DOCOMO Capital and Mobile Internet Capital Invest in Stoke

SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwire - 10/21/09) - Mobile broadband gateway provider Stoke, Inc. (http://www.stoke.com [1]) today announced that DOCOMO Capital, Inc. and Mobile Internet Capital, Inc. have invested in the company. This represents an extension to Stoke's Series D funding round, which now stands at $20 million and brings total investment in the US-based startup to $70 million.

DOCOMO Capital is a corporate venture arm of NTT DOCOMO, the world's leading mobile operator. Mobile Internet Capital, Japan's leading venture capital company focusing on the wireless communication sector, includes NTT DOCOMO among its main investors.

The funding will be used to support Stoke's commercial deployments in Asia Pacific, of which Japan is the most advanced, and the imminent launch of new 3G offload capabilities for the Western European market.

"Our mission is to invest in the future of mobile technology," said Tomoya Hemmi, President and CEO of DOCOMO Capital. "Stoke is an exciting, advanced and leading edge solution provider with the potential to improve the abilities of operators to be more competitive in future mobile communications markets."

In June Stoke announced they had been selected to supply NTT DOCOMO with its advanced mobile broadband gateways for commercial deployment. The gateways form part of a new infrastructure allowing NTT DOCOMO to provide improved service, expand accessibility for users, and enhance the company's ability to manage mobile broadband traffic on their RAN and backhaul infrastructure.

"Stoke solutions address some of the most pressing contemporary requirements of mobile data operators," said Ikuo Nishioka, President and CEO of Mobile Internet Capital. "Their technology is unparalleled and well suited to addressing the dynamics of the current mobile Internet market. We are pleased to add our support to accelerate their success."

Mobile data service provider companies are increasingly turning to Stoke's all-IP, converged access technology to address the data glut challenging carrier networks worldwide. Following its first commercial deployments in late 2008, Stoke has experienced a triple digit increase in revenues.

"Stoke is delivering advanced and unique solutions for the immediate requirements of mobile data offload, femtocell deployment and transition to LTE. Our recent commercial deployments represent a strong validation of our technology and underscore our vision of leadership in this space," commented Vikash Varma, President and CEO at Stoke.

About DOCOMO Capital

DOCOMO Capital, Inc. is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO, INC. (NYSE:DCM [2] - News [3]), the leading wireless network operator based in Japan. Working closely with NTT DOCOMO's business and R&D divisions, DOCOMO Capital is in charge of NTT DOCOMO's strategic investments in mobile communications related start-up companies mainly in the United States. For further information, visit: http://www.docomo-capital.com/ [4].

About Mobile Internet Capital

Mobile Internet Capital, Inc. is a Japan-based venture capital company owned by NTT DOCOMO, Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., and Internet Research Institute, Inc. Mobile Internet Capital focuses on the wireless communication and the information technology sectors. For further information, visit: http://www.mickk.com/en/ [5].

About Stoke

Stoke develops carrier-class mobile broadband gateways specifically engineered to enable mobile and converged network operators to maximize the economic returns of their 3G mobile networks. For further information, visit: http://www.stoke.com [6].