TOKYO, JAPAN, February 19, 2013 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s leading mobile operator and provider of integrated services centered on mobility, announced today that it has developed Japan’s first base station antenna that supports five frequency bands, including the newly allocated 700MHz band for LTE mobile telecommunications.

The company will soon begin installing 700MHz-compatible base stations in preparation for the new spectrum, which will become available for use in commercial LTE service in Japan from early 2015. The 700MHz band will help accommodate the expected rise in data traffic as mass users shift to LTE.

The new antenna is no larger than DOCOMO’s existing four-band antennas for 800MHz, 1.5GHz, 1.7GHz and 2GHz. Its compact size will enable easy installation of base stations in limited spaces, accelerating the transition to 700MHz-compatible base stations.

Equipping the antenna for an extra frequency was a considerable challenge because mutual interference increases as bands are added. DOCOMO’s solution was to develop an innovative design for the antenna element that not only reduces interference, but also increases the efficiency of signal transmission and reception.