Tokyo: NTT DoCoMo, the biggest mobile-phone company in Japan, has revoked the license it gave to Hutchison Essar last year to provide its i-mode Internet access service, after Vodafone Group agreed to buy a controlling stake in the Indian operator.

Vodafone said, "The business environment of Hutchison Essar has changed, which makes it difficult" for both companies to provide i-mode, DoCoMo said.