DOCOMO Opens vRAN Verification Facility to Global Mobile Operators— Remotely accessible lab will help operators lower 5G base station deployment costs —

TOKYO, JAPAN, February 28, 2022—NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has begun allowing overseas mobile operators to access its Shared Open Lab environment, located in DOCOMO’s R&D Center in Yokosuka, Japan, to verify their virtualized radio access networks (vRAN), effective immediately. The lab is one of the initiatives of the 5G Open RAN Ecosystem (OREC) project under which DOCOMO and 13 leading global vendors* are working to develop truly flexible Open RAN capable of incorporating interoperable equipment of multiple vendors.

Since its establishment last October, the Shared Open Lab has deployed virtualized base stations made with equipment from multiple OREC partners. The verification environment is now open to remote access by global operators, eliminating their need to prepare in-house verification environments.

DOCOMO believes the lab will help operators to greatly reduce overall costs, including constructing in-house labs and/or traveling to vendors’ labs, for the verification of base station functions and performance prior to commercial deployment.

DOCOMO, which has been a leader in the development of Open RAN for many years, became the world’s first mobile operator to launch a commercial 5G service via Open RAN in March 2020. The company’s 5G Open RAN currently includes more than 10,000 base stations and more than 10 million subscribers. Furthermore, within fiscal year 2022, DOCOMO expects to commercialize highly flexible and scalable vRANs for international mobile operators, including by leveraging the know-how and integrated strengths of its OREC partners.

DOCOMO looks forward to deepening its cooperation with an expanding range of stakeholders, including overseas mobile operators, via the Shared Open Lab. DOCOMO is committed to working with its OREC partners to develop further technologies and know-how for the increased adoption of Open RAN, vRAN and other open networks capable of responding flexibly and quickly to diversifying needs in the worldwide mobile communication market.