Nokia has expanded its partnership with SoftBank, securing a deal to supply advanced 4G and 5G radio access equipment and modernize existing sites across Western Japan. The scope includes Nokia’s AirScale portfolio and its AI-enabled MantaRay management software, aligning coverage and capacity upgrades with lower power consumption and simplified operations. Neither party disclosed contract value.
The work will proceed alongside SoftBank’s broader 5G standalone rollout and ongoing efforts to streamline radio access architectures. Delivery will be staged to minimize disruption to live traffic.
RAN scope includes AI-powered management
Under the agreement, SoftBank will deploy energy‑efficient Habrok Massive MIMO radios and new AirScale baseband cards built on Nokia’s ReefShark silicon, paired with MantaRay for automation and self‑optimizing functions. Nokia framed the award as continuity with a long-running supplier relationship.
“This expanded collaboration with SoftBank demonstrates the strength of our long-standing partnership,” said Mark Atkinson, Head of Radio Access Networks at Nokia.
SoftBank’s strategy stresses software orchestration, with recent trials showing AI and virtualized RAN can coexist on a single server with GPU to improve resource use. Efficient compute sharing matters as operators seek to scale edge workloads without duplicating hardware.
Cost pressures drive shared build strategy
Capital efficiency remains a parallel priority in Japan’s mobile market, where SoftBank and KDDI are deepening network sharing through their 5G JAPAN joint venture. The partners aim to jointly build 100,000 base stations each by FY2030 and target capex savings of ¥120.0 billion (C$1.1 billion) per company, according to a May 2024 update on the collaboration’s nationwide expansion and 4G asset reuse.
That plan, set out to extend beyond rural zones, also referenced standardizing construction methods and joint procurement to speed rollouts and reduce duplication. Nokia’s multi‑operator RAN features and modular baseband cards are designed to slot into such shared frameworks. In practice, vendor flexibility and spectrum control must coexist with shared masts, power, and backhaul.
The Western Japan upgrade positions SoftBank to advance 5G standalone coverage while laying technical foundations for the next wave of AI‑assisted radio functions. Procurement choices reflect a preference for incremental modernizations over large‑scale swaps, preserving site civil works and fronthaul investments.
The configuration points to multi‑year delivery cycles tied to software releases as much as hardware refreshes. That mix favours platforms that can absorb capacity surges with minimal truck rolls. Cost discipline is explicit.
6G trials align with upgrade path
Looking ahead, SoftBank and Nokia are collaborating on 6G research that could influence future spectrum and radio design. In July 2025, SoftBank launched an outdoor FR3 centimetre‑wave pilot in central Tokyo using the 7 GHz band and Massive MIMO radios, describing it as a first for a Japanese carrier and noting the band’s consideration for WRC‑27 discussions.
The modernization deal’s emphasis on automation and energy performance dovetails with those trials, which test urban coverage at mid‑to‑high frequencies and the software needed to steer beams efficiently.
“This enhanced partnership with Nokia helps us to build a unique and high-quality 5G network powered by AI,” said Hideyuki Tsukuda, Executive Vice President and CTO at SoftBank.
The near‑term outcome is denser 5G capacity in Western Japan, while the longer arc pushes compute closer to the cell site. As the vendor landscape shifts toward AI‑native operations, SoftBank’s roadmap links today’s RAN modernization to tomorrow’s software‑defined performance gains.
The company’s trials and joint research with Nokia show how orchestration will arbitrate between radio and non‑radio workloads at the edge. For investors and policymakers, the signal is clear. Japan’s mobile capex is chasing efficiency, not just speed, with shared builds, AI‑driven management, and staged upgrades defining the path to 5G Advanced and early 6G.