Japan’s NTT DoCoMo announced its new medium-term strategy for implementation through the 2020 fiscal year, effective immediately. The plan focuses on six declarations that DoCoMo will act upon to realize a more innovative business structure in the coming era of 5G.
The underlying objectives of the "Declaration beyond" plan are 1) to exceed the expectations of customers and help them connect with their aspirations via exciting and unexpected services and 2) to create all-new value propositions in collaboration with business partners as DOCOMO challenges new frontiers with an eye to 2020 and beyond.
The six declarations of DOCOMO's new plan are as follows:
- Market leader
DoCoMo aims to lead the market in value propositions by further integrating and evolving its services, actively returning value to customers through a wide array of tangible benefits, including strengthened loyalty programs and attractive billing plans. By fiscal 2020, the total number of "d POINT" partners will be increased to more than 300 partners, with the aim of establishing "d POINT" as one of Japan's largest point programs.
As a first step, on May 10, "docomo POINTs" earned under the former loyalty program will be transferred to the "d POINT" program, extending the validity period of the points and expanding the ways they can be used. And on May 24, the new "Simple Plan" and "Ultra Share Pack 30" subscriber plans will be launched. - Style innovation
Leveraging the strengths of 5G, DoCoMo will launch a wide range of exciting and unexpected services under a company-wide project called "empower+d challenge" (empowered challenge), which will enable customers to realize their aspirations and achieve greater affluence. In particular, through the creative application of virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies, DoCoMo will offer all-new innovation for customer experiences, lifestyles and work styles. Initiatives will target nine sectors in three fields:- Experience innovation - New entertainment, Next-generation mobility and Sharing
- Life style innovation - AI agent, FinTech and Total healthcare
- Work style innovation - Drone robotics, Work innovation and Work matching.
- Peace of mind and comfort support
DoCoMo will use AI to develop all-new customer contact points for the provision of optimal, stress-free support for each customer, anytime and anywhere, with a special emphasis on reducing customer wait times. A new system will enable customers to consult their smartphones about a wide range of issues, and measures for enhanced communication will be implemented for issues requiring specialized assistance. - Industry creation
DoCoMo, the leader in emerging 5G technologies and services, will collaborate with partners across a wide range of industries to contribute to social and industrial development through 5G technologies. From late May 2017, 5G trial sites will be launched to enable partner companies and DoCoMo to collaborate in creating standard-setting new services that leverage 5G strengths including low latency, ultra-high speed, ultra-large capacity and massive device connectivity. - Solution co-creation
DoCoMo also will collaborate with partners in six key fields-primary industries, education, sports, healthcare, mobility and work style reform-aiming to contribute to further growth and prosperity in Japan, including through the vitalization of regional economies. In the case of work style reform, collaborations will facilitate telework environments and share offices, to be introduced this year. - Partner business expansion
The plan's sixth declaration is the further enhancement and evolution of DoCoMo's business platforms for loyalty points, customer referrals, FinTech, AI agents, IoT, drones and other business areas, which partners will use to expand transaction flows, develop new business and realize higher levels of productivity.
Going forward, DoCoMo will steadily implement its "Declaration beyond" medium-term strategy to establish an increasingly innovative business structure. At the same time, the company will continue to strengthen its business platform, aiming to pass on value to customers and invest in further growth, as well as leverage advanced 5G technologies for the ongoing evolution of its value propositions.
