Japanese mobile operator NTT DOCOMO has put a second production quantum application into service, using D-Wave’s hybrid quantum annealing platform to optimise signalling across its mobile network. The deployment marks an expansion of Quantum Network Optimization from a single use case into broader network-wide operations.
Running on D-Wave’s Leap cloud service, the application tackles the optimisation of Tracking Area Lists, commonly known as TA-Lists, which govern how mobile devices register their location and how the network pages them for incoming connections. According to the operator, the application has reduced daily peak location registration signalling by 65.3 per cent and cut paging signalling load by 7.0 per cent.
NTT DOCOMO Deploys Second Quantum Application
This is the second commercial, production-grade quantum application NTT DOCOMO has deployed with D-Wave technology. The first application focused on paging efficiency within individual tracking areas and delivered a 15 per cent reduction in paging load. The latest deployment extends the scope considerably, moving from single tracking area paging to multi-tracking area TA-List optimisation spanning multiple base stations.
NTT DOCOMO supports over 93 million mobile subscriptions across Japan, and the generated network configurations from this Quantum Network Optimization application have been integrated directly into day-to-day network planning and live operational infrastructure. This is not a trial or a research exercise, tethe operator is using quantum-optimised outputs in its production environment.
Quantum Technology Targets Network Signalling
Telecom networks organise geographic base stations into TA-Lists to manage device handoffs and call routing. Optimising these lists is a complex combinatorial problem because the two main types of signalling, location registration signals and paging signals pull in opposite directions. Reducing one typically increases the other.
In an operational benchmark covering 333 base stations, three TA-Lists and nine tracking areas, D-Wave’s hybrid quantum-classical solver completed the multi-objective optimisation in approximately five minutes. The ability to balance competing signalling demands at this scale is central to why NTT DOCOMO has adopted quantum annealing for telecom network optimization in a production setting.
Location registration signals are triggered when a mobile device crosses a tracking area boundary, while paging signals are broadcast across tracking areas to locate a device for an incoming connection. Managing both efficiently is essential for network performance, particularly across a subscriber base of NTT DOCOMO’s size.
Production Deployment Extends Telecom Optimization
By moving from isolated use cases to network-wide infrastructure optimisation, NTT DOCOMO has demonstrated a practical path for Quantum Network Optimization within live telecom operations. The progression from the first D-Wave application to this second deployment shows a deliberate expansion of quantum technology into more complex network signalling challenges.
The deployment reinforces that quantum annealing, delivered through D-Wave’s cloud platform, can address real operational problems in mobile networks today. NTT DOCOMO’s integration of quantum-optimised configurations into its production systems positions the operator among the early adopters of Quantum Network Optimization in the global telecom industry.