Is DoCoMo more receptive to [hiring outsiders] than other Japanese companies?
We do have many people who have joined us from other companies. In the [i-mode] business, the majority come from the outside. I think if we’re attempting something radical, we need to hire experts. That’s another reason why i-mode has succeeded. We went outside NTT to look for the right people. The exception is [Keiichi] Enoki, who heads the project. He comes from NTT, but he’s not typical. Q: When can we expect DoCoMo to introduce its wideband-CDMA service? A: DoCoMo has already built its network and put in orders with equipment manufacturers. What’s left are the handsets and service. We’ve already asked companies to make their handsets and displayed some of them at Telecom ’99, like the video phone or models specifically designed for mobile data transmission. Unlike with ordinary cell phones, there will be many more categories of phones. The new mobile sets will handle not just voice but video, car navigation, data transmission, and music. There will be dedicated sets for the transmi
