Page 98 - SAMENA Trends - March 2020

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

DOCOMO Announces 25 March 5G Launch Date

NTT DOCOMO announced that it will launch its fifth-generation
mobile network on 25 March, pipping rival SoftBank Corp to the
post by two days, with the new service initially available at 150
locations in Japan. The nation’s largest mobile carrier confirmed
in a press release that it aims to deploy at least one base station
on each of Japan’s 47 prefectures by the end of June, rising to
500 cities covered by March 2021. Further, by end-June 2021 it
expects to have installed 10,000 5G base stations and 20,000 by
31 March 2022. NTT DOCOMO plans to offer the new 5G Gigaho
plan for JPY5,480 (USD51) per month, excluding local taxes, and
including 100GB of data. It also has a range of Gigalight plans that
offer 7GB for JPY3,980, 5GB (JPY2,980), 3GB (JPY2,480), and 1GB
(JPY1,980) per month, respectively. It notes, however, that for the
time being there will be no upper limit on the data amount due to a
promotional campaign. Some of the initial use cases DOCOMO will May. A personal Wi-Fi hotspot device is also due to be activated in
pitch to users are live virtual events in 8K resolution, multi-angle May. As previously reported by CommsUpdate, earlier this month
viewing of J League football matches, business solutions such as DOCOMO rival SoftBank unveiled plans to launch 5G commercial
remote work assistance via VR, and facial recognition, it said. In services on 27 March 2020, as the race to dominate the next
terms of handsets, DOCOMO is offering the Samsung Galaxy S20 generation of mobile technology gets underway. Newcomer
5G and Aquos R5G from launch, with the LG V60ThinQ and Xperia Rakuten Mobile plans to kick off its commercial service on 8 April,
1 II to follow in May, and Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G to appear in while KDDI (au) has yet to announce its launch plans.

EE Adds 21 More Towns and Cities to Its 5G Network Footprint

British mobile network operator (MNO) infrastructure to 71. In a press release Dinnington, Loughborough, Loughton,
EE has announced the switch-on of its outlining the development, the MNO Motherwell, North Shields, Rotherham,
5G network in a further 21 towns and confirmed that it has made 5G connectivity Rochester, Rugeley, Swadlincote, South
cities across the country, bringing the available in the following locations: Bath, Shields, Staines and Waltham Cross. In
total number of locations covered by Birkenhead, Bransholme, Bury, Chelmsford, addition, the cellco also highlighted that
its next generation mobile broadband Cheshunt, Clevedon, Clydebank, Dartford, it had ‘brought 5G to more high footfall
places, including Bath’s Royal Crescent
and Pulteney Bridge, London Bridge and
London’s Thornton Heath railway station’.
Commenting, Marc Allera, CEO of EE parent
company BT’s consumer division, said:
‘We have 5G coverage in more places than
any other operator, and remain focused on
connecting even more towns and cities in
2020 and beyond to keep our customers
connected in the busiest places.’ As
previously reported by CommsUpdate,
EE launched its 5G network in May
2019, with initial coverage of London,
Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham
and Manchester. Seven months later, in
December, it confirmed that it had achieved
a self-imposed target of having rolled out
5G in at least 45 towns and cities, with 50
locations covered at that date.

98 MARCH 2020