DoCoMo deluged by 3G customer complaints

Japanese telecoms company NTT DoCoMo has recalled 1400 third generation mobiles amid a storm of customer complaints, faulty hardware and hacking concerns.

The third generation rollout, which began in October in Tokyo, has been plagued by bad luck: users have slammed DoCoMo for the phone's short battery life, poor network coverage and a tendency to crash.

Previous recalls on a lesser scale have been actioned after it was found that third parties could access user information due to a storage problem.

This full-scale recall is because of faulty software, which the company said causes the phone to crash.

Further concerns about the service came to light earlier in the week when it was discovered that hackers were manipulating phones to perform denial of service type attacks.

When opened on the phone, a malicious email attachment causes the phone to automatically dial a third party phone number and then forward the email on to other parties.

This glitch, along with the software problem, has been reported on the Sony SO503i model. The company said it would keep customers appraised of the threat by sending out updates with its monthly bills.

Although the 3G launch has been disastrous, DoCoMo still believes it can benefit from its solid user base of 22 million already using its 2G i-Mode service.

See also:

Hacking

2001: A Hacker's Odyssey  16 Jan 2002

DoCoMo hangs up European i-mode launch

I-mode European launch delayed as DoCoMo recalls 100,000 faulty phones in Japan.  10 Jul 2001

3G delay prompts deployment of i-Mode

UK operators will adopt i-Mode in the delayed run-up to a full third-generation launch in 2003-4, according to a new report from Tarifica, part of PBI media consultancy.  13 Jun 2001

South Korea claims first 3G roll out

South Korea may have beaten the rest of the world to the punch by announcing the roll out of a live third-generation mobile network.  30 May 2001

3G: Beyond the hype

The third-generation (3G) licence frenzy has left mobile operators with empty pockets and a head full of hype, wondering whether they can find a killer app to justify the billions spent on the licences.  01 May 2001

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