NTT DoCoMo also confirmed plans to commercially launch 5G networks in 2020
SHANGHAI – Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo expects its Premium 4G LTE service to reach speeds of up to 500 megabits per second, the company’s new president and CEO Kazuhiro Yoshizawa said during a presentation at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016 event. Yoshizawa said the service will be commercially available early next year.
NTT said the service currently delivers speeds up to 300 Mbps using LTE-Advanced technology. The executive said during fiscal year 2016, the operator will offer speeds of up to 375 Mbps using carrier aggregation technology.
The telco initially launched the service in March 2014, using a combination of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1.5 GHz, 1.7 GHz and 2 GHz bands, and currently offers the service in 976 cities across Japan.
Yoshizawa also confirmed NTT Docomo’s plans to commercially launch 5G services in fiscal year 2020, noting the telco is collaborating with Nokia and Ericsson in the technical development of 5G technology.
The executive also said the telco ended March with more than 15.5 million subscribers for the company’s “Dmarket” service, which enables subscribers to access products and services including music, videos, e-books and magazines. Yoshizawa said the telco’s goal is to grow the size of “smart life” transactions to a level comparable to telecom revenues, noting the carrier expects the goal could be reached in fiscal year 2018.
