3G finally reaches Japan

NTT DoCoMo unveiled its much-anticipated next generation of wireless phone service Wednesday. A total of 3,300 people in the Tokyo area were able to reach the Internet and download files at speeds 40 times faster than most of the mobile phones on the market.

The unveiling is bittersweet news for Japan's leading carrier, which was expected to introduce the so-called "3G" service nationwide by June, but had to delay that until October. Wednesday's introduction of the limited service was toned down, however. Some customers hoping to download videos onto cell phones, one of the promised features of 3G, will have to wait another month to do so because handsets specially made to get the service haven't been built yet.