NTT DoCoMo (NYSE:DCM, the largest wireless Japanese operator) and Motorola (NYSE:MOT)announced on Wednesday plans to develop a 3G FOMA handset geared towards business users (note: FOMA is the name of DoCoMo's proprietary 3G network in Japan).  The intent is for the new model to be GSM/GPRS compatible, making it the first FOMA model that may be used outside of Japan.

The new, still to be named handset will be able to access the Internet through mopera or any other available Internet connection, and will be compatible with public WLAN services offered by wireless operators.  That way, users will be able to use high-speed Internet access at fixed, cheaper rates whenever they are close to Wi-Fi hotspots.  The browser will be capable to display standard web pages, in addition to i-mode or WAP pages.  Another built-in feature is the ability to view e-mail attachments in Microsoft Office format

Also on the same day, announced a partnership to offer seamless WLAN roaming around the world via iPass.  Unfortunately, there are no current photos to be shown, as details given by Motorola and NTT were sketchy at best, but some observers believe the product will become commerically available sometime during the spring of 2005.