Japanese mobile operator NTT DOCOMO announced today that it is deploying Nokia's Open RAN (O-RAN)-compliant 5G AirScale baseband solution, including Centralised Unit (CU) and Distributed Unit (DU) software, in its commercial network nationwide. The high-capacity, high-performance solution is said to enable DOCOMO to pursue a multi-supplier strategy, providing them with the option to connect with open sustainability benefits and a lower cost of ownership.
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NTT DOCOMO and Nokia collaborate
Nokia will deploy its fully O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale baseband, an energy-efficient solution in DOCOMO's commercial network. This deployment aims to deliver sustainability benefits and operational cost savings due to a small footprint and low power consumption.
Multi-Supplier Strategy
Nokia is a long-term partner of DOCOMO and served as the RAN provider for its 3G Network, assisting the telco in establishing a multi-supplier 4G strategy. This partnership builds on Nokia's anyRAN approach to building radio access networks collaboratively with other partners.
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Sustainability and Efficiency
Commenting on the development, NTT DOCOMO said, "Nokia's O-RAN-compatible AirScale 5G Baseband solution is extremely competitive and capable of being connected to any O-RUs on NTT DOCOMO's 5G commercial network. Its high performance and low power consumption will also reduce our operational costs and support our sustainability goals."
"For Open RAN, Nokia develops the required Open Fronthaul features on top of its high-performance RAN software, ensuring coexistence and feature performance parity with purpose-built RAN. Nokia baseband solutions can be combined with both Nokia and third-party radios," said the official release.
