At one of the world's largest mobile-related exhibitions held in Spain, a new initiative called "Open RAN," which creates a low-cost mobile phone base station network, attracted attention, and Japanese manufacturers also focused on sales. I'm here.
More than 2,000 companies from around the world participated in the exhibition held in Barcelona, Spain from February 27th to March 2nd. is shown.
At the exhibition, "Open RAN," which has been developed by Japanese companies to create a low-cost network of base stations that are essential for communications, attracted attention.
This is an initiative to combine equipment such as antennas and wireless devices from multiple manufacturers, and it is said that not only does it reduce costs because each manufacturer produces equipment that is good at it, but it also has the advantage of being able to meet a wide range of needs.
Currently, it is common for a single manufacturer to collectively deliver related equipment for base stations, and the global base station business is becoming increasingly dominated by Chinese and European manufacturers.
Japanese companies set up booths at the venue to promote the importance of "open RAN" and their own technological capabilities through business talks with individual companies.
NEC President Takayuki Morita, who set up the booth, said, "We would like to convey that Japanese companies' products are a reliable third option in a geopolitical environment."
What is open RAN?
"Open RAN" aims to create a low-cost mobile phone base station network by combining equipment such as antennas and radio equipment from different manufacturers, as well as systems.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the global share of base station-related equipment is an oligopoly with 75% held by Huawei of China, Ericsson of Sweden, and Nokia of Finland, and the share of domestic manufacturers remains at just over 2%. .
Furthermore, even when mobile phone operators purchase the equipment necessary for the maintenance of base stations, it is common for them to procure from a single manufacturer due to the risk of communication failure, and overseas manufacturers with a high market share may decide the price. It is advantageous.
To overcome this situation, NEC and Fujitsu, with government support, have worked with NTT Docomo and Rakuten Mobile to develop an open RAN system that works well even when combined with equipment from other companies.
Companies are strengthening their sales to overseas telecommunications carriers, saying that they can develop base stations at low cost.
In addition, it is said that the fact that telecommunications carriers in each country are taking a cautious stance on using Huawei equipment due to security concerns will also be a tailwind for open RAN.
With the spread of 5G, there is a worldwide movement to increase the number of mobile phone base stations, and the focus is on whether Japanese companies can catch up with open RAN.