Japan’s government has approved plans by four mobile network operators to deploy 5G networks. The operators plan to offer 5G services in every prefecture within two years, the Nikkei reports.
Applications submitted by NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank and Rakuten were approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on 10 April. Newcomer Rakuten plans to launch 4G services in October, and all four operators plan to commercially launch 5G services in 2020.
Rakuten confirmed it received spectrum in both the 3.7 GHz and 28 GHz bands. The company said it expects to invest up to JPY 200 billion in the 5G network.
The conditions required for receiving 5G spectrum include the launch of services in every prefecture within two years. Japan’s Communications Ministry divided the country into 4,500 blocks, requiring operators to set up base stations in at least half of them within five years.
(source telecompaper)
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