DOCOMO to support wholesale from day one on LTE
Looking to maximize revenue streams and accelerate ROI
Published: 30 June, 2010
READ MORE: Japan | NTT DoCoMo | MVNO | LTE
One of the hallmarks of the 4G era will be a dramatically increased focus on network and spectrum sharing, and on full wholesale models. Always a trendsetter, Japan's DOCOMO says it will support wholesale partners from day one on its forthcoming LTE network, reversing the 3G pattern of focusing on own-branded services in phase one before moving to partnerships.
Japan's largest cellco says it plans to lease capacity on its LTE network from launch in December 2010, telling The Nikkei that this will accelerate subscriber uptake to offset capital investment costs.
Carriers are heavily focused on increasing return on investment in networks by supporting multiple revenue streams and partnerships. Many, even some current major network owners, are also contemplating RAN sharing or even an MVNO model to reduce their cost and risk in 4G - T-Mobile has been hinting at this flexible approach in many of its territories outside Germany, including the US.
Early '4G' operators like WiMAX-based Clearwire have highlighted the wholesale model, supporting multiple MVNOs and also looking beyond those conventional mobile services to partners in new areas like machine-to-machine systems.
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