INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology

NEC committed to supporting DOCOMO ’ s expansion of 5G services and contributing to the further development of next-generation mobile infrastructure in domestic and global markets .

Going forward , NEC plans to provide DOCOMO with vRAN for use in creating flexible and highly scalable 5G networks to be operated on the company ’ s commercial networks .

In addition , through OREX (* 1 ) – the Open RAN service brand provided by DOCOMO in collaboration with telecom carriers and vendors worldwide – NEC ’ s software will be globally deployed in the same manner as the products and services of other OREX partners to create and promote an Open RAN ecosystem .

This vRAN , which achieves carrier-grade quality that is compliant with the O-RAN specifications defined by the O-RAN ALLIANCE , is cloud-native and was developed based on NEC ’ s 5G hardware base station technology and knowhow – for which it has a proven large-scale commercial track record .

Equipped with software compatible with commercially available servers using the latest generation microprocessors , it also delivers high-speed , large-capacity communications unique to 5G by proactively utilizing hardware acceleration to speed up processing .

At present , virtualization technology is being introduced in core networks to ensure early deployment of services through lower equipment costs and shorter procurement lead times .

In addition , orchestrators are automating the integrated operation and management of networks and optimizing control – enhancing service quality and reliability . This will enable networks to be controlled efficiently and autonomously in accordance with service and traffic conditions .

Expanding the deployment of this virtualization technology to the 5G RAN domain will aid DOCOMO in achieving its aim of reducing total cost of ownership ( TCO ) by up to 30 % and lowering power consumption by up to 50 % (* 2 ).

NEC already provides virtualization technologies for vEPC (* 3 ) for DOCOMO ’ s 4G commercial services and 5G mobile core network ( 5GC ).

By promoting the virtualization of the RAN domain , NEC will flexibly support DOCOMO ’ s wide range of services and contribute to the creation of a high-quality 5G network .

Masafumi Masuda , General Manager , Radio Access Network Technology Promotion Office , Radio Access Network Design Department , DOCOMO said : “ Adding NEC vRAN software with both excellent radio and cloudification technologies to DOCOMO ’ s 5G RAN using the O-RAN ALLIANCE specifications from day one enables us to realize even lower power consumption and even more flexible and efficient network construction and operation to meet our customers ’ demand . We will provide true Open RAN with NEC and the other OREX PARTNERS to the global market together .”

Michio Kiuchi , Corporate Executive Vice President , NEC said : “ NEC remains committed to supporting DOCOMO ’ s expansion of 5G services and contributing to the further development of nextgeneration mobile infrastructure in domestic and global markets .” p

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