' Department of Management Information Systems, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

Abstract: Mobile data platforms were firstly introduced to the world by the Japanese telecommunication company, NTT DoCoMo, through its i-mode service which was developed on the basis of modest technology. I-mode mobile platform offers a portfolio of bundled and well-balanced services. In Japan, i-mode is huge and the number of its current users is substantial. After a few years from its roll-out in Japan, NTT DoCoMo launched the service in many other countries in different parts of the world. Unlike the service success in Japan, i-mode seems unsuccessful in the chosen international markets. Hence, this paper aims at examining why i-mode service is very successful in Japan and not in the overseas markets where the service has been launched. To this end, this paper utilises the business model concept as an analytical lens. The outcome of this study suggests that the success or failure of mobile platforms can hardly be attributed to a single reason. Based on our analysis, the success of mobile platforms is heavily driven by the design of the service business model, and the fit between the business model (BM) of the mobile platform and its context.

Keywords: i-mode; mobile data services; MDS; business models; value networks; Japan; overseas markets; mobile platforms.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2016.078873

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2016 Vol.11 No.3, pp.397 - 416

Received: 20 Nov 2013
Accepted: 06 May 2014

Published online: 04 Sep 2016 *

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