NTT DOCOMO is preparing to launch LTE-Advanced service in Japan on March 27. The carrier announced top downlink speeds of 225 Mbps with top uplink speeds of 50 Mbps.
The LTE-Advanced service will leverage the company’s Advanced C-RAN network architecture, which optimized radio capacity and maximum transmission speed simultaneously, especially in high-traffic areas. DOCOMO said the use of carrier aggregation technology will enable it to push the LTE-Advanced to achieve maximum downlinks of 300Mbps towards the end of the next fiscal year ending in March 2016. The carrier is aiming for 5G services in 2020.
The DOCOMO LTE-Advanced network will launch initially in 22 prefectures, including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Nationwide availability is expected by March 2016.
Two DOCOMO mobile Wi-Fi routers will be available for the service—the Wi-Fi STATION HW-02G, which is now on the market, and the L-01G, which is scheduled to launch in March. DOCOMO is also preparing to expand its lineup of compatible smartphones soon.
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2015/0225_00.html
Earlier this month, NTT DOCOMO has achieved 240 Mbps downlink performance using 35MHz of bandwidth in a live field trial of Advanced C-RAN technology.
Advanced C-RAN leverages carrier aggregation (CA) technology to enable users to receive data simultaneously over small cells for localized coverage deployed in congested areas, and macro cells that provide wider area coverage. The carrier said Advanced C-RAN will prove especially useful for improving radio capacity and transmission speed in train stations, large-scale commercial facilities and other high-traffic areas.
A previous verification trial last November used category-6 mobile devices capable of download speeds up to 300Mbps in the Yokosuka area of Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.
“Advanced C-RAN represents an important contribution to the evolution of LTE and will be a key technology for the realization of 5G in the future,” said Seizo Onoe, DOCOMO’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.
