Docomo and NEC to establish Orex SAI joint venture

TOKYO, JAPAN, February 26, 2024—NTT DOCOMO, INC. and NEC Corporation announced today that they plan to establish a joint venture company, OREX SAI, INC. on April 1 to provide OREX Packages solutions¹ for the full-scale global deployment of Open RAN services.

OREX SAI will locally source products and services from members of OREX PARTNERS² in each market and perform system verifications to deliver mobile networks tailored to the needs of each overseas telecommunications operator. Leveraging NEC’s established business infrastructure and global network in over 50 countries and territories, the joint venture will accelerate its global expansion of Open RAN business. 

In addition, DOCOMO and NEC plan to strengthen cooperation with OREX PARTNERS through OREX SAI to promote the commercialization and realization of true Open RAN that enables the interoperability of equipment and systems from diverse vendors.

The joint venture will procure all necessary Open RAN network equipment and software from OREX PARTNERS, and then conduct system verification for the planning and construction of optimal mobile networks tailored to each telecom operator. Full-stack services will include planning, construction, maintenance and operation under the OREX Packages framework.

DOCOMO established the O-RAN ALLIANCE³ with leading global telecom operators in February 2018 and launched the world’s first nationwide Open RAN 5G service in Japan in March 2020. Since introducing the OREX® brand in February 2023, DOCOMO has been supporting Open RAN verifications for global telecom operators to help realize more open mobile networks around the world.

NEC, having delivered Open RAN solutions to telecom operators in Japan and other countries, was selected by DOCOMO as a vendor for virtualized radio access networks (vRANs), one of DOCOMO’s 5G commercial services in Japan. With extensive experience in building communication infrastructure around the world, NEC offers strong system-integration (SI) capabilities.

In their collaboration with OREX PARTNERS to realize Open RAN, DOCOMO and NEC recognize the importance of optimizing local product and service delivery. In response, they will now form a joint venture company to establish a global system capable of accelerating the realization of Open RAN.

Hiroshi Kobayashi, President and CEO of OREX SAI, said, "We are excited to bring our true Open RAN solutions to telecom operators worldwide through the joint venture OREX SAI, which combines DOCOMO’s Open RAN implementation expertise, OREX’s innovative solutions and NEC’s global system-integration capabilities. We are committed to driving innovation and connectivity for all, making global telecommunications open, seamless and inclusive."

Going forward, OREX SAI will work with OREX PARTNERS to provide optimal products and services that accelerate the global adoption of high-quality, cost-effective and energy-efficient Open RAN solutions. In addition, they will enhance cooperation with global partners to foster a vibrant and open ecosystem.

The new company will also explore application of the NTT’s IOWN⁴ all-photonic network⁵ for transmission, the use of low-power servers equipped with optoelectronic devices, and collaboration with the Cognitive Foundation®.⁶

• 1

  A collective term for OREX’s Open RAN services, including OREX RAN, OREX SMO, and OREX Services.

• 2

  As of February 26, OREX PARTNERS has 16 members, while OREX RU PARTNERS and OREX DELIVERY PARTNERS each have 7 members. (OREX)

• 3

  A DOCOMO-led consortium of telecom operators and equipment vendors that aims to improve the scalability and openness of next-generation wireless access networks, focusing on activities related to 5G and beyond.

• 4

  Network and information-processing infrastructure that optimizes individual and collective elements based on all available information, using innovative photonics-based technologies to provide low-power, high-speed and high-capacity communication, and extensive computing resources. Please visit official website.

• 5

  Photonics-based technologies used throughout the network, from infrastructure to end-user devices, to achieve low power, high quality, large capacity and low latency levels that are difficult to achieve with electronic technologies.

• 6

  A mechanism for the unified deployment, configuration, coordination and management of ICT resources across multiple tiers,
  including cloud, edge computing, network services and user equipment.