LTE-Advanced service available in 976 cities across Japan
Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo’s “Premium 4G” service is currently available in 976 cities across Japan, according to a company presentation. The service, which was launched in March 2015, offers downlink speeds of up to 225 megabits per second using LTE-Advanced technology. The telco also said it is currently offering downlink speeds of up to 300 Mbps using more advanced LTE-A in selected areas.
The operator is also offering a 200 Mbps LTE service in 44 cities across the country, the company’s President and CEO Kaoru Kato said in a conference call with investors. “We’re adding carrier aggregation using the 3.5 GHz band. This will allow us to provide 270 Mbps speed,” the executive said. NTT DoCoMo offers the service using a combination of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1.5 GHz, 1.7 GHz and 2 GHz bands.
At the end of March, the Japanese operator claimed 38.67 million LTE subscribers, a 25.8% increase compared to the same period last year. The telco ended March with 138,100 LTE base stations across Japan, up from 97,400 base stations the previous year. A total of 22,800 LTE base stations currently support the company’s Premium 4G service, which is currently available in the main urban areas, office districts, exhibition centers, sports venues and theme parks.
NTT DoCoMo’s capital expenditures for its full fiscal year totaled 595 billion yen ($5.6 billion), down 10.1% year-on-year. The telco said it pursued a more efficient use of capital expenditures and further cost reductions during fiscal year 2016. Kato added that for current fiscal year, the operator expects capital expenditures to reach 585 billion yen.
Celcom selects Ericsson, Huawei for ‘4G’ upgrade project
In other APAC news, Malaysian telco Celcom selected Ericsson and Huawei to carry out a five-year “4G” network upgrade project, local press reported.
Under terms of the contracts, Ericsson and Huawei will be responsible for the delivery of a radio access network to support the rollout and prepare for the introduction of “5G” technology. The cost of the project could reach up to $566 million, according to reports.
Celcom is a subsidiary of local telecoms group Axiata.
