Nokia announced an initiative to develop the 5G ecosystem in partnership with major operator NTT DOCOMO in Japan as it prepares for the forthcoming introduction of the next generation, 5G wireless network.
The collaboration between Nokia and DOCOMO, which will utilise the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform, will commence with the key interoperability testing of multi-vendor technology using the 4.5 GHz frequency band. Under the agreement, Nokia will conduct trials of 5G technology with DOCOMO in the Tokyo metro area during 2017, with a particular focus on tourist, shopping and business locations and key public events hosted by the operator.
The tests will be based on the Nokia 5G FIRST solution, incorporating the Nokia AirScale base station transmitting over a 5G radio interface to the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform. The companies plan to test end-to-end applications over the air between the base station and the device on the 4.5 GHz frequency band, which is a candidate band for 5G services in Japan.
Nokia noted that the 5G FIRST solution is based on early-adopters radio specifications that define a common interface to allow equipment from multiple vendors to connect over a 5G radio network.
The collaboration with NTT DOCOMO will specifically involve Nokia's AirScale Active Antenna equipped with massive MIMO technology and digital beamforming, designed to provide enhanced cell range, maximised performance at the cell edge and increased spectral efficiency. The 5G FIRST platform, designed to support multi-vendor end user devices for 5G, incorporates the Nokia AirScale base station and AirFrame data centre technology.
A demonstration of the end-to-end tests supporting low-latency 4K video streaming and other demanding 5G applications was conducted during the 5G Tokyo Bay Summit 2017 earlier in May.
- Earlier this year, DOCOMO announced plans to conduct interoperability testing and over-the-air field trials in Japan based on the 5G New Radio (NR) specifications under development by 3GPP, specifically involving mid-band spectrum at 4.5 GHz and millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum at 28 GHz. The trials were to be based on device prototype and base station solutions from Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson, respectively.
