NTT DoCoMo Inc. will delay its High-Speed Downlink Packet Access launch until next year, a move that puts Cingular Wireless L.L.C. at the world’s bleeding edge of wireless. DoCoMo’s announcement also serves to add an extra layer of caution around the as-yet-unproven technology.
DoCoMo now plans to introduce HSDPA network technology sometime during its 2006 fiscal year. The carrier had previously targeted an HSDPA launch by the end of its 2005 fiscal year. Cingular plans to introduce HSDPA services by the end of this calendar year.
DoCoMo spokeswoman Karen Lurker said the carrier will test HSDPA services this year. She said the delay was not due to technical or handset issues, but instead was because the carrier could not find suitable content and services for an HSDPA network.
“It’s not so much technology issues-it’s what kinds of content and services” to offer, she said. “The details are still being worked out.”
DoCoMo has long been at the forefront of advanced wireless technology. The carrier largely defined the wireless data business model and was the first in the world to offer extensive W-CDMA services. However, its FOMA 3G service suffered in the early stages from expensive, bulky handsets.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. have shown off prototype HSDPA handsets. Further, a variety of wireless modem makers have promised to offer HSDPA PC cards by the end of this year.
HSDPA will support average transmission speeds of between 550 kilobits per second and 1.1 megabits per second, according to Merrill Lynch. W-CDMA boasts speeds of 220 to 320 kbps and CDMA EV-DO offers data speeds of 400 to 700 kbps.
