3G giants Hutch and DoCoMo get closer

Lots of common concerns and goals...

Hutchison Whampoa and NTT DoCoMo are to co-operate internationally on 3G technology and services. The two powerhouse mobile operators said they will collaborate on handset development, radio network architecture and 3G standards. Also of importance is developing multimedia applications - an area where it has been shown that no one company has a monopoly on good ideas - and exploring international 3G roaming. Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa is the backer of Hutchison 3G UK and the company behind the 3 brand in the UK, Italy and elsewhere in Europe. DoCoMo is Japan's largest mobile carrier and well-known for pioneering mobile data services first with its narrow-band i-mode service and then as the first major 3G carrier with a version of W-CDMA technology it has called FOMA.