NOKIA AT NOON

Nokia signs its first official 5G equipment deal with NTT DoCoMo.

FRANKFURT :

Finland's Nokia said on Friday:

It signed its first major deal to supply new 5G wireless radio base stations to Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo, which boasts nearly half of the country's mobile subscribers.

The contract marks Nokia's first sizeable deal for its flagship mobile base station equipment based on official global New Radio [NR] standards for the fifth generation of wireless networks, which were only finalised in December, 2017.

*Financial terms were not disclosed*.

The deal contemplates DoCoMo starting commercial 5G network service by 2020, in time for Tokyo Olympics, Nokia said.

Initial installations are expected in greater metropolitan Tokyo with a national roll-out to follow in subsequent years.

Nokia, a major supplier to DoCoMo in both the 3G and 4G network eras, has been working with the Japanese operator since at least 2014 on trials of-

5G equipment, which promises far faster data rates, greater capacity and quicker response times.

The 5G antennas and related base stations act as  the local connections between users of mobile phones and computing devices with the backbone of any operator's network. [Agencies].