Nokia has announced a partnership with NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s largest mobile operator, to support the planned commercial rollout of a 5G network in 2020.
The Finnish vendor said it will upgrade existing baseband units and integrate 5G NR (5G New Radio) hardware into DOCOMO’s network infrastructure to enable next-generation services and improved performance.
5G NR is a global standard designed to accommodate diverse device types, services and spectrum scenarios. The standard was finalized by 3GPP’s RAN plenary in Lisbon last month, marking a key milestone that clears the way for broader 5G trials and commercial deployments.
Nokia and NTT DOCOMO were among 30 companies that jointly confirmed the progress. The two firms have collaborated on multiple 5G technology trials, with Nokia supporting DOCOMO’s transition from 4G/LTE to a full 5G network.
“The agreement with NTT DOCOMO is a major milestone in bringing 5G to commercial reality, especially in a country with a long and proud history of technological achievements and early technology adoption,” said Marc Rouanne, president of Nokia’s Mobile Networks, in a statement. “Together we have worked hard in recent months to commence preparations for NTT DOCOMO’s eventual launch of its operational 5G service by 2020, which we have now set in motion by this very exciting announcement.”
Hiroshi Nakamura, executive vice president and chief technology officer at NTT DOCOMO, added: “With this agreement with Nokia, we are now proceeding to the next step to launch 5G mobile services by 2020, and accelerate co-creation of new services and businesses with vertical industry partners.”
This collaboration focuses on integrating 5G-compliant radio and baseband solutions, validating performance in real network conditions, and working with industry partners to develop new applications and business models enabled by 5G’s low latency, high capacity and massive device connectivity.
Both companies emphasize that deploying commercial 5G will be an iterative process: initial launches will be followed by continued optimization of network hardware and software, broader device availability, and expanded use cases across consumer and enterprise segments.
As operators worldwide prepare for 5G, partnerships like this one highlight the importance of vendor-operator collaboration to ensure networks meet the demanding requirements of next-generation services while enabling new revenue opportunities for the broader ecosystem.
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