KDDI has selected Nortel and Hitachi to deploy the Japanese operator's LTE network, which will be overlaid on top of the operator's existing CDMA network.
The decision to overlay the network will save money for KDDI and ensure interoperability with the current network, the company announced.
The solution will feature an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) from Hitachi, as well as Nortel's new ATCA-based Access Gateway.
'We chose Hitachi and Nortel to collaborate with us on this journey because of their proven technology leadership, and experience"&brkbar; which allows us to launch services quickly,' said Masahiro Inoue, associate senior vice president of KDDI.
KDDI's 3G CDMA network has attracted some 30 million subscribers.