Strategies
R&D for the Future of NTT DoCoMo
Takanori Utano
Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer ofResearch and Development Headquarters, NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
Fiscal year 2004 is positioned as the jumping-off
point for FOMA*. The target for the number of subscribers by year-end is expected to be greatly exceeded, thanks to the launch of new enhanced terminals
and an expansion of service areas. However, competition is heating up as growth of the mobile phonemarket has slowed down because more than 60% of
the Japanese population already own at least one
mobile phone. In addition, the monthly average revenue (average revenue per user (ARPU)) has fallen as
the result of new rates and services being offered.
This competition is expected to become even more
intense after the introduction of mobile number
portability (MNP), slated to start in FY2006.
With this situation in mind, the Research andDevelopment Headquarters will step up its efforts todevelop attractive services and terminals as well as an
economical network infrastructure, looking ahead tothe future. We will also accelerate R&D of elemental
technology to support the infrastructure.
In the development of network infrastructure, wewill raise transmission speeds and migrate to IP(Internet protocol) technology while improving theeconomy of services. For the existing FOMA, we will
begin developing high-speed downlink packet access(HSDPA), which creates a high-speed telecommunications environment. In addition, we will develop
fourth-generation mobile communication systems toprovide full-scale services beyond 2010. What isimportant here is how to achieve the transition fromthe third-generation FOMA and HSDPA to the fourthgeneration system economically and smoothly. Insuch a transition scenario, we believe it is extremely
important to move forward while paying close attention to economical interconnection between radio
access systems and network systems. On the networkside, for example, we are considering a transition scenario in which the entire system, transport, signaling
networks, and even routing will all be converted to IP.
Ubiquitous networks are a hot topic of discussion
these days. They require not only mobile communications but co-existence with wireless local area networks, sensor networks, and non-IP networks. Therefore, R&D of service platforms to integrate all ofthese networks will be essential. Moreover, we havebegun to consider fixed mobile convergence (FMC),
which integrates mobile phones with fixed-phones.
Thus, R&D requires multiple aspects and comprehensive knowledge. Needless to say, development

will have to be conducted not by a single company
independently but in cooperation with universities
and group companies for it to be carried out efficiently and economically. Since originality is fundamental
in R&D, system-formulation technology that integrates elemental technologies will become increasingly important in the future.
We will apply even greater efforts to strengthen ourdevelopment of services and terminals. Specifically,
we will cooperate with our business divisions andaggressively propose solutions that will secure a profit
base. Moreover, we will expand the terminal line-ups tocreate such solutions. Basic research on next-generation terminals that are compatible with high-speed networks and media processing is also extremely important. There are two areas to focus on. One is communication with a high degree of realism enabled by highspeed transmission. This implies 3D images andsounds, as well as bio-communications in whichhuman data is extracted and used. It represents longterm R&D that holds exciting possibilities, but webelieve that keeping in mind strategic “cutouts of elemental technology” will be important as we proceedwith the R&D. The other area to focus on is the importance of technology development to strengthen security, while enhanced terminal and services make everyday life convenient. There is a need to develop technology that performs automatic security checks without acustomer being aware of it, and technology for automatic recovery in the event of an attack. We believe thatsuch technologies will be recognized as “lifelines”.
* FOMA: NTT Docomo’s 3G mobile phone service that offers
videophone and high-speed data communications (http://www.
nttdocomo.co.jp/english/p_s/service/f/love.html)