NTT DoCoMo, Japan's leading mobile communications provider, and Telstra Corporation Limited, the leading telecommunications operator in Australia, today announced they have formed an exclusive strategic partnership under which Telstra will launch i-mode in Australia.

Signed today, the agreement licenses Telstra to offer the i-mode service with DoCoMo providing its brand, technology and patents.

i-mode is a mobile internet service that provides subscribers with access to rich content, e-mail, games and other applications and services through their mobile handsets. i-mode is leading the world in mobile internet innovation with over 43 million subscribers and 80,000 content sites in nine different countries.

Telstra Group Managing Director, Mr Ted Pretty, said NTT DoCoMo is one of the world's leading communications companies. Telstra, as the leading telecommunications provider in Australia, believes the two companies can work together to bring a superior total communications solution to Telstra's customers.

"Telstra's wireless strategy is to be the best at providing our customers with services that are compelling, relevant, timely and - most of all - easy to use."

"Telstra will work with content partners and developers, both locally and internationally, to enable their services to become commercially available to Australian subscribers of i-mode," said Mr Pretty.

NTT DoCoMo Executive Vice President and Managing Director of i-mode Business Division, Kei-ichi Enoki commented: "I am very pleased to initiate a partnership with Telstra Corporation, which holds the top market share in mobile communications in Australia. This new partnership will certainly drive further expansion of i-mode in the global arena."

Telstra's Managing Director of Wireless and Mobility Products, Ms Holly Kramer, said that with the launch of i-mode, Telstra will be able to offer a premium wireless experience to its customers, delivered over a wide range of innovative multifunctional handsets developed especially for i-mode partners around the world.

"In addition, Telstra will continue to enhance and develop the current wealth of content currently available to its existing customers," said Ms Kramer.

The i-mode service is provided on an open platform based on de facto Internet standards and in other markets has proved itself to be attractive to content and application providers, stimulating a vibrant content market with thousands of content sites for customers to choose from. The agreement allows Telstra to draw on this international experience to bring a world leading service to Australian consumers.

The agreement with Telstra in Australia marks DoCoMo's ninth partnership for the i-mode service. Telstra joins an international i-mode alliance that includes E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), KPN Mobile N.V. (Netherlands), Far EasTone Telecommunications (Taiwan), BASE N.V./S.A (Belgium), Bouygues Telecom S.A. (France), Telefonica Moviles Espana (Spain), Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA (Italy) and COSMOTE Mobile Telecommunications S.A (Greece).