Samsung wins 5G contract from Japanese telecom giant

 Samsung Electronics announced that it has won a 5G equipment contract from NTT docomo, a major Japanese telecom operator, and is competing with Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia (NOK-US) for the top spot in 5G.

Samsung Electronics' official website announced that the company has entered into a 5G collaboration with NTT docomo and will support DOCOMO through its adoption of 5G innovative technologies such as O-RAN to provide users with rich 5G services.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Samsung on the next phase of 5G Open RAN and accelerate the expansion of Lightning Speed ​​5G coverage throughout Japan,” said Sadayuki Abeta, Vice President and General Manager of Radio Access Network Development Division at NTT DOCOMO.

Satoshi Iwao, Vice President and Head of Networks Division at Samsung Electronics Japan, said: “We are pleased to be part of DOCOMO’s 5G network and look forward to continuing our collaboration to advance 5G innovation for their customers.”

Nokia is also a 5G equipment supplier for NTT docomo. Stefan Pongratz, vice president and analyst at Dell'Oro, said: "The agreement between NTT docomo and Samsung is significant. This cooperation announcement consolidates Samsung's position as a major 5G RAN supplier."

Samsung replaced Nokia in September last year and won the $6.6 billion 5G contract from Verizon in the United States. The contract is valid from June 30 last year to December 2025, which has attracted worldwide attention.

Samsung has also joined the 5G race in Europe, including talks with Telefonica and Orange France.

On the 18th of this month, Samsung squeezed out Huawei and signed an exclusive 5G supply contract with Canadian telecom operator SaskTel. Samsung plans to provide 5G commercial services to SaskTel as early as next year, continuing to compete with Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia for the 5G leadership.