A game database storing a game program as pay data, a distribution server,
and an account server are provided within a service provider side device.
The account server sends, through a radio network, a part of a game
program to a storage unit in a service user side device, before the
arrival of the fixed time of the start of use. When the user has decided
to purchase the game program on or after the day on which the data
becomes usable, the program part is sent to a game terminal so that the
play of the game can be started. Upon the receipt of a request from the
user for the distribution of the remaining part of the program, the
user's balance is checked for the purchase of the remaining part of the
program and, thereafter, the remaining part of the program is sent from
the distribution server to the radio terminal so that the user can enjoy
the subsequent part of the game without delay. The above construction can
shorten the time period between the request for the distribution of data
and the reproduction of the distributed data in predetermined
communication environment such as radio data communication environment,
and can reduce the concentration of load on the distribution server.
Further, the invention can also be applied to distribution data for which
the limitation of the time of the start of use is not provided.