News
JAPAN: Super 3G network for 2009
Ben Parfitt Jul 24 2008, 10:57am
Download speeds of 250Mbit/s and upload speed of 50Mbit/s lined up for roll out next year.
Whilst the UK may be one of the leading regions when it comes to widespread 3G mobile access, Japan is once again leading the high-speed telecoms revolution by pledging to offer ‘Super 3G’ networks by the end of next year.
TechRadar reports that a public demonstration in Tokyo this week saw mobile network speeds of 250Mbit/s demonstrated, coupled with huge upload speeds of 50Mbit/s.
The speeds are achieved using 4x4 MIMO technology on an LTE (long-term evolution) network. Mobile firm DoCoMo, which was also behind the world’s first 3G network, claims only a software upgrade, and not a hardware based change, will be needed to roll out its super-quick service.
These speeds are far in excess of anything seen in Europe, where the widespread HSPDA coverage offers connections up to, but rarely actually reaching, 7.2MBit/s.
It even trounces most typical home broadband connections in the UK, which can reach as high as 20MBit/s but typically hover around the 2 or 3MBit/s mark. By comparison, Japanese home broadband connections commonly offer 100MBit/s for both download and upload.
