Will COM in Japan is planning its kid monitoring service with a small device called Doku-iruka. Unlike GPS tracking, it use the PHS telecom network to capture the location every 5 minutes.

The Doku-iruka is a Dolphin that connect to Japan PHS network. With the dolphin, parents can retrieve the location anytime with their PHS compatible mobile phone. The map is sent to the mobile phone directly. When kids go to the school, parent can activate the "watch" function, and get notified if the location remain the same over a period of time. The "watch" state can be turned off when the kids reach the school by pressing the button on the dolphin. The final location will be sent to parent's mobile phone to verify the switching off action.

Each 5 minutes interval location are recorded in the server, you can keep up to 1 week of location history and retrieve the records online.

Other than the tracking service, kids can pull the strap on the dolphin to activate a loud alarm when emergency. The Doku-iruka can then alert up to 5 person at the same time. With the size of 135 × 58 × 35 mm and 110 grams, it looks a bit too big for such little function. The battery can do 24 hours continuous tracking before you need to recharge the battery. Will COM said the accuracy is up to 70 meter on the ground, and 500m ~ 1km underground. It depends on the number of the PHS station.

Will COM plan to charge a flat rate of about 150 USD a year for unlimited usage, looks cheap with just 12 USD a month.

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