NTT DoCoMo moves up date to shut off 2G mobile

By Dan Nystedt

November 18, 2009 03:18 AM ET

Comments

(0)

Top Stories

IDG News Service - Japan's biggest wireless service provider plans to shut off its 2G mobile phone network in March 2011 because most of its customers will have moved on to 3G, the company CEO said Wednesday in Hong Kong.

NTT DoCoMo had previously said it would keep the 2G network running until December 2012.

Part of the reason for the move is to shut down a legacy system, but other reason is to move customers to better service offered by LTE (Long Term Evolution) next generation wireless broadband, said Ryuji Yamada, president and CEO of NTT DoCoMo, at the GSM Association's Mobile Asia Congress 2009.

"Most of our customers already use 3G," he added.

NTT DoCoMo plans to start offering LTE data cards in December 2010 and then handsets in 2011, he said, with coverage to be provided first in high-traffic areas. The promise of LTE is more than just high capacity and high speed, he said, it's also the low latency period. There is not much delay between the network and the handset, meaning that downloads are nearly instantaneous.

"We would like to achieve the handset-network collaboration, what is known as 'cloud computing,' in the future," he said. LTE will enable NTT DoCoMo to offer a number of services from its network that it does not provide now, including storage space for user data, he said.

Tarek Robbiati, CEO of Hong Kong mobile service provider CSL Ltd., praised NTT DoCoMo's decision to shut off its 2G network.

"That's a very brave move," he said, adding that getting rid of old legacy systems is important for LTE.

Comment Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Reprinted with permission from

IDG.net
Story copyright 2009 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

Jump to comments

3GSM ASIA

Additional Resources

WHITE PAPER

EFD vs. HDD - What You Need to Know

Enterprise flash drives provide a new Tier 0 storage layer capable of delivering high I/O performance at a very low latency. Proper use of EFDs in an Oracle environment can deliver increased performance compared to fibre channel drives. Read the recommendations for identification of the best DB components for EFDs.

WHITE PAPER

Gartner Research Report: Magic Quadrant for Application Delivery Controllers, 2009

The market for products to improve the delivery of application software over networks remains dynamic and innovative. Vendors focused on solving enterprises' most-pressing application problems have become the top players.

WHITE PAPER

Eight Criteria for Server Load Balancing

Server load balancers are a simple yet highly effective means to scale an application environment while ensuring its availability. Today's solutions should also address application performance and security. Read about the top eight criteria you should consider when choosing a server load balancer and how Citrix NetScaler meets those requirements.

What People Are Saying

0 comments | Add new

See all comments (0) | Add new

White Papers & Webcasts

How to Calculate ROI & TCO of Enterprise BlackBerry and iPhone Uses
Download Now

Accelerating Your Mobile Workers: Controlling the Uncontrollable
Today's workforce is truly mobile. Unlike the managed environment of the office LAN, remote users face many challenges to being productive while out...

eGuide: Enterprise Security
Smart Security Strategies for 2010. Read now!

Managing Laptops Outside the Office
Learn how you can reduce costs by tracking mobile computers no matter where they are located.

How to Improve Remote User Satisfaction and Maximize ROI by Using SSL VPNs
Download this white paper today!

Mobile U Webinar
Watch Now!

The New Mobile Order
Download Now

4G Ahead Video Program
Uncover the features and benefits of the two leading 4G technologies for enterprises considering future deployment.

WAN Application Delivery for Executives
Learn how to simplify server and application administration without creating performance problems for distributed users.

Horror stories: Managing IT Across Multiple Locations
How one extra sharp IT manager eliminates daily agony, hassle and repetition.

All White Papers | All Webcasts