Nokia, NTT Docomo to research jointly on 5G technologies

Future 5G networks will need to overcome challenges such as guaranteeing cell-edge rates in excess of 100 mbps and reducing latency by a factor of 10

Finnish telecom giant Nokia and Japan's NTT Docomo are to work jointly on research in fifth generation (5G) technologies.

"Nokia and NTT Docomo have agreed to collaborate on research and standardisation of 5G technologies and to work jointly on a 5G proof of concept (PoC) system," Networks or NSN, the network devision of Nokia said in a statement today.

The company said this move builds on the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the two companies in January 2014 to research future radio access experimental systems.

To meet the demand for extreme capacity and performance, future 5G networks will need to overcome the challenges that will become relevant for operators, such as guaranteeing cell-edge rates in excess of 100 mbps and reducing latency by a factor of 10, the company said.

"Expanding our cooperation with NTT Docomo on 5G radio technology is an important step towards defining future mobile networks," said Hossein Moiin, executive vice president & chief technology officer of Networks.

Moiin added the future wireless networks will interconnect not just humans but also machines and objects, creating a vibrant overlay of virtual and physical worlds with a huge variety of use cases.

The statement said the two companies will continue to cooperate on the research of future radio access systems, with an initial focus on exploring the potential of the millimetre wave technology at the 70 GHz spectrum band.

"We chose Nokia as our partner for the 5G research project based on its clear vision as well as its extensive mobile broadband experience and technology leadership," NTT Docomo Chief Technology Officer Seizo Onoe said.