Toward a New Paradigm

In 2001, DoCoMo launched FOMA, the world's first W-CDMA 3G service. In 2006, the company extended its lead by introducing High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) handsets and services offering download speeds (3.6Mbps) about 10 times faster than standard 3G FOMA mobile phones.

HSDPA services have boosted tremendously the convenience of downloading large files for business and pleasure—Music Channel files, for example—but the race for even greater speed continues. DoCoMo has tapped its research and development know-how to raise the bar by yet another order with Super 3G. Recent experiments with Super 3G, also known as LTE (Long Term Evolution), are already reaching several tens of megabits per second. The company currently is on target to reach the technology's maximum downlink speed of 300Mbps this year, according to Seizo Onoe, Vice President and Managing Director of DoCoMo's Radio Access Network Development Department. If trials go well then services should be available for DoCoMo customers in around 2010.

"Of course," says Onoe, "exactly when these services will begin is a business decision; from a technical standpoint, however, we are looking to finish development in 2009."

The Greater Generation

Offering a maximum 300Mbps downlink speed, Super 3G lives up to its name in a number of ways, says Onoe. The technology behind Super 3G promises much lower latency for customers accessing DoCoMo's network, and improved spectrum efficiency. Super 3G improves on today's 3G HSDPA network by taking advantage of a technology known as "MIMO," or Multiple-Input Multiple-Output. This data transmission technology involves the use of multiple transmitters and receivers—in other words, multiple antennas—and signal paths to increase wireless bandwidth and range. In DoCoMo's case, says Onoe, this means using four antennas to achieve Super 3G's 300Mbps maximum downlink speed.

"The biggest merit for customers, of course, will be the speed," says Onoe, "but the efficiency of the network also means that cost per bit is lower."

Setting New Standards

Today's R&D paves the way for tomorrow's services, and DoCoMo is an undisputed leader in this respect. As a leading member of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a collaborative group of international companies seeking to standardize 3G technologies, DoCoMo proposed the Super 3G standard, and its subsequent work on Super 3G has played a key role in securing specifications for LTE. International interest in Super 3G is high, especially in Europe, and DoCoMo is certain to remain in the vanguard as the technology advances in the future.

Long Term Evolution

Super 3G plays a strategic role for DoCoMo: Delivering convenience to customers while the company prepares for the next great leap to 4G services. DoCoMo, which began research and development into 4G in 1998, hopes to roll out 4G services at speeds of up to 1Gbps by the middle of the next decade. Its current strategy is to upgrade HSDPA data rates to a maximum 14Mbps and proceed with development of Super 3G, paving the way for a smooth introduction of 4G. "Our strategy is to continually improve services and technology and pass the benefits onto customers," says Onoe, "and Super 3G is an excellent step toward 4G."

The Need for Speed

In theory, Super 3G will transform downloading of a full-length DVD into a process lasting just in minutes, not hours. Making use of this speed, what services will potentially be available on the Super 3G network?

Well, it's actually too early to say, according to Onoe. DoCoMo's business model stresses development of new technological platforms that in turn inspire a broad spectrum of new services. The efficacy of this strategy is well proven—i-mode and FOMA are two excellent examples—and DoCoMo expects the same result with Super 3G.

"If we provide the technology, then new services will emerge," Onoe says. "Each time we improve the infrastructure, potential is created for greater services and richer content, and new needs and markets are stimulated."