“KDDI is aiming to launch its first commercial 5G services in March of 2020, having been allocated communications spectrum by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications…”

Ericsson has been selected as the primary 5G vendor for KDDI, a major Japanese telecom.

The agreement will see Ericsson supply KDDI with Radio Access Network equipment supporting sub-6GHz and 28GHz bands for 5G New Radio. KDDI is aiming to launch its first commercial 5G services in March of 2020, having been allocated communications spectrum by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications – alongside NTT Docomo, Rakuten, and Softbank – in April of this year.

In a statement announcing the agreement, Ericsson VP and Head of Market Area North East Asia Chris Houghton highlighted the longstanding business relationship between the companies. “Having established our important partnership with KDDI in 2013, we have now expanded our collaboration efforts,” he said. “We are excited about our involvement in KDDI’s 5G network buildout, which will provide a sound basis for our future collaboration as well as allowing our partner to offer users a whole new generation of mobile services.”

Ericsson has also been busy working with other players in the 5G space, including other major telecommunications companies including Canada’s Rogers and Russia’s MTS. Ericsson first officially started collaborating with KDDI on 5G technology specifically in November of 2015, when the two companies established an MoU concerning this area.

KDDI looks to be a good partner to have in the Japanese market, with the telecom aiming to establish 93 percent coverage of the country’s 5G-specified bast station areas by April of 2025.