2010: Launch of the Super 3G cellular network

DoCoMo Inc., Japan's largest cell phone company, will be the first to provide its customers with an upgraded wireless network. Field tests began in 2007 for a planned 2010 launch. The network upgrade is expected to cost 200 billion yen, or $1.7 billion. The "Super 3G network" would operate at 100 megabits per second, or about 260 times faster than DoCoMo's current 3G service. Higher transmission speeds mean faster and better downloading of data, videos, games and messages.

The Super 3G and other similar networks are considered by many to be a preview of fourth-generation networks that could enable transmission speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.