Under the new 5G deal, NEC will provide control units for NTT DoCoMo’s 5G base stations
Japanese technology firm NEC has reached an agreement with compatriot telecom operator NTT DoCoMo to provide control units for 5G base station equipment aiming for the commercialization of 5G services.
Under this new agreement, NEC will achieve 5G compatibility through software upgrades and a minimal replacement of hardware to maximize the use of existing high-density base station equipment.
NEC also highlighted that even after making equipment compatible with 5G, existing LTE/LTE-Advanced services will continue to be available.
“Currently, high-density base station equipment that NEC began providing in February 2015 is already compatible with the advanced Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN) architecture advocated by NTT DoCoMo, and is now being utilized as a base station control unit. Moreover, following a software upgrade, an advance in communications from LTE to LTE-Advanced has been achieved,” NEC said.
“NTT DoCoMo aims to deploy and expand our commercial 5G services efficiently by maximizing the use of existing communications equipment,” said Hiroshi Nakamura, EVP, CTO and member of the Board of Directors, NTT DoCoMo. “This agreement with NEC is in line with that policy and we expect it to make a significant contribution to our 5G services. Going forward, DoCoMo accelerates co-creation of new services and businesses with vertical industry partners.”
NEC also said that it is currently working with the Japanese telco to co-create ultra-high-speed and high capacity services and use cases, including remote diagnosis and advanced security, that combine 5G with the latest ICT.
NTT DoCoMo previously said that it aims to launch commercial 5G services in 2020.
NTT DoCoMo has been carrying out a number of 5G trials, mainly with Chinese vendor Huawei. The two companies recently announced a collaboration with Tobu Railway to trial a 5G millimeter wave system at Tokyo Skytree Town as part of a broader push for 5G field trials being advocated by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).
Finnish vendor Nokia recently secured a contract with NTT DoCoMo to provide 5G equipment for the operator’s future commercial launch. Under the 5G deal, Nokia will support NTT DoCoMo’s commercial operation in Japan by further enhancing existing baseband units and integrating its 5G New Radio (5G NR)-based AirScale hardware in the network.
In February this year, NTT DoCoMo launched an open partner program to enable local business and government organizations to explore and develop new use cases for 5G. The telco said the 5G open partner program will provide a platform for the firm’s business partners to experience 5G technology. The program will also serve as a platform for information exchange and strengthen cooperation between the Japanese telco and its partners in a move to explore new use cases for 5G.
