NTT Docomo has announced plans to commercially deploy New Radio dual connectivity technology, leveraging three spectrum bands for impressive download speeds up to 6.6 Gbps using 5G Standalone (SA) architecture. This technology utilizes two sub-6GHz bands (3.7 GHz and 4.5 GHz) and mmWave (28 GHz) and will initially be available in specific zones within Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures starting August 1, with plans for gradual expansion.
Customers wanting to avail of this new service must have a compatible 5G SA subscription, device, and SIM card and must be within a 5G SA coverage area.
This is part of Docomo’s continuous push to deliver faster internet speeds. The telco began offering 5G SA services in December 2021. By August 2022, they combined one of two sub-6 GHz frequencies with the millimeter-wave band, achieving maximum download speeds of 4.9 Gbps and upload speeds of 1.1 Gbps. The new technology will combine both sub-6 frequencies with the millimeter-wave band, enhancing transmission speeds further.
Highlighting its commitment to customer satisfaction, Docomo stated, “Going forward, Docomo will continue to broaden its range of millimeter-wave band-compatible devices and extend service coverage in response to customer needs, with the goal of providing customers with enhanced convenience and quality of life.”
Earlier this year, Docomo selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deploy its nationwide 5G Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) in Japan, using Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service Anywhere (Amazon EKS Anywhere) for simplified and automated network operation. AWS indicated that this would allow Docomo to run and optimize its 5G Open RAN efficiently.
In November 2023, Nokia announced that Docomo was deploying its O-RAN compliant 5G AirScale baseband solution, including centralized unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) software, in its commercial network. This enables Docomo to pursue a multi-supplier strategy, which allows connections with Open Radio Units (RU) from various suppliers.
