TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc. has put out a request for proposal for the development of “Super 3G” base stations and handsets-although no official standard for the technology has yet been set by the Third Generation Partnership Project standards group.
Final specifications for Super 3G most likely will not be available until next year. Super 3G is expected to fall under the umbrella of Long Term Evolution technology for networks, an evolution beyond wideband CDMA specifications.
However, according to DoCoMo, 3GPP “has completed most of the basic system designs” for LTE and the carrier “thus is set to begin developing equipment for practical application of the Super 3G technology.”
DoCoMo says it will select one or more suppliers for LTE equipment around October and that it “aims to complete the technology with the selected suppliers before the end of 2009.”
DoCoMo anticipates that Super 3G will enable network downlink speeds of over 100 megabits per second and uplink speeds of more than 50 Mbps, along with low latency and better spectrum efficiency.
