The end of 2G in Japan

With close to 85% of their subscriber base now on 3G FOMA services, NTT DoCoMo has taken the first steps to phase-out their 2G mova service and network by no longer accepting new subscribers. The end of the 2G era is nearing.

NTT DoCoMo’s 3G FOMA was the world’s first 3G network based on WCDMA and launched mid 2003. We’re now five years down the road and DoCoMo starts phasing out the 2G PDC network. Although some MNOs might be phasing the end of their 2G GSM license soon, GSM will definitely have a longer life than PDC even for operators deploying 3G WCDMA access in parallel.