Frequencies for Japan's 4G cellphones to be allocated in June

Source: The Mainichi Daily News
The first steps towards the next generation of mobile phones have been taken with the allocation of new frequency bands for cellphones by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, the phones are hoped to provide communication speeds rivaling optical communication. Download speeds will be 30 times faster and upload speeds 100 times faster than current third generation (3G) cell phones.

While initially planning to assign frequency bands to just three carriers, the ministry decided to allow four telcos -- NTT Docomo, KDDI, Softbank Mobile and Emobile -- to apply. Applications will be taken from April, and approved by June.