NTT DoCoMo plans to launch commercial LTE femtocells between 2011 and 2012. Japanese mobile operator is willing to deploy LTE femtocells alongside its LTE network deployment to ensure coverage and capacity performance.

Speaking during a presentation at Femtocells World Summit in London, Yoshiyuki Yasuda, DoCoMo's managing director of radio access networks, said that ideally DoCoMo would prefer to begin rolling out LTE femtocells at the same time as it switches on its LTE network, but LTE femtocells will not be available in time.

NTT DOCOMO has already started verifying its new commercial mobile network system based on the LTE in the Tokyo area, prior to the full-scale launch of extra-high-speed LTE commercial service in December this year.

The aim of current ongoing testing is to verify the LTE network system for speed, latency, stability of inter-cell handover and other conditions required for commercial operation.

The 2 GHz network system comprises dual W-CDMA/LTE base stations, LTE core network equipment and LTE-enabled mobile devices.

NTT DOCOMO has been deploying new W-CDMA base stations equipped with newly developed remote radio equipment (RRE) units to provide both existing W-CDMA and forthcoming LTE service.

source:Light Reading, Total Telecom