DoCoMo Hits 1 Gbps Wireless Data Speeds In 4G Tests

Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo (news - web sites) said Friday that it has achieved wireless speeds in the laboratory of 1 Gbps.


The operator has said for more than a year that it is working on developing fourth-generation wireless data access even as 3G is just starting to roll out. It said it achieved the high speeds using what it calls variable-spreading-factor spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (VSF-Spread OFDM). The company said it also used multiple-input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology, which is starting to appear in Wi-Fi equipment and is expected to be part of the 802.11n standard.


DoCoMo said it is exploring whether to conduct field tests of the technology next year. The Japanese operator is the second vendor in recent weeks to say it has achieved 1Gbps data transmission speeds. Siemens also recently made a similar announcement.


Current 3G speeds, such as those attained by UMTS and 1xEV-DO, are typically in the 300 Kbps to 500 Kbps range.

Recent Issues