DOCOMO Cooperating on Open RAN Initiatives with 5 Global Operators

NTT DOCOMO, INC., a longtime promoter of the Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) concept, announced today that the company is now cooperating with five global telecom operators: KT Corporation (KT) in South Korea, Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone) in Europe, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) in the Philippines, DISH Wireless (DISH) in the United States and Singtel in Singapore on Open RAN initiatives.

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OREX (Open RAN Ecosystem Experience) (Graphic: Business Wire)

KT and DOCOMO signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2022¹ to support Open RAN and are now verifying an Open RAN system. Smart successfully demonstrated Open RAN, a first in the Philippines. In addition, Vodafone and DOCOMO agreed in October 2022² to collaborate towards harmonizing mobile operator system integration and test processes. On February 3, the two firms published a white paper with a defined common test script.

Also, DISH plans to evaluate the product performance and stability of Open RAN at the Shared Open Lab, DOCOMO’s Open RAN verification environment in Japan. Singtel and DOCOMO agreed to evaluate Open RAN technologies and explore an Open RAN introduction.

DOCOMO has also announced today that it has adopted the “OREX^TM” (Open RAN Ecosystem Experience) brand to strengthen the support scheme for international telecom operators in delivering the Open RAN system. DOCOMO has been working with global vendors since 2021 to conduct technological collaboration.

Global interest continues to grow regarding Open RAN, which uses open and standardized wireless base-station specifications to enable the devices and systems of multiple telecom vendors to be interconnected in mobile networks. Operators that so far have been constructing networks incorporating devices from just a single vendor are now facing technical and verification challenges in their efforts to implement Open RAN. DOCOMO, as the world’s only company to have constructed networks implemented with multiple vendors since the 4G era, is leveraging its expertise to support the Open RAN efforts of operators worldwide.

Vodafone, DISH, Singtel and DOCOMO will give a panel discussion entitled “On the Forefront of Open RAN Implementation” at MWC Barcelona 2023, the world’s largest mobile-related exhibition being held in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 to March 2.

Going forward, DOCOMO will continue to strengthen its cooperation with global partners under the OREX brand to make Open RAN a reality.

1 KT Corporation, NTT DOCOMO and Fujitsu Cooperate towards Test Facility Construction and Successful Interoperability Testing for Open RAN in Korea
https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2022/0106_00.html
2 Vodafone and NTT DOCOMO sign MoU to cooperate to drive greater system integration and service efficiency in Open RAN
https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2022/1025_00.html

OREX is a trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s leading mobile operator with over 86 million subscriptions, is one of the world’s foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Beyond core communications services, DOCOMO is challenging new frontiers in collaboration with a growing number of entities (“+d” partners), creating exciting and convenient value-added services that change the way people live and work. Under a medium-term plan toward 2020 and beyond, DOCOMO is pioneering a leading-edge 5G network to facilitate innovative services that will amaze and inspire customers beyond their expectations.
https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/

Appendix 1

Overview of OREX

Name

OREX (Open RAN Ecosystem Experience)

OREX Partners

Concept

NTT DOCOMO and OREX partners are now building an Open RAN ecosystem around the world to supply new wireless communications with multi-vendor interconnectivity experiences.

Appendix 2

Panel discussion at MWC Barcelona 2023

Title

On the Forefront of Open RAN Implementation

Date

Monday, February 27, 2023 from 15:45 to 16:15 (local time)

Venue

Broadcast Studio, Hall 4, MWC Barcelona 2023

Speakers

Mr. Sadayuki Abeta, OREX evangelist, NTT DOCOMO, INC.
Mr. Francisco Martin, Head of Open RAN, Vodafone Group Plc
Mr. Sidd Chenumolu, Vice President of Technology Development, DISH Wireless
Mr. Cheng Choon Si, VP of Technology, Strategy & Transformation, Singtel

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