Jan 28 (Reuters) - NTT DoCoMo Inc will ask Google Inc to modify its Android operating system so that smartphones running on it will generate less data traffic, the Nikkei reported.

The leading Japanese mobile phone service provider identified an Android application, which enables free-of-charge voice communication, as a major cause behind a service disruption that occurred on Wednesday, the business daily said.

Some Android applications send out control signals once every three to five minutes even when not in use. This translates to ten times that of a conventional mobile phone, placing additional strain on the network, the newspaper said.

Sharp rise in data consumption puts more pressure on wireless operators to speed up capacity investments, as they are struggling with clogged telecom networks to keep up with growing demand for data services on the go.

Android transmits control signals automatically every 28 minutes. DoCoMo intends to request that Google make it do so less often, since frequent service disruptions could negatively impact the popularity of Android phones, the Nikkei reported.

DoCoMo also hopes to team up with other mobile service providers, along with Google, to ask Android application developers to limit the frequency of control signals, the Japanese paper said.

But since one of Android's selling points is that anyone can develop software for it freely, such requests may not have much effect, Nikkei said.

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