Ericsson, DOCOMO and Intel to build 5G trial environment

November 9, 2016, 08:00 (CET)

• Ericsson, NTT DOCOMO and Intel partner to build 5G trial environment in central Tokyo during 2017
• Trials represent a key milestone and enable tests of use case applications and radio performance in non-laboratory environment
• Ericsson contributes 5G end-to-end system including 5G radio, baseband, virtualized RAN and core network

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) announced today an agreement with NTT DOCOMO and Intel to further advance 5G development by building a 5G trial network in various areas of Tokyo, starting in 2017.The primary aim of the trials is to test use case applications and radio performance.

Seizo Onoe, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at NTT DOCOMO, says:

"DOCOMO and Ericsson have been working together on joint 5G projects including outdoor trials, and this is a further development of our joint efforts. Adding Intel's expertise, we will be on track to evaluate the feasibility of services that leverage 5G technologies together with ecosystem partner companies."

Based on the agreement, Ericsson will provide 5G end-to-end systems including 5G radio, baseband, virtualized RAN, and core networks. Intel, an important ecosystem partner, will contribute its chipset in user devices. The trial will be conducted using the 28GHz frequency band; one of the candidate bands that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is considering designating for use by commercial 5G networks in Japan.

Asha Keddy, Vice President, Communications and Devices Group and General Manager, Next Generation and Standards, Intel, says:

"Intel's extensive collaboration with Ericsson and NTTDOCOMO will be a strong contribution to evolving the 5G future. Our 5G mobile device trial platform will enable us to take a clear and definite step towards ubiquitous 5G device usage by 2020. Providing multiple gigabit speeds in cityscape areas will allow people and machines to step into a new era of information technology."

Arun Bansal, Head of Business Unit Network Products at Ericsson, says:

"This trial will represent an important milestone in 2017, paving the way for commercial 5G networks. It represents a unique opportunity to test real-life 5G performance in commercial conditions in the center of Tokyo, enabling evaluation of consumer use cases and industry applications."