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TOKYO—KDDI, the second-largest mobile operator in Japan, launched third-generation (3G) service based on cdma2000 1x on 1 April. NTT DoCoMo, the leading mobile carrier in Japan, which launched its 3G service called FOMA in October 2001 expanded its service area to all major cities around the country on the same day.
By employing 1x technology, an evolved system based on cdmaOne, KDDI’s second-generation (2G) technology, KDDI launched the 3G service in 477 cities in 33 prefectures. KDDI is targeting to win 7 million users by the end of March 2003. NTT DoCoMo won merely 90,000 FOMA users as of the end of March 2002.
J-Phone, a Vodafone Group carrier, is scheduled to launch its 3G services also based on wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) on 30 June.<
