NTT DoCoMo Premium 4G service reaches 292 cities across Japan
Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo’s Premium 4G service is currently available in 292 cities and 41 prefectures across Japan, according to a company presentation. The service, which was launched in March, offers download speeds of up to 225 megabits per second using LTE-Advanced technology.
The telco said that it has started to offer the Premium 4G service using a combination of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1.5 GHz, 1.7 GHz and 2 GHz bands.
NTT DoCoMo’s President and CEO Kaoru Kato previously said that the company will deliver a 300 Mbps LTE service during fiscal year 2015. The company also plans to launch a 370 Mbps LTE service tapping spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band during fiscal year 2016.
By the end of the first fiscal quarter of 2015, which ended on June 30, the Japanese operator claimed 32.61 million LTE subscribers, a 35.6% increase compared to the same period last year.
The telco ended June with a total of 106,900 LTE base stations across Japan, up from 66,300 base stations the previous year. A total of 62,800 LTE base stations currently support download speeds of at least 100 Mbps. The company’s Premium 4G service is currently available in the main urban areas, office districts, exhibition centers, sports venues and theme parks.
NTT DoCoMo’s capital expenditures for the quarter totaled $753 million, down 37.3% compared to the same quarter the previous year. The telco said it pursued a more efficient use of capital expenditures and further cost reductions during the quarter.
Total smartphone sales during the first fiscal quarter reached 3.28 million, up 7% year-over-year. NTT DoCoMo also sold over 450,000 tablets during the period.
Singtel launches tri-band 4G networks in Singapore
In related Asian news, Singapore-based operator Singtel announced the commercial launch of a tri-band LTE network using additional spectrum resources in the 900 MHz band. The network upgrade is said to support better indoor coverage. Singtel said that the new service will be available in 400 sites across Singapore by March.
The operator is partnering with Samsung to launch a handset that fully supports tri-band LTE in the coming months.
