NTT Docomo’s president and CEO, Ryuji Yamada, stole the headlines at this morning’s GSMA Mobile Asia Congress by announcing that Japan’s largest mobile operator will launch commercial LTE services in December next year. “We won’t use the interim technology of HSPA+ as it is more efficient to go straight to LTE,” he told delegates. Such a strategy contrasts with that of Vodafone, another operator giant. Docomo’s Yamada revealed that the operator will invest JPY300 billion (US$3.4 billion) in the deployment, commencing coverage in high-demand areas as an overlay to the existing 3G network. Docomo expects initial LTE services to be accessed via datacards, with handsets arriving in 2011. The following year will see the operator switch off its existing 2G networks. A launch next year of LTE will see the operator become one of the first in the world to deploy commercial LTE services, following similar planned moves by Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS and TeliaSonera.

On the subject of which services will prove popular over LTE networks, Yamada noted that the operator is keen to expand its video offering: “Entertainment video and also various information related to people’s lives, for example tourist guides, restaurant guides and wellness services all offered via mobile phones.” Interestingly, launch of LTE networks is expected to boost data traffic on Docomo’s network, up from 42 percent of total revenue today to more than 50 percent by 2011. “The amount of packet traffic has been doubling every year,” he reflected. Meanwhile Yamada also announced plans to launch a femtocell offering this month, dubbed ‘Femto BTS.’