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Tag: DoCoMo

  • DoCoMo joins CAICT’s 5G Promotion Group

    DoCoMo joins CAICT’s 5G Promotion Group

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has teamed up with the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology (CAICT) on research and development into potential 5G standards.

    As part of the collaboration, DoCoMo will join the CAICT-initiated IMT-2020 Promotion Group 5G trial. DoCoMo and CAICT will also evaluate possible frequency bands for future 5G networks.

    DoCoMo joined the IMT-2020 promotion group in August to co-operate with major mobile operators and vendors on 5G R&D and standardization.

    The operator has also been conducting joint 5G R&D with vendors including Ericsson, Huawei and others.

    The IMT-2020 Promotion Group was jointly established by three Chinese ministries in early 2013, based on the original IMT-Advanced Promotion Group. It is the major platform to promote research into 5G in China.

    The group is divided into dedicated units covering areas including technology, spectrum, intellectual property and network asrchitectures.

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  • Rakuten drone delivery system launched

    Rakuten drone delivery system launched

    Japanese eCommerce giant Rakuten and its two partners – Docomo and Autonomous Control Laboratory – have trialled a drone-based delivery system.

    The Rakuten drone delivery system uses Docomo’s LTE mobile network when a customer places an order via a smartphone.

    The last experiment in the National Strategic Special Zone of Chiba city saw the cargo carried from the Inage Seaside Park to the adjacent seaside area.

    The new version is upgraded with an ordering app for users and the drone dashboard for drone controlling.

    Rakuten says the new “Tenku” delivery drone features a number of performance enhancements such as water-resistant. Tenku’s base is an airframe called “PF1”, developed by Autonomous Control Laboratory. The airframe helps the drone go long-distance and over the sea as well as over populated areas. A parachute is also equipped to slow the speed in case of emergency fall.

    With its technologies, the operator also maps out flight routes with stable communication, and also monitors the connectivity of airborne cell phones with the mobile network at the ground level.

    The new Rakuten drone-based delivery system is set to be used in urban areas after talks with the Chiba City Drone Delivery Subcommittee.

  • DoCoMo achieves 11.29Gbps in 5G trial

    DoCoMo achieves 11.29Gbps in 5G trial

    NTT DoCoMo and Huawei have achieved a peak speed of 11.29Gbps during a 5G large-scale field trial in the 4.5-GHz band.

    The companies tested a 3GPP 5G New Radio compliant numerology and frame structure using macro cell coverage in a real-world scenario in Yokohama’s busy Minato Mirai 21 commercial district.

    The trial also achieved a sub-0.5ms one way user plane latency. The macro cell was made up of one base station compatible with the 4.5-GHz band and 200 MHz bandwidth, as well as 64 transceivers and 23 user equipment devices.

    According to the test, 11.29Gbps of user throughput was achieved in 24 layers, with each UE receiving two layers. Peak spectrum efficiency reached 79.82bps/Hz/cell.

    “Our success in 5G large-scale field trial in the 4.5 GHz band has brought the whole industry one step closer to 5G commercialization by 2020,” commented Takehiro Nakamura, DoCoMo’s VP and 5G Laboratory managing director.

    “DoCoMo and Huawei have been expanding their collaboration on 5G from R&D to international spectrum harmonization initiatives for 5G since December 2014. Together with Huawei, we will continue to promote 5G both from technical and ecosystem perspective.”

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  • DoCoMo to trial 5G self-driving vehicle monitoring

    DoCoMo to trial 5G self-driving vehicle monitoring

    Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo and mobile portal and online service provider DeNA Co have teamed up to trial a 5G communications system for remote monitoring of autonomous vehicles.

    The trial will involve connecting a vehicle and a remote center via a 5G network capable of data rates beyond 10Gbps.

    For the initial trial, high-resolution video images captured with HD cameras mounted on the vehicle will be transferred to the monitoring center in real time, to allow the center to check for any driving irregularities and assist passengers when needed.

    The trial will be demonstrated at the DoCoMo R&D Open House 2017, which will take place at the DoCoMo R&D Center in the Yokosuka Research Park near Yokohama on November 17-18.

    For the event, DeNA’s Robot Shuttle driverless bus will be used to showcase the transmission of live video from a connected vehicle via a demonstration 5G network.

    The collaboration is combining DoCoMo’s 5G technologies and DeNA’s experience building services for connected vehicles. DoCoMo is closely involved in the development of LTE and 5G systems for vehicle-to-everything communications.

  • DoCoMo to phase out i-mode handset shipments

    DoCoMo to phase out i-mode handset shipments

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo will end shipments of most feature phones compatible with its home-grown i-mode mobile internet standard by the end of the year.

    With the exception of some models such as devices for elderly users, production of phones with access to the i-mode service will cease this year.

    Of the six i-mode models currently available for general consumers DoCoMo plans to end shipments of five and stop selling the models as soon as existing stock runs dry.

    But DoCoMo plans to continue operating its i-mode email service for existing users.

    Production of i-mode handsets has been becoming more and more difficult due to supply chain issues – the parts and raw materials are becoming harder to find as the industry has almost entirely turned its focus to smartphones, the report notes.

    DoCoMo introduced the i-mode service in 1999, and the standard was partly responsible for the strong growth of Japan’s mobile market.

    At its peak nearly 50 million subscribers were using phones compatible with the service. This has fallen to 17.4 million this year – but this still accounts for around 30% of the operator’s subscriber base.

    Unlike true mobile broadband, i-mode can only deliver services that have been converted to use the technology over gateways, placing it at a significant disadvantage compared to smartphones using web browsers.

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  • DoCoMo 1H profit grows 27.8%

    DoCoMo 1H profit grows 27.8%

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo grew its net profit for the six months ending in September by 27.8% to 405.41 billion yen ($3.87 billion), on the back of a 3.3% increase in revenue to 2.29 trillion yen.

    DoCoMo attributed the revenue growth in part to recovery of telecoms services revenue as a result of the growth in mobile data consumption of segments of its postpaid subscribe base.

    Expanding demand for smartphones and tablets and the growth in the number of DoCoMo Hikari fiber customers, as well as the operator’s smart life and other non-core businesses, also contributed to the gains.

    Total telecoms revenue grew 2.7% to 1.86 trillion yen. DoCoMo’s mobile subscriber base grew 6.5% to 72.9 million, with LTE customers up 19.6% to 41.28 million, while total docomo Hilari subscriptions grew to 2.53 million.

    ARPU increased 6.8% to 4.380 yen, driven by a 7.5% growth in data ARPU to 3,140 yen. But voice ARPU also grew by 5.1% to 1,240 yen, and MOU was up 3.8% to 136.

    Capex meanwhile reached 246.1 billion yen, up 12% from a year earlier, as DoCoMo invested in expanding the reach of its “premium 4G” service.

    Looking ahead to the full financial year, DoCoMo said the competitive environment has changed significantly, with competition intensifying due to the government’s pro-competition policy, the market entry by MVNOs and other factors. Technological developments have also brought about active competition and collaboration with players from other industries.

    But the company has raised its projected net income for the full year to 655 billion yen. This would compare to a net income of 548.4 million in the prior financial year. Revenue is meanwhile expected to grow to 4.61 trillion yen, from 4.57 trillion yen a year earlier.

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  • India won’t relax FDI rules for DoCoMo case

    India won’t relax FDI rules for DoCoMo case

    The Indian government does not intend to relax rules regarding foreign investments to allow Japan’s NTT DoCoMo to exit its Tata DoCoMo joint venture at a pre-determined price.

    The government has taken the view that there is no case for bending the rules for a single company.

    Rules that have been in place since 2007 – almost two years before Tata Group and NTT DoCoMo entered the joint venture – stipulate that no foreign investor is entitled to exit its investment at a pre-determined price or with assured return, the report states.

    But the agreement between NTT DoCoMo and Tata Group stipulated that DoCoMo was entitled to sell its shares at the highest of either the market price or half the initial subscription price.

    An arbitration court recently found Tata Group’s majority shareholders and Tata Teleservices liable for $1.17 billion in damages due to the failure to live up to the shareholder agreement, even though the Reserve Bank of India is prohibiting the company from doing so due to the rules.

    The government is considering amending the regulations for future foreign direct investments, introducing a price band rather than the current fair price stipulation, to make the market more attractive to investors. But the finance ministry has ruled out applying the rules retroactively to cover the DoCoMo transaction.

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  • DoCoMo grows Q1 profit by 38.1%

    DoCoMo grows Q1 profit by 38.1%

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo grew its net profit for the June quarter by 38.1% year-on-year as the operator made progress adapting to an evolving business environment.

    The operator reported a net income for its fiscal first quarter of 206.9 billion yen ($2.01 billion), on the back of a 31.8% increase in operating revenues to 1.08 trillion yen.

    Operating revenues from the operator’s core telecoms business grew 1.9% to 878.6 billion yen despite a decrease in equipment sales revenues.

    The company ended the quarter with 71.6 million mobile customers, registering new LTE subscriptions of 2.4 million.

    During the quarter, DoCoMo expanded the coverage of its Premium 4G branded LTE-Advanced network to 1,203 cities across Japan and 30,900 base stations, and added the 3.5-GHz carrier to further improve network quality.

    DoCoMo’s quarterly report states that “the environment surrounding our business has changed significantly,” with competition intensifying as a result of the market entry of MVNOs and the government’s pro-competition policy.

    “In addition, technical advancements in the areas of cloud services, IoT, big data and artificial intelligence (AI), etc., and new policy developments such as the full liberalization of the electricity

    retail market, brought about active competition and collaboration with new players from other industries, accelerating competition in new markets that transcend the conventional boundaries of telecommunications business.”

    In response to this, DoCoMo aims to use the current financial year to make “a vibrant leap toward further growth,” concentrating on reinforcing its core telecommunications business while expanding into “smart life” and other areas, the operator said.

  • DoCoMo to provide 375Mbps LTE-A at Mt Fuji summit

    DoCoMo to provide 375Mbps LTE-A at Mt Fuji summit

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has announced plans to deploy LTE-Advanced at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest and most famous mountain.

    The company will provide mobile services with maximum downlink speeds of 375Mbps as well as 3G service during the climbing season from July 10.

    The company will also offer a maximum downlink of 337.5Mbps on the four most heavily used routes on the 3,776 meter summit, the Subashiri, Gotemba, Fujinomiya and Yoshida trails.

    DoCoMo will also deploy Wi-Fi hotspots at some cabins on the slopes, and make shared tablets available in some cabins that support video streaming, translation app Hanashite Hon’yaku and other value-added mobile services.

    “Going forward, DoCoMo will continue to ensure that Mount Fuji climbers enjoy high-quality mobile services as part of its initiative to enhance the quality of mobile communications in expanded coverage areas around Japan,” the operator said in a statement.

    Mount Fuji is the 35th most prominent – or highest – mountain in the world and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

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  • Tata Teleservices may sell spectrum to pay DoCoMo

    Tata Teleservices may sell spectrum to pay DoCoMo

    India’s Tata Teleservices is reportedly considering pursuing a sale of part of its spectrum holdings to help raise funds for the compelled buyout of NTT DoCoMo’s stake in the operator.

    The company is looking into selling some of its 800-MHz and 1,800-MHz spectrum, and is sending feelers to rival operators that may be interested in the sale.

    Operators including Vodafone and Telenor had previously expressed an interest in acquiring part of Tata Teleservices’ spectrum, but the discussions at the time stalled due to a lack of clarity around spectrum trading regulations.

    But the operator’s efforts to sell its spectrum may well be complicated by the fact that most of its 1,800-MHz spectrum had been allocated under the earlier regulatory regime and is not eligible for trading.

    Indian spectrum trading rules also require operators to pay a substantial fee to liberalize the spectrum to be sold, which would reduce the potential proceeds.

    Tata Teleservices needs to raise money to fulfil its obligation to buy out NTT DoCoMo’s minority stake for $1.17 billion.

    DoCoMo announced in 2014 that it plans to exercise its option to compel Tata Group’s majority shareholders Tata Sons to buy out this stake for at least 50% of the acquired price, but the transaction has not yet taken place.

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  • DoCoMo licenses wireless patents to Huawei

    DoCoMo licenses wireless patents to Huawei

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo announced it has granted a standards-essential patent license for its wireless technologies to equipment vendor Huawei.

    The operator has now granted patent licenses to more than 10 companies and plans to pursue more such licensing deals in the future.

    As a result of its extensive R&D efforts over the past two decades, DoCoMo currently holds more than 5,300 standards-essential patents for W-CDMA, LTE and LTE-A technologies, the company said.

    The company licenses its patents both as part of patent pools lumping together interrelated standards-essential patents from multiple vendors, and through direct deals with individual licensees.

    Financial terms of the licensing deal have not been disclosed. DoCoMo said it plans to build up 5G intellectual property as it continues to contribute to the development of the standard, and will continue to pursue licensing deals for its patents via patent pools and individual negotiations.