Key Findings
NTT DOCOMO has achieved a 65.3% reduction in daily peak location-registration signals across a segment of its national network. This was accomplished by deploying a quantum computing application that simultaneously optimizes paging and location-registration signals, a task previously considered unattainable by the company’s engineers. Earlier successes in this initiative reduced peak-period paging signals by approximately 15%, resulting in an estimated 20% increase in network capacity for connected devices.
Technical Details
The carrier utilized D-Wave’s constrained quadratic model (CQM) hybrid solver to address a multi-objective optimization problem. The system uses real device-movement data aggregated from base stations nationwide to balance competing signal demands. Specific technical milestones include:
- An initial deployment that reorganized 270 base stations into 21 TA-Lists, reducing processing time from 27 hours to 40 seconds.
- An expanded optimization of a segment containing 333 base stations, encompassing three TA-Lists and nine TAs, which was completed in approximately five minutes.
- The implementation of a map-based visualization tool that allows regional branch offices to review proposed base station reassignments and projected signal reductions before live deployment.
The application specifically targets high-traffic transit routes to avoid registration boundaries, thereby minimizing signaling bursts from fast-moving devices.
Background & Context
With 93 million subscriptions and 250,000 base stations, NTT DOCOMO faced a complexity gap where traditional computing methods could not solve specific configurations within production timeframes. For example, a segment of 333 base stations presents 28,991 possible configurations. This transition marks a shift from initial proof-of-concept projects to sustained operational use of annealing quantum computing technology.
Significance & Outlook
The reduction in signaling lowers the network’s control-plane load and frees up capacity for an increasing number of connected devices. Researcher Shuichi Fukuda is scheduled to discuss these production results at Qubits Asia in Seoul on October 28.
Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/d-wave-quantum-technology-docomo-production/
Get our weekly technology intelligence — free
Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.
Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence
By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.
- Your email and selected fields are used only to deliver the newsletter.
- We never share your information with third parties.
- You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.
See our Privacy Policy for details.
Takes about a minute · Unsubscribe anytime
