NEC created a North American innovation hub to house assets acquired earlier this year when it bought Blue Danube Systems, with the facility set to develop products and services intended to further bolster its 5G open RAN credentials.

The Japanese company noted the move boosted its presence in North America and more broadly in western markets, as it continues what it calls an aggressive plan to deliver open RAN systems globally.

Its innovation hub will be based in the east of the US and come under the NEC Advanced Networks banner, the rebranded name for the Blue Danube Systems assets.

The hub will initially focus on driving developments in the company’s radio unit business, including spectrum optimisation, and AI and machine learning-based Massive MIMO products.

NEC plans to use the facility as a “focal point for future expansion as the [open RAN] market matures”.

SVP for 5G strategy and business Mayuko Tatewaki said NEC was already making “significant progress” in its ambition to be a global leader in the open RAN sector, pointing to “important project wins with tier-1 operators in Europe, including key achievements with Orange and Virgin Media O2”.

“As the open RAN market rapidly grows, we need to expand our presence to achieve global goals,” Tatewaki added.