SoftBank, KDDI add Nokia to their vendor list for shared 5G network

The Japanese mobile operators KDDI and SoftBank have chosen Nokia as one of the vendors to deploy their shared 5G radio access network (RAN).

KDDI and SoftBank previously announced in June that they were using Ericsson as a vendor for their shared network. 

RELATED: KDDI, SoftBank tap Ericsson for multi-operator RAN

Jointly building out 5G in rural areas of Japan will save the operators money and time as base station sites and infrastructure equipment are shared.

Under the deal with Nokia, the Finnish vendor will install a Multi-Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN), which will allow both companies to share the RAN while keeping core networks separate. 

The RAN uses dedicated radio frequencies assigned to each service provider ensuring they maintain independent control of their resources. Nokia’s MORAN covers LTE, 5G and dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS). 

Nokia will supply its latest AirScale products including baseband and radio platforms. In particular, it will provide its new generation of ReefShark System-on-Chip-based plug-in cards to increase the capacity of the AirScale baseband.

Tommi Uitto, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said in a statement, “Nokia has been at the forefront of network sharing around the world since the deployment of the world’s first commercial shared network. We have a long-standing partnership with both SoftBank and KDDI and are excited to work collaboratively with them on this project.”

When announcing their work with Ericsson, SoftBank and KDDI said they would use Ericsson Radio System products, which include baseband, radio, and transport, along with spectrum sharing and Ericsson’s Uplink Booster.

Shared networks

The Japanese operators are not the only ones to determine that building a shared network makes sense.

In August 2019 China Telecom and China Unicom said they would jointly build a 5G network and share network infrastructure. Nikkei Asia reported in August that the "co-build, co-share" arrangement under which Unicom and China Telecom jointly built and use 5G infrastructure has saved the pair more than 86 billion yuan ($13.2 billion) since 2019.

RELATED: China’s carriers to build a shared 5G network

China is also getting a fourth wireless provider — China Broadcasting Network (CBN) — which has been awarded spectrum by the Chinese government. CBN is entering the wireless market by partnering with China Mobile to co-build and share a 5G network under an 11-year agreement.