Mobile communications have become part of daily life and the trend is accelerating. This has fueled the development of Long Term Evolution, a next-generation communications network.

Japan's biggest cell phone operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc., will launch LTE services in December, and the other major carriers plan to make the shift in the next few years.

How will LTE change the domestic communications industry and impact consumers? Here are some basic questions and answers about the new network. What is so different about LTE?