Asia Express
DoCoMo to Introduce LTE Service in Japan by Year End
November 12, 2010
DoCoMo announced on November 8, 2010 that the company plans to release wireless connectivity service based on LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology on December 24, 2010, according to Nikkei. Dubbed Xi, the new service is projected to offer data communication speeds of between 37.5mbps and 75mbps. It is reported that before the launch of LTE-compatible Smartphones, which is scheduled for late 2011, Xi will be used on notebook PCs and other portable devices to access wireless Internet. At initial stage, Xi will be available in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, while other major Japanese cities are projected to be added by fiscal year 2012. DoCoMo aims to expand its LTE service to 15 million lines and to cover one-fourth of its subscriber base by 2014, according to the same source.