DOCOMO invests in Metawave for 5G beamsteering

NTT DOCOMO Ventures has made an equity investment in Metawave, a start-up based in Palo Alto, California that is developing an analog beamsteering radar platform and 5G platforms which consist of active repeater and passive relay technologies. Financial terms were not disclosed.

DENSO, the world’s second-largest mobility supplier, led the funding round, and other investors included Mirae Asset Capital, and existing investors including BOLD Capital Partners.

Metawave is working on the extension of 5G radio coverage beyond line of sight from cell towers. 5G utilizes millimeter waves (mmWave) with higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths, which require innovative and advanced analog antenna technology to expand the radio coverage. Metawave’s passive relays are beautifully designed “smart mirrors” that bend and direct signals in areas of lower coverage.

NTT DOCOMO successfully conducted a 5G trial using 28GHz trial site and the passive relays utilizing Meta-structure antenna technologies in November 2018 .

As for the radar platform, Metawave is mainly focusing on the automobile industry.

“To be able to work on innovative hardware, system, software, and AI platforms in such high-growth markets is exciting and challenging,” said Maha Achour, founder and CEO of Metawave. “When I see our automotive partners excited about our radar capabilities and telecom customers demonstrating impressive results using our 5G solutions, I’m inspired and proud to lead a fearless team who has been delivering incredible results in less than 18 months from opening our development center in Carlsbad. Consumer expectations and business demands are increasing with the advent of new technologies, especially in mobility and connectivity, and being able to work closely with 5G and automotive leaders helps us visualize the future and continuously adapt as roads become safer and people strive to be more productive.”

https://www.nttdocomo-v.com/en/release/ecux5rkb7y/

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DOCOMO invests $20M in Tata Capital Growth Fund II

NTT DOCOMO will invest US$20 million in the Tata Capital Growth Fund II LP in Singapore managed by Tata Capital Growth II General Partners LLP with the aim of investment focusing on growth-stage companies in India.

DOCOMO has established a cooperative partnership with Tata Sons Private Limited aimed at contributing to their mutual businesses as well as the industrial development of both Japan and India. As part of collaboration, DOCOMO has decided to invest in Indian-based growth-stage startup companies through the fund managed by Tata Capital Growth II General Partners LLP, which is an indirect subsidiary of Tata Capital Limited in India.

https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2019/1002_00.html

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DOCOMO tests 28 GHz-band 5G aboard Shinkansen

NTT DOCOMO achieved the first 28 GHz-band 5G mobile communications between base stations and a high-speed bullet train during experimental trials with Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central).

The test was conducted between a 5G experimental mobile terminal, installed in a test version of an N700S-model Shinkansen railcar traveling at 283 km/h, and 5G experimental base stations erected temporarily along the Tokaido Shinkansen tracks. DOCOMO reports  speeds exceeding 1.0 Gbps and consecutive handover among three base stations located along the tracks. The transmissions were facilitated with advanced beamforming and beam tracking technologies incorporated in the 5G experimental mobile and base stations. Also, ultra-high-definition 8K video contents were rapidly downloaded from the base stations for delivery to the railcar's mobile terminal and 4K video of the passing scenery was relayed live from the railcar's mobile terminal to the base stations.

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DOCOMO commits to multivendor O-RAN for 4G/5G

NTT DOCOMO has commenced deployment of a 4G/5G multivendor radio access network conforming to O-RAN specifications.

Working in collaboration with Fujitsu, NEC, and Nokia, DOCOMO has demonstrated multi-vendor interoperability across a variety of 4G and 5G base station equipment compatible with O-RAN. The O-RAN standards include fronthaul specifications and X2 profile specifications.

O-RAN fronthaul specifications are used to establish the connections between centralized units hosting baseband processing and remote units hosting radio processing in 5G remote-installed base stations. O-RAN fronthaul interface specifications provide a foundation for interoperability between centralized units and remote units of 5G remote-installed base stations manufactured by diverse partners.

The O-RAN X2 profile specifications provide a foundation for interoperability between 4G base stations and 5G base stations manufactured by diverse partners in 5G non-standalone (5G NSA) networks by taking 3GPP X2 interface specifications and specifying detailed standards for their usage. 5G NSA networks connect devices using both 4G and 5G technologies.

DOCOMO believes this represents the world's first realization of this level of multi-vendor interoperability in 4G and 5G base station equipment conforming to O-RAN specifications. The ability to deploy and interconnect base station equipment from different vendors will make it possible to select the equipment most suitable for deployment in any given environment, such as base stations offering broad coverage in rural areas or small base stations that can be deployed in urban areas where space is limited.

DOCOMO will deploy the equipment in the pre-commercial 5G service it plans to launch on September 20, 2019 in Japan.
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2019/0918_00.html

Fujitsu delivers 5G base station products to NTT DOCOMO

Wednesday, July 31, 2019  5G, Fujitsu, Japan, O-RAN  

Fujitsu Limited has begun delivery of 5G base station products, comprising of Central Unit (CU, 1) and Radio Unit (RU, 2), to NTT DOCOMO for its commercial 5G network.

The 5G CU products that Fujitsu has started delivering realize the 5G system through a proprietary software design from the company using software-defined radio technology, which can implement different wireless technologies on the same hardware.

The 5G RU products have built-in antennas (which had conventionally been installed externally) equipped with beam forming, enabling efficient network deployments. These RU products have a lineup consisting of 3 types of equipment that support 5G frequencies (the 3.7 GHz band, the 4.5 GHz band, and the 28 GHz band). he products are compliant with the O-RAN fronthaul interface specifications. Using this open interface, Fujitsu's products can connect to various vendors CU/RU products. The products also support 3GPP's (Release 15) specifications.

Fujitsu said it has been working with NTT DOCOMO to develop a CU and RUs that comply with the O-RAN fronthaul interface specifications

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DOCOMO invests in RAFAY for Kubernetes federation

NTT DOCOMO Ventures has made an equity investment in RAFAY SYSTEMS, a start-up developing a unique lifecycle management system for containerized applications.

RAFAY builds on top of Kubernetes to deliver multi-cluster federation, runtime configuration updates, and cluster and application blueprinting.

The investment was part of an $8 million Series A round that was led by Ridge Ventures and also included Costanoa Ventures and Moment Ventures. The company previously raised $4.1m in seed funding. RAFAY says its solution enables service providers to securely and scalably distribute and operate applications in any environment while reducing reliance on resource-intensive, in-house developed tools.

RAFAY is based in Sunnyvale, CA and led by CEO and Cofounder, Haseeb Budhani.

“Kubernetes is a crucial innovation that has fast-tracked the industry’s adoption of containerized applications running in any cloud, hybrid or edge environment,” said Haseeb Budhani, CEO and Cofounder, Rafay Systems. “But Kubernetes presents a steep learning curve to companies embarking on app modernization journeys. At Rafay, we are on a mission to make Kubernetes easy to consume by any company, regardless of how far along they are on their journey. The Rafay platform empowers DevOps teams to focus on their business critical software development instead of building and maintaining complex internal tools.”

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DOCOMO trials 5G in factories with OMRON and Nokia

NTT DOCOMO is working with OMRON Corporation and Nokia to test 5G mobile communication technology inside factories, with the aim of significantly enhancing future manufacturing productivity.

During the trials, DOCOMO, OMRON and Nokia aim to prove the feasibility of using 5G connectivity to create layout-free production lines using Autonomous Mobile Robots—robots that are able to act autonomously in complex and changing environments—as well as the feasibility of human-machine collaboration inside manufacturing plants.

https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2019/0910_00.html

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DOCOMO resumes sales of Huawei's flagship P30

NTT DOCOMO resumed accepting reservations for the HUAWEI P30 Pro smartphone.

The device is expected to be released in Japan in September. The Japanese mobile operator had earlier suspended planned sales of the flagship Huawei device.

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DOCOMO invests in Light Field Lab for holographic displays

NTT DOCOMO Ventures has made an equity investment in LIGHT FIELD LAB, Inc. (LFL), a start-up developing display technology that enables a holographic objects to float in space without head-mounted accessories.

LFL’s projection technology is a new advancement in 3D holographic displays, enabling the control of billions of rendered photons of light which intersect in air to form real looking objects with full color and motion. LFL has been developing original light field technology to illustrate realistic 3D holographs.

NTT said the investment in LFL aligns with its own development of VR/AR technologies and 5G.

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DOCOMO invests in WSC Sports for AI-powered analytics

NTT DOCOMO Ventures has made an equity investment in W.S.C. Sports Technologies Ltd., a startup based in Israel that provides a platform capable of automatically creating sports video highlights in near real-time by utilizing AI and machine learning technologies to distribute to all sorts of digital media. Financial terms were not disclosed.

WSC Sports’ AI platform analyzes audio, video and data in a live broadcast and not only identifies each and every event that occurs in the game but also creates and distributes short-form videos by any parameter, such as players and scenes selected, to any digital destination.

In 2018, WSC Sports analyzed more than 17,000 sporting events and produced more than 850,000 videos.

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Taiwan's Far EasTone tests drones for tower inspections

Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET), one of Taiwan's largest mobile operators and a capital affiliate of NTT Docomo, has begun testing the docomo sky service for inspecting base-station towers/

The service uses drones to photograph the towers and then wirelessly communicate the information to a command center in real time. This is the second overseas deployment of docomo sky, following Indonesia. Docomo sky service is also currently inspecting base-station towers in Japan.

Going forward, DOCOMO said it will continue to develop and enhance its advanced drone services.

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DOCOMO develops 5G glass antenna for 28 GHz

NTT DOCOMO, in partnership with AGC Inc. and Ericsson, has developed an antenna embedded in synthetic fused silica glass for transmitting and receiving 28 GHz 5G radio signals.

The antenna was used to verify 28 GHz 5G mobile communication with downlink speeds averaging 1.3 Gbps within a 100-meter range and reaching a maximum of 3.8 Gbps at 400 MHz.

The verification tests, which used a vehicle fitted with multiple antennas and traveling about 30 km/h, were conducted in the Sumida area of Tokyo between April 22 and May 28.

https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2019/0529_00.html

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Docomo and Itochu Logistics test LTE-M for trucks

NTT DOCOMO and Itochu Logistics Corp. are testing an IoT solution that uses easily deployed devices compatible with low-power, wide-area LTE-M technology to enable delivery businesses to visualize the status of outsourced trucks in their fleets. The trial will be conducted in the United States beginning in May 2019.

The solution involves placing hand-held, battery- or solar-powered devices in trucks to collect data, such as truck locations and frequency of sudden braking, which will be sent through an LTE network to a dedicated website. The solution can also provide temperature, humidity, brightness, etc. data depending on delivery needs, as well as notify customers via email when the trucks approach their destinations.

DOCOMO said the trial is part of the Globiot global-IoT initiative that it launched last year to provide global connectivity, operational support and consulting to Japanese enterprises.

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Keysight provides 5G NR device conformance test to DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO has selected Keysight’s 5G Conformance Toolset, part of Keysight’s 5G network emulation solution portfolio, to ensure 5G new radio (NR) mobile devices comply to the latest 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards prior to market introduction of new 5G services.

Keysight’s 5G network emulation solutions were selected by NTT DOCOMO for characterizing and validating 5G NR mobile devices to ensure these operate as intended on the mobile operator’s 5G network. As an influential contributor to the 3GPP standards organization, Keysight helps mobile operators, such as NTT DOCOMO and its mobile device suppliers, confidently evolve with the latest 5G NR standards as defined by 3GPP and adopted in the GCF and PTCRB certification schemes.

"Keysight’s proven expertise in 5G and end-to-end 5G test solutions enable us to accelerate our 5G commercialization plans," said Toshiyuki Futakata, vice president and general manager of Communication Device Development Department, NTT DOCOMO. “By working with Keysight we are confident that our new 5G mobile devices comply to the latest 3GPP standards to meet our customers’ high expectations, enabling us to create new business opportunities based on 5G technology.”

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DOCOMO to sell its 24% stake in Hutchison Telephone HKG

NTT DOCOMO will sell its 24.1% stake in Hutchison Telephone Company Limited (HTCL), a mobile network operator in Hong Kong and Macau, and Hutchison 3G HK Holdings Limited (H3GHK) to Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited (HTHKH).  The price is US$60 million.

After the deal closes in May 2019, HTCL will become a wholly owned subsidiary of HTHKH.

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Indonesia tests docomo sky drones for tower inspection

PT Solusi Tunas Pratama Tbk. (STP), a company that leases out telecommunication towers in Indonesia, is testing a service called "docomo sky for Tower Inspection" that uses drones to photograph base stations and telecom towers.

The system being tested is based on an operational drone-based tower inspection system developed by DOCOMO for its commercial network throughout Japan, and supports the "docomo sky" ground control station (GCS) app for assistance in inspection tasks, enabling drone operators to input flight data with ease. For the test, DOCOMO will provide its cloud-based platform for operational support and data analysis. The drones fly automatically, take photos and transmit the images via the platform in real time, enabling technicians to inspect the towers via the docomo sky web browser immediately.


https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2019/0326_00.html

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DOCOMO targets 5G game streaming in Japan

NTT DOCOMO announced an equity investment in cloud gaming pioneer Hatch Entertainment Ltd, provider of the world's first made-for-5G game streaming service in Finland.

DOCOMO has begun supporting Hatch's game streaming service in Japan, effective February 13.

Hatch currently streams rich, full-featured games over Wi-Fi or 4G networks in the Nordic countries plus the UK and Ireland. Hatch offers more than 100 games that are ready to play instantly, requiring no download, in-game paywall or costly specialized hardware. Users simply download Hatch's application from Google Play to their device to use the service for a flat monthly fee of JPY 550 (tax included).

Under the DOCOMO-Hatch partnership, customers in Japan will log into Hatch with their DOCOMO d ACCOUNTTM to play games and challenge other gamers on global leaderboards. Hatch games will also be available via the DOCOMO TV Terminal set-top box device that customers control with their smartphones.

Going forward, DOCOMO and Hatch plans to leverage the extra-high-speed, large-capacity, low-latency and massive-device connectivity of 5G for gaming. DOCOMO plans to launch its commercial 5G service in 2020.

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DOCOMO Ventures Invests in Shoof for IoT tracking

NTT DOCOMO Ventures has made an equity investment in Shoof Technologies, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California that is developing advanced wireless technology designed for the Industrial IoT.

Shoof claims its technology for asset monitoring and tracking overcomes the unreliable nature of current wireless technology. It offers a cloud platform and equipment such as base stations and tags to track assets in motion in any location in real time. It is applicable to a wide range of industrial markets with unmatched advantages, including scalability, ability for both indoor and outdoor tracking, a long communication range, blockchain-capable security authentication, open-network infrastructure, and is free of maintenance.

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DOCOMO expands its money transfer service

NTT DOCOMO is expanding its mobile overseas remittance service to China and Thailand, bringing the total number of destination countries and regions to 42. Remittances to 70 banks and financial institutions in China and 28 in Thailand will be possible for a flat fee of JPY 1,000 (tax free).

DOCOMO's mobile overseas remittance service, which launched in 2011, enables Japanese subscribers to send funds with ease and convenience to children studying abroad or family working overseas. It has also been used increasingly by DOCOMO's foreign subscribers in Japan to remit funds to family back home.

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DOCOMO tests edge computing for video processing

NTT DOCOMO has commenced a proof-of-concept (PoC) video IoT solution that will enable the interpretation and analysis of video data sourced from surveillance cameras using edge computing. DOCOMO will test the effectiveness of using edge computing to interpret and analyze video data. The edge computing will supplement processing performed in the cloud. As a first step, the PoC will test and evaluate the sourcing of data from surveillance cameras, aiming to develop a solution that uses existing cameras, requires no wired connectivity and does not involve the transmission of large quantities of data.

DOCOMO also confirmed a strategic investment in Cloudian, a Silicon Valley-based leader in enterprise object storage systems and developer of the Cloudian AI Box, a compact, high-speed AI data processing device equipped with camera connectivity and LTE / Wi-Fi capabilities, facilitating edge AI computing with both indoor and outdoor communications.

DOCOMO said the transfer and processing of large volumes of video data to the cloud have been a lengthy process involving significant delays and placing a considerable burden on cloud infrastructure and communication networks. Edge computing could help deal with these shortcomings and herald a new era of high-speed image recognition.

Cloudian raises $94 million for hyperscale data fabric

Wednesday, August 29, 2018  Cloudian  

Cloudian, a start-up offering a hyperscale data fabric for enterprises, raised $94 million in a Series E funding, bringing the company’s total funding to $173 million.

“Cloudian redefines enterprise storage with a global data fabric that integrates both private and public clouds — spanning across sites and around the globe — at an unprecedented scale that creates new opportunities for businesses to derive value from data,” Cloudian CEO Michael Tso. “Cloudian’s unique architecture offers the limitless scalability, simplicity, and cloud integration needed to enable the next generation of computing driven by advances such as IoT and machine learning technologies.”

The funding round included participation from investors Digital Alpha, Eight Roads Ventures, Goldman Sachs, INCJ, JPIC (Japan Post Investment Corporation), NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc. and WS (Wilson Sonsini) Investments.

“Computing now operates without physical boundaries, and customers need storage solutions that also span from the data center to the edge,” said Takayuki Inagawa, president & CEO of NTT DOCOMO Ventures. “Cloudian’s geo-distributed architecture creates a global fabric of storage assets that support the next generation of connected devices.”

Cloudian brings its S3 API interface to Azure Blob Storage

Wednesday, September 27, 2017  Azure, Cloudian  

Cloudian, a start-up based in San Mateo, California, is extending its hybrid cloud object storage system into Microsoft Azure.

Cloudian HyperCloud for Microsoft Azure leverages the company's S3 API interface to Azure Blob Storage. Cloudian said the world's largest Industrial Internet enterprise is using Cloudian HyperCloud for Azure to connect its Industrial Internet of Things solution to Azure Blob Storage.

"Cloudian HyperCloud for Azure is a game-changer for public cloud storage, enabling true bi-modal data storage across multiple cloud environments," said Michael Tso, Cloudian CEO and co-founder. "For the first time, customers have a fully supported, enterprise-ready solution to access their choice of cloud platforms from their S3-compliant applications. Customers can be up and running in minutes by launching HyperCloud from the Microsoft Azure Marketplace."

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DOCOMO tests live, 360° 8K video streaming

NTT DOCOMO is previewing the world's first 8K virtual reality (VR) live video streaming and viewing system 360° 8K video.

DOCOMO said its 8K VR system uses FPGAs for extra-fast processing and an algorithm for high-density mounting (maximizes FPGA processing) at 30 frames per second (fps).  A head-mounted display is used to view the 360° 8K video. The system stitches together five 4K fisheye videos from five outward-facing cameras in real time at 30fps. It leverages an 8K H.264 encoder for real-time compression, the real-time Panorama Cho Engine encoder to divide the 360° 8K video into multi-direction tiles, and a server to transmit tiles according to the user's viewing direction.

This system will be exhibited at DOCOMO 5G Open Lab Yotsuya.

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