Japan’s newest mobile network operator (MNO) Rakuten Mobile is teaming up with US-based Movandi, which describes itself as ‘a leader in new 5G RF and millimetre-wave (mmWave) technologies and software’, to expand 5G outdoor and indoor mmWave coverage and capacity across Japan.
In a press release the pair confirmed that the MNO will use Movandi’s proprietary mmWave RF chipsets, phased-array antenna and software technology ‘to allow [its] 5G mmWave signals to provide coverage beyond the reach of other mmWave approaches while potentially reducing the cost of infrastructure by more than half’. The deployment of mmWave technology is considered crucial to deliver high speed, low-latency networks, and to meet market capacity demands, which the release notes ‘is expected to be depleted in two years with current technologies’.
Commenting on the tie-up, Tareq Amin, CEO at Rakuten Mobile, said: ‘Rakuten Mobile is thrilled to partner with Movandi, a disruptive innovator. We’ve been impressed with their core 5G mmWave technology that enables us to extend and deploy our 5G network in Japan cost effectively.’