DoCoMo teams with Microsoft for mobile music

Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has inked a deal with Microsoft for a mobile music service that will allow the carrier's users to load music downloaded originally to their PC from more than 100 online music services. Microsoft is supplying its Windows Media Audio technology for the venture. Japan's market is not dominated by the iPod or a similar device--in Japan the mobile phone is king of mobile content. DoCoMo's move is mostly a defensive one, albeit an impressive one, as rival KDDI is sniping customers from the carrier since it launched its music download service. The DoCoMo service is set to launch this summer, just before number portability arrives in the country, which surely means trouble for any carrier with no music service.

For more on DoCoMo and Microsoft's mobile music offering:
- see this article from the AP