Network vendor Nokia has expanded its partnership with Japanese telco SoftBank to supply its advanced 4G and 5G radio access equipment.

As part of this network upgrade, Nokia will modernize its existing telecoms kit for SoftBank’s mobile network.

Nokia stated that this deployment will take place across Western Japan.

This also includes the expansion of SoftBank’s 5G Standalone coverage in Japan, through the use of Nokia’s AirScale radios.

Nokia’s AirScale RAN products include Habrok Massive MIMO radios and AirScale baseband equipment.

“This expanded collaboration with SoftBank demonstrates the strength of our long-standing partnership,” said Mark Atkinson, head of RAN, Nokia. “Our solutions are infused with AI capabilities and provide unparalleled performance with industry-leading energy efficiency, supporting the evolution toward Advanced-5G networks.”

Nokia has previously supported another Japanese telco, Rakuten Mobile, with its 5G SA network rollout.

SoftBank serves more than 41 million mobile subscribers across Japan. The carrier launched its 5G network in March 2020.

Network vendor Nokia added that it’s also working with SoftBank to conduct tests in the 7 GHz frequency band for 6G in Tokyo using Massive MIMO technology.

“The upgraded network will improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and deliver a superior user experience to our customers,” added Hideyuki Tsukuda, executive vice president and CTO, SoftBank Corp, who said the upgrades to its 5G network will power AI.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/nokia-to-support-softbanks-5g-standalone-push-in-japan/