GATEWAY TO JAPAN

DOCOMO Innovations collaborates with business partners, research laboratories, start-ups, and engineers in order to develop innovative products and services globally.

We exist as a gateway between Japan and Silicon Valley in the mobile market space to foresee and develop future opportunities through technology development, investment, and collaboration with our parent company.
About Us

NEWS
TOPICS

June 22, 2026
DOCOMO Becomes First in Japan to Deploy Nokia's AI-powered MantaRay AutoPilot for Automated Network Optimization
June 12, 2026
NTT DOCOMO Announces New Management Team
May 27, 2026
KDDI and NTT DOCOMO Develop Shared Repeater to Efficiently Expand Millimeter-Wave Coverage
May 25, 2026
(Topics) NTT, Kubota and NTT DOCOMO Demonstrate Communication Technologies Enabling Remote Operation of Robotic Agricultural Machinery in Mountainous Areas
May 25, 2026
(Topics) Successful Demonstration of Stable, High-Capacity mmWave Communications for Multiple High-Speed Vehicles for the 6G Era

DOCOMO Innovations is structured around 5 key teams, whose initiatives run the gamut from mobile applications to core networking technologies.

OUR GROUPS

01 Core Technology

We pioneer the future through deep exploration of cutting-edge technologies such as wireless communication, network systems, and artificial intelligence. Our mission is not to deliver short-term R&D value to DOCOMO, but rather to discover and develop core technologies that could become the pillars of innovation and services in the next 5 to 10 years. This long-term technology exploration is essential to DOCOMO's future growth strategy. The discovery of era-defining breakthrough technologies presents significant challenges, but we consider this pursuit to be a core responsibility of our mission. To enhance our innovation capacity, we will strengthen strategic collaborations with universities and companies, leveraging our local presence to access cutting-edge knowledge and ecosystems. We will continue to develop advanced and future-oriented technologies to support DOCOMO's sustainable growth and global competitiveness.

02 Intelligent Service Engineering

The rapid evolution of new technologies, led foremost by Al, is ushering in a major turning point in how services are conceived. A wave is upon us that is powerful enough to overturn every convention of service planning, development, testing, release, and maintenance. Traditionally, service innovation has begun with analyzing historical data to understand user needs and then scaling flexible cloud-based solutions accordingly. Al is reshaping that flow. From user interfaces to business logic and the backend systems that support them, sweeping changes are on the horizon. In just a few short years, accepted norms could be upended, fundamentally altering our values and outlook on life.

Against this backdrop, our group actively proposes new service paradigms born of the latest technologies, grounded in our long-standing expertise in Al, cloud computing, and data science. These practical capabilities will be indispensable for tomorrow's service creation. As intelligent components transform every stage of the service lifecycle from development to delivery, we commit ourselves to offering concrete technologies that maximize customer value and business profitability.

The benefits of our work will be shared not only with DOCOMO in Japan but also with local companies and other Japanese enterprises. Together with our partners, we aim to shape this new wave and build a better future for all.

03 Open Innovation Strategy

Nowadays, we are facing a multitude of social issues such as lifestyle diseases, population ageing, education gap, depopulation, and so on. Our approach is to contribute to solving them with new technologies. We are not a specialist in any of these fields. The work we do wouldn’t be possible without collaborations. We are always open for everyone to seek opportunities to work with.

DOCOMO Innovations is the hub of open innovation activities that create new value and business opportunities for the NTT DOCOMO Group. We explore and develop partnerships with startups and educational institutions to commercialize these cutting-edge technologies and business models.

04 Product Planning & Strategy

The next opportunity for the Japanese market, the next product, the next partner, the next strategy, the next innovation, the next technology… the Product Planning & Strategy Group is always looking for who or what is next.

DOCOMO Innovations’ Product Planning & Strategy Group (PPSG) is driving business focus innovation through not only smartphone and tablet products, but also peripheral devices such as XR devices and wearable devices connected with smartphones and tablets for NTT DOCOMO. We have three missions:

Creation: creating software and products strategy for the Japanese market,
Operation: operating day-to-day, innovative activities related to mobile products, and
Innovation: to realize the strategy as products through operation and collaboration with a variety of partners and start-ups in the U.S.

The group here at DOCOMO Innovations, Inc. in Palo Alto is working closely with NTT DOCOMO HQ in Tokyo, Japan. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are interested in working with us!

05 Business Development

We help the best and most innovative startups in the US to enter the Japanese market with a leading technology and distribution partner.

The business development and investment group works with innovative startups to structure a commercial deal with NTT DOCOMO headquarters. To support a commercial deal, we provide strategic investment concurrently or for a future commercial collaboration. Our mission is to help startups enter or accelerate growth in the Japanese market. Our team of professionals will make relevant introductions and help structure the commercial deal, as well as the investment deal, if appropriate.

ABOUT US

DOCOMO Innovations, Inc. is the Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO, Inc., one of Japan’s leading mobile telecommunications companies and a provider of comprehensive digital services. Established in 2011 as DOCOMO Communications Laboratories USA, Inc., we have built on years of research into advanced technologies and expanded our mission to forge new business opportunities and drive open innovation.

CEO MESSAGE

At DOCOMO Innovations, we advance cutting-edge research and development while supporting business collaboration between NTT DOCOMO and the U.S. innovation ecosystem. Our research focuses on the convergence of AI and network technologies, with the goal of creating solutions that will shape the future of communications and digital services. Drawing on our technological expertise and our understanding of both the U.S. and Japanese markets, we actively collaborate with universities, startups, and technology companies to explore new ideas and opportunities. We also identify promising products and services in the U.S. market and help connect them with product strategy and business development opportunities across the NTT DOCOMO Group. Through these efforts, we aim to expand the Group’s future technological and business possibilities.

As innovation continues to accelerate, we remain committed to exploring new possibilities, embracing collaboration, and contributing to a more connected and intelligent future.