Nokia and DOCOMO will conduct trials of 5G technology in the Tokyo metropolitan area throughout 2017, focusing on busy tourist, shopping and business locations, as well as at key public events hosted by the operator.

The tests will use the Nokia 5G FIRST solution, incorporating the Nokia AirScale base station, transmitting over a 5G radio interface to the Intel® 5G Mobile Trial Platform. The companies will test end-to-end applications over-the-air between the base station and the device at 4.5 GHz, one of the candidate bands for 5G in Japan. The Nokia 5G FIRST solution is based on early adopter radio specifications that define a common interface for equipment from multiple vendors to connect over the 5G radio network.

Nokia’s AirScale active antenna uses massive MIMO technology with digital beamforming to enhance cell range, maximize performance at the cell edge and increase spectral efficiency. Intel’s 5G Mobile Trial Platform end-user device is based on the early adopter specifications to ensure it will connect to the Nokia AirScale base station.

Seizo Onoe, the executive vice president and chief technology officer of NTT DOCOMO, said, “This is a vital first step to allow us to ensure that we have the 5G network infrastructure available for when we commercially introduce the technology, with an ecosystem of device vendors to offer our subscribers the best possible choice and highest quality.”

The end-to-end tests supporting low latency 4K video streaming and other 5G applications was demonstrated at the Nokia booth at 5G Tokyo Bay Summit 2017, held 24-26 May.