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NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today the development of micro base stations for the 3G FOMA 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.