NTT DoCoMo set to trial LTE-Advanced

Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. (DCM) said it plans to test “key technologies” for LTE-Advanced technology using experimental equipment using licenses it expects to receive from the Kanto Bureau of Telecommunication of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The carrier noted that it received a “pre-license” for the testing on Jan. 27, and that once it receives the licenses it will begin field trials in Yokosuka and Sagamihara, Japan.
The LTE-Advanced standard was set aside by the International Telecommunications Union as one of two true “4G” technologies. The ITU has since mended those requirements to account for carriers currently touting other technologies as 4G.
DoCoMo noted that the trials will include the use of up to five, 20 megahertz channels for the downlink and a pair of 20 megahertz channels for the uplink. In addition, the trial will include the use of multiple-input, multiple-output antenna technology for both uplink and downlink.
DoCoMo said the technology has achieved approximately 1 gigabit per second downlink and 200 megabit per second uplink speeds in lab simulations. The technology is also expected to be backward compatible with the carrier’s recently launched LTE network that is offered under the “Xi” brand.