• New hardware will support 4G, 5G and future 5G Advanced processing at centralised RAN sites
  • Ericsson says the platform can double capacity while using less than half the energy of its previous basebands

The fact

NTT DOCOMO has begun deploying Ericsson’s RAN Compute platform in Japan. The rollout began in July and will support 4G and 5G processing at centralised RAN sites. The equipment is also designed to handle future 5G Advanced functions, including AI and machine-learning workloads.

Ericsson says the platform can provide up to twice the capacity of its previous-generation basebands while using less than half the energy. In a centralised RAN, one processing site can serve several radio locations. DOCOMO said it is adding capacity to handle traffic growth and maintain service quality. The rollout follows the introduction of Ericsson 4.5GHz Massive MIMO radios into DOCOMO’s network in late 2025.

The assessment

Because processing is already centralised, DOCOMO can add capacity at shared baseband sites rather than replacing equipment at every radio location. The operating benefit, however, will depend on what happens to the older hardware. If traffic moves onto the new platform and older basebands are retired or used less, DOCOMO could reduce the power and equipment needed for the same workload. Running both generations in parallel would provide more capacity during the migration but preserve much of the existing power, maintenance and space requirement.

The shared platform may also simplify later 5G Advanced software upgrades because fewer processing locations need to be changed. That does not establish lower network-wide energy use on its own. For BTW readers, the claimed savings will come from migration rather than installation alone. DOCOMO must move live traffic and retire older equipment before Ericsson’s capacity and energy figures can be reflected in network operations.

What to Watch

DOCOMO’s next disclosures should show how many centralised RAN sites receive the platform, how quickly traffic is migrated and whether older baseband equipment is removed. Measured power use and capacity at live sites will indicate whether the deployment delivers Ericsson’s claimed efficiency gains or mainly adds processing headroom.