TOKYO, JAPAN, September 19, 2003 --- NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today the development of micro base stations for the 3G 
network that are up to 1/30th the size of conventional base stations. The service area of the FOMA service has expanded steadily, which will reach 96% of the population nationwide by the end of September. The micro base stations will allow DoCoMo to expand FOMA service more economically and with greater flexibility for adaptation to operational environments.
The micro base stations have both outdoor and indoor applications. In outdoor areas with low population densities, the stations' low cost enables DoCoMo to install enough units to ensure necessary coverage on an economical basis. For indoor applications in buildings and underground malls, where installation spaces are limited, an external antenna allows the stations to be placed out of the way without sacrificing signal strength.
For the indoor applications, DoCoMo plans to have a total of 1,600 conventional and micro base stations in operation nationwide by the end of March 2004, and will increase this number to 3,000 by the end of March 2005.
Please refer to the attachment for details.
Attachment 1
| Micro Base Station (outdoor model) |
| Conventional Base Station | Micro Base Station | |
| Width x Depth x Height (m) | 0.8 x 0.6 x 1.8 | 0.4 x 0.2 x 0.6* |
| Cubic size (m³) | Approx. 0.9 | Approx. 0.06 |
| Weight (kg) | Approx. 310 | Approx. 38 |
Micro Base Station ( ** indoor model) |
| Conventional Base Station | Micro Base Station | |
| Width x Depth x Height (m) | 0.8 x 0.6 x 1.8 | 0.3 x 0.2 x 0.4* |
| Cubic size (m³) | Approx. 0.9 | Approx. 0.03 |
| Weight (kg) | Approx. 310 | Approx. 15 |
| * | Smallest size at present. |
| ** | In-building Mobile Communication System: Links DoCoMo mobile network with base stations in areas such as high-rise buildings and underground malls, where reception is difficult. The system enables base stations to send signals to remote antennas positioned for maximum reception. |
| IMCS is a registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan. |
Attachment 2 "Base Station Diagram" (.PDF)
About NTT DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo is the world's leading mobile communications company with more than 46 million customers. The company provides a wide variety of leading-edge mobile multimedia services. These include 
, the world's most popular mobile internet service, which provides e-mail and internet access to over
39 million subscribers, and FOMA, launched in 2001 as the world's first 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA. In addition to wholly owned subsidiaries in Europe and North and South America, the company is expanding its global reach through strategic alliances with mobile and multimedia service providers in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North and South America. NTT DoCoMo is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM), and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.docomo.ne.jp/english
i-mode and FOMA are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries.
NTT DoCoMo's FOMA service is only available to subscribers in Japan.
