***NTT DoCoMo Launches Next-Generation Mobile Trials in South
Korea
(January 28)
According to the Agence France Presse NTT DoCoMo has launched a
field trial of next-generation mobile services in South Korea.
The Japanese company said it had conducted a link-up with its
local partner, SK Telecom, with the two company presidents
chatting on a videoconference system using the third-generation
network. The link-up was based on wideband code division multiple
access (W-CDMA), one of three competing networks which NTT DoCoMo
is pushing to become the industry standard for next-generation
services worldwide.
The firm said in a statement that it would bolster its ties with
SK Telecom so that a W-CDMA-based service is available in time
for the 2002 World Cup, which Japan and South Korea are co-
hosting.
NTT DoCoMo is planning to beat the world by introducing next-
generation services in Japan early next year based on W-CDMA. The
next-generation mobile services will offer a far greater speed of
transmission than the current 9.6 kilobits per second. By ranging
from speeds of 64 kilobits to 384 kilobits a second, handsets
using the networks will be able to download film clips and music
from the Internet, as well as having much greater voice-call
clarity.
Wave Issue 2005 1/31/00 Article 5-01