DoCoMo swamped by 3G beta requests

NTT DoCoMo received over 150,000 requests to fill only 4,000 spots for its upcoming 3G trial service

In this story: Overwhelming response First in the world RELATED STORIES, SITES

By CNN's Kristie Lu Stout

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- NTT DoCoMo received over 150,000 requests from individuals wanting to be beta testers for its third-generation (3G) wireless service.

The recruitment campaign started just over a week ago, following news of a delayed commercial launch that was originally scheduled for this month.

Japan's leading mobile carrier said in a statement that the strong response reflects the widespread interest in 3G services.

DoCoMo will give away free handsets to the 3G testers during the trial service, which begins May 30.

Overwhelming response

"We think this is a big surprise, and we are very happy with the people's response," NTT DoCoMo spokesperson Yuki Isono told CNN.

DoCoMo said that about 43,000 of the responses were from business users and over three quarters of the volunteers are males.

Applicants interested in the hyper-speed mobile trial have to live within an NTT DoCoMo business area, including the 23 wards of Tokyo and selected areas of Yokohama and Kawasaki cities.

Only 4,000 people will be selected by the mobile operator to test drive its 3G service, prior to its formal launch in October.

Successful applicants, who will be selected via a draw, will be required to complete questionnaires, offering comments and suggestions regarding possible service upgrades.

NTT DoCoMo is conducting the trial service to collect customer feedback prior to its full-scale launch of 3G services in October.

First in the world

The mobile operator expects to be the first in the world to begin fast third-generation wireless services on May 30 when it begins its introductory service.

DoCoMo plans to invest $8.25 billion over the next three years on 3G and said it would be profitable in four years.

The company posted a stronger than expected $3 billion net profit for the past business year, powered by its fast-growing mobile Internet services.

DoCoMo, Japan's largest company by market capitalization, reported last Wednesday that consolidated net profit rose 45 percent to a record 365.5 billion yen ($3.01 billion) for the year ended March 31.

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