TOKYO-Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it launched HSDPA service in Tokyo, and plans to cover all major Japanese cities with the technology by the end of October. The carrier is selling its new HSDPA-capable phone, the N902iX, to support the service launch.
DoCoMo said its new network, which it calls FOMA HIGH-SPEED, will support downlink speeds of up to 3.6 megabits per second. The carrier said it will not require a special contract or service charge for its HSDPA network, and that charges for its W-CDMA network, which it calls FOMA, will remain unchanged.
DoCoMo said it will broaden its HSDPA network to cover 70 percent of Japan’s population by the end of March, and 90 percent of the population by the end of March 2008.
DoCoMo is one of a number of carriers worldwide boosting their 3G networks with HSDPA technology. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. in the United States is in the midst of deploying an HSDPA network.
