Nokia and KDDI are collaborating on fully cloudified RAN Proof-of-Concept.
The lab-based Proof of Concept (PoC) will use Nokia’s AirScale All-in-Cloud BTS solution and enable KDDI to research how flexible, virtualized radio network technology can support the diversifying network performance requirements in the 5G era.
Nokia’s AirScale All-in-Cloud BTS is a fully cloudified 5G BTS, placing both the real-time and non-real-time baseband in the cloud.The virtualized real-time baseband processing takes place at the far edge of the network to meet extreme latency requirements and provide the ability to scale to meet demand. It is part of Nokia’s broader Nokia AirScale Cloud RAN solution, which offers a flexible mix of local and cloud-based processing.
Nokia said its AirScale All-in-Cloud BTS will be used in the planned PoC to provide a flexible network configuration of a base station virtualization and enable the provision of an optimal 5G network.
KDDI launched commercial 5G services in March 2020. KDDI has been working closely with Nokia on this PoC as well as 5G core standalone network trials.
Ari Kynaslahti, Head of Mobile Networks Product Management at Nokia, commented: “The 5G era will bring with incredible opportunities for businesses and consumers alike but it will place increasing demand on the networks as complexity increases and data traffic explodes. KDDI will be able to use virtualized networks to rapidly respond to its customers’ varied requirements. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with them in the pursuit of virtualized network best practices and in preparing for a new decade of communication technology.”
KDDI picks Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung for 5G
KDDI expects the first commercial live 5G services to be available from March 2020, with more than 93 percent coverage of 5G base station areas specified by Japan’s telecom regulation body by the end of March 2025.
Ericsson confirmed that it will supply KDDI with Radio Access Network equipment, including products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio. The equipment will allow KDDI to roll out commercial 5G services in several parts of Japan on their sub-6GHz and 28GHz bands for 5G New Radio (NR). KDDI’s selection of Ericsson as a 5G vendor follows nearly four years of close collaboration on 5G between the companies.
Nokia also confirmed its selection as a primary partner to upgrade KDDI's 4G network to 5G using its AirScale platform, which supports both 4G and 5G operations. This will allow KDDI to modernize its 4G network and meet the growing consumer and industrial demands for 5G. The contract for 5G radio re-enforces the strong relationship between the two companies, which dates back over two decades.
Nokia is an existing supplier to KDDI across multiple technologies, including radio, fixed networks, mobile core network and multiple software solutions. The 5G network will support KDDI across both cmWave and mmWave 5G frequency bands and can be deployed in both distributed and centralized architectures.
Samsung Networks said it will provide KDDI with its latest 5G network solutions, including various radio base stations supporting mid-band (3.7~3.8GHz and 4.0~4.1GHz) and mmWave (28GHz) spectrum, as well as virtualized RAN. In preparation for the arrival of 5G, the two companies have carried out several successful trials on real-world use cases and achieved world-first 5G milestones. This includes Japan’s first mmWave outdoor 5G handover test success in 2017, 5G handovers for high-speed racing cars and trains in 2017, a real-time free-viewpoint video stream at baseball stadium in 2018, a 5G-powered education showcase in an elementary school in 2019, and a demonstration of the power of real-time 4K video communication at Haneda Airport, Tokyo in 2019.
