Tokyo -- NTT DOCOMO began commercial operation on September 9, 2026 of Nokia's latest O-RAN ALLIANCE-compliant base station equipment, becoming the world's first operator to run it in a multi-vendor configuration, according to DOCOMO's own research as of that date.
Levante and Ponente cards connect to radio units from multiple vendors
The equipment uses Nokia's Levante baseband card for data processing and Ponente card for control processing. It connects to O-RAN-compliant radio units from different suppliers. DOCOMO says this lets it match radio units to each area's traffic demand: high-power units for wide coverage, and compact units for dense urban sites with limited installation space and for event venues.
New hardware handles LTE and 5G with lower power consumption
The equipment supports both LTE and 5G, so DOCOMO can modernize both layers of its infrastructure. DOCOMO expects it to accommodate more radio units while consuming less power than existing Nokia base station equipment. It cites improved operating efficiency and lower costs.
Nationwide rollout starts with urban areas, stadiums and event sites
DOCOMO will deploy the equipment nationwide, initially in urban areas, stadiums and event venues where many customers use the network at once. On September 12, 2026, it will install the equipment in a mobile base station vehicle at the 59th Joso Kinugawa Fireworks Festival. There it will pair it with Nokia's Dual Boost, a Massive MIMO radio network optimization technology, to improve communications quality under congestion.
August 12 memorandum targets Cloud-RAN and autonomous networks
Nokia's AirScale platform, which includes the equipment, is designed for evolution toward 5G-Advanced and AI-native 6G. On August 12, 2026, DOCOMO and Nokia signed a memorandum of understanding to study network architectures for the AI era. It also sets milestones for Virtualized RAN/Cloud-RAN on virtualized infrastructure. The agreement covers evolution of DOCOMO's AI-Centric Network, multi-vendor automation through SON and RIC, and the realization of Autonomous Networks.