Tokyo, October 2, 2018 - Rakuten Mobile Network Inc., today announced that it has collaborated with Nokia to successfully conduct over-the-air 5G trials using the Nokia AirScale base station and the Intel® 5G Mobile Trial Platform.
The trials were carried out from June in a shielded room at the Nokia Kawasaki Technology Center located in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan to evaluate fundamental 5G capabilities using 5G in the 28GHz frequency band. The two companies have verified a number of 5G applications including 4K video and 3D 360-degree VR live streaming.
Rakuten Mobile Network received approval for its Special Base Station Deployment Plan (1.7GHz frequency band) in April 2018 and aims to launch its first mobile services as a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in October 2019. Rakuten Mobile Network is collaborating with a number of vendors including Nokia on the design and construction of its nationwide mobile network. Going forward, Rakuten Mobile Network and Nokia will also work closely together on 5G technology testing and evaluation.
“I am convinced that the next generation of mobile broadband and the Internet of Things, enabled by 5G, will transform virtually all sectors of society and industry, and further accelerate the opportunities to advance in healthcare, education, energy services and agriculture, and within new industry applications. The results of our trials highlight the importance of realistic 5G OTA testing and reinforces the potential of 5G networks, taking us a step closer towards actual deployment,” said Tareq Amin, CTO of Rakuten Mobile Network.
“Like Rakuten we are convinced that the next generation of mobile broadband and the Internet of Things, enabled by 5G, will transform virtually all sectors of society and industry. We are pleased to partner with Rakuten to demonstrate the 5G capabilities for enhanced mobile broadband and industry 4.0 applications. Performance of the 5G applications rely on a quality end to end network, built on secure radio and cloud technology. Nokia is committed to deliver this based on our Future X architecture and openness,” said Marc Rouanne, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia.
Rakuten is highly committed to support the smooth network evolution from 4G to 5G in order to provide new and rich user experiences in Japan.
About Nokia
We create the technology to connect the world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing.
We adhere to the highest ethical business standards as we create technology with social purpose, quality and integrity. Nokia is enabling the infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things to transform the human experience. nokia.com