NTT DoCoMo winning race to offer first 3G mobile service

LONDON - NTT Docomo looks set to become the world's first telecoms company to offer a third generation, or 3G, mobile service, after its rival Japan Telecom said it would delay its own 3G roll-out.

Yesterday, Japan Telecom, in which British Telecom holds 20 per cent and Vodafone 25 per cent, said it would delay its full 3G launch until October 2002 to conform to the latest standards.

Its wireless unit, J-Phone, said initial services would begin in June 2002 – some six months behind schedule.

A spokesperson for NTT DoCoMo said it was not changing its plans and still intended to offer 3G by the end of May.

Vodafone, meanwhile, is planning on an initial 3G roll-out around "major conurbations" in spring/summer 2002.

The company has pledged to have 80 per cent of the population covered by 2007.