JAPAN'S DOCOMO TO SET UP DUTCH UNIT TO SPREAD I-MODE USE IN EUROPE.

TOKYO, July 17 Asia Pulse - NTT DoCoMo Inc. (TSE:9437) announced Tuesday it will establish a subsidiary in the Netherlands at the end of the month to promote i-mode Internet-capable cellular phone services in Europe.

The Dutch unit, to be capitalized at 2.4 million euros (US$2.42 million), will be located in Amsterdam with an initial staff of 10 employees, all of whom will be sent from the Japanese parent company.

The unit will provide expertise on i-mode services and conduct market research on behalf of European cell phone firms, DoCoMo officials said.

The top cell phone service firm already provides i-mode services in the Netherlands and Germany through KPN Mobile, a Dutch cell phone company in which it has a 15 per cent stake.

Some 600,000 people in the two countries subscribe to the service, which DoCoMo plans to expand further into Europe, including Belgium and France, the officials said.