The deal suggests DoCoMo starting its commercial 5G network service by 2020
Nokia has signed its first major deal to supply new 5G wireless radio base stations to Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo, which boasts nearly half of the country’s mobile subscribers.
Nokia will support NTT DoCoMo’s in the evolution of its network from 4G/LTE to 5G, providing technology based on the new 3GPP-compliant 5G NR standard however financial terms were not disclosed.
The deal contemplates DoCoMo starting commercial 5G network service by 2020, in time for the Tokyo Olympics, Nokia said. Initial installations are expected in greater metropolitan Tokyo with a national roll-out to follow in subsequent years.
Regardless of those initial limitations, Nokia has said that it believes this deal is a “major milestone” in the development of 5G technology.
The Finland-based tech company was one of the DoCoMo’s major suppliers during the 3G and 4G eras. Since 2014, the two companies have been working together on the development of 5G technology.
In addition to the aforementioned benefits, DoCoMo is expecting to use its 5G networks to provide better services for self-driving cars, smart homes, and the business sector.
In addition to DoCoMo, numerous American telecom providers have also seriously started work on the development of 5G networks.
The 5G antennas and related base stations act as the local connections between users of mobile phones and computing devices with the backbone of any operator’s network.
5G is the next standard in mobile data and one which has been in development for a number of years already. It is promising much higher speeds than what we are used to on 4G, as well as being able to handle a much larger number of devices.
5G is not expected to hit the mainstream before 2020, and Japan will most likely be among the first countries to implement it.