NTT DOCOMO and SK Telecom Release White Paper on Base Station Equipment Utilizing Virtualization Technology

Lloyd Stoval February 20, 2024

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TOKYO, Feb 20, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – NTT DOCOMO, INC. and the leading South Korean telecommunications operator SK Telecom (SKT) today announced the joint release of a white paper summarizing the technical outlook for base station equipment using virtualization technology, the latest result of their ongoing technical cooperation.

The white paper reviews the future prospects of virtualized RAN (vRAN) base station equipment for use by telecommunications operators, drawing on the two companies’ combined experience in network construction and operation. In addition to outlining expectations for base station equipment vendors, the paper also discusses technical insights targeted at telecom operators.

One of the two main themes of the white paper is the direction of technological advancements that are critical to the introduction of vRAN base station equipment, including three future requirements:

– Increased processing capacity and reduced power consumption
– Early implementation of key virtualization capabilities, including resource pooling, scaling, and auto-healing, and
– Enhanced integration technology and tools for vRAN base station equipment.

The paper’s other main theme focuses on accelerator technologies for signal processing required to implement vRAN base station equipment:

– Technical analysis on capacity, power consumption, and complexity according to different accelerator structures and network architectures based on proprietary studies.

Accelerator technologies for signal processing in vRAN base station equipment

“This white paper represents a significant milestone based on the strong collaboration between our two companies, building upon our joint publication last year on Green Mobile Networks and 6G Requirements white papers. We will continue our collaboration with global leading operators like DOCOMO to prepare for the evolution towards future networks.” said Yu Takki, Vice President and Head of SKT’s Infra Tech Office.

DOCOMO and SKT signed a cooperation agreement in November 2022(1) to advance technology studies of next-generation telecommunications infrastructure for 5G Evolution and 6G. In February 2023, they jointly released two white papers on power-saving technologies for mobile networks and related technologies, as well as 6G requirements.(2)

Going forward, DOCOMO and SKT will continue their technical cooperation in various fields, including improving the competitiveness and operational efficiency of 5G and international standardization and technology verification for 6G, with the aim of sharing their knowledge and innovative technologies with the world for the further advancement of 5G Evolution and 6G mobile communications.

NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s leading mobile operator with over 89 million subscriptions, is one of the world’s foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Beyond core communications services, DOCOMO is challenging new frontiers in collaboration with a growing number of entities (“+d” partners), creating exciting and convenient value-added services that change the way people live and work. Under a medium-term plan toward 2020 and beyond, DOCOMO is pioneering a leading-edge 5G network to facilitate innovative services that will amaze and inspire customers beyond their expectations. https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/.