Ericsson 4.5 GHz massive MIMO AIR 3255 radios operational in Docomo’s 5G network

• Rollout got underway in December 2025 to meet current and future needs in DOCOMO's high-traffic areas
• Equipped with the latest Ericsson Silicon, AIR 3255 further reduces energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and weight compared to previous radio generations
• New radios will integrate with existing 3.7 GHz band Massive MIMO radios to boost spectrum efficiency

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) AIR 3255 Massive MIMO antenna-integrated radios are operating live in Japanese communications service provider (CSP) NTT DOCOMO, INC’s.("DOCOMO") 5G network. Covering the 4.5 GHz band, the new radios will help to meet current and future 5G network traffic needs in areas with high traffic congestion and demand.

Live AIR 3255 network operations began in December 2025 to help DOCOMO deliver the high‑quality network experience its customers expect.

Masafumi Masuda, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Radio Access Network Design Department, NTT DOCOMO, INC., says: “We are promoting the deployment of Massive MIMO radios to maintain and improve network quality amid increasing traffic demand. Ericsson’s AIR 3255 Massive MIMO antenna-integrated radios contribute to advancing DOCOMO’s Massive MIMO rollout and enhancing customer experience. We will further strengthen our partnership with Ericsson to deliver the latest network capabilities and the best user experience to our customers.”

Chafic Nassif, Senior Vice President and Head of Ericsson North East Asia, says: "Ericsson is proud to strengthen and enhance our productive and trusted partnership with DOCOMO by providing the most advanced, secure and efficient Massive MIMO technology on the market. Equipped with Ericsson Silicon, the AIR 3255 will deliver significant network performance benefits to meet DOCOMO’s changing network traffic needs, while boosting environmental sustainability and lowering operating costs.”

Powered by the latest Ericsson Silicon, the AIR 3255 Massive MIMO radio delivers 25 percent lower energy use, and 20 percent reduction in embodied CO₂ footprint, compared to the previous generation.  

At just 13kg, the unit is 20 percent lighter than the previous generation, further easing deployment in high-traffic locations. Customer network connectivity experiences will also be enhanced by advanced unit features such as multi-user MIMO – which delivers throughput regardless of network congestion.

The Ericsson AIR 3255 will also enable spectrum to be used more efficiently as data traffic grows. Working with DOCOMO’s current 3.7 GHz-band Massive MIMO 5G radios, it will also make the network more flexible and reliable.