Nokia scored a place in a joint RAN deployment programme between Japanese operators KDDI and SoftBank Corp, with the vendor following regional rival Ericsson onto the list of suppliers.

The Finnish company will provide a multi-operator RAN (MORAN) enabling KDDI and SoftBank to share radio resources while continuing to operate separate core networks.

Nokia explained in a statement it will provide baseband and radio platforms from its AirScale range to deliver a MORAN covering 4G and 5G, along with dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS).

The vendor added it would employ its latest ReefShark SoC to boost the capacity of its baseband equipment, stating the entire set-up will “enable SoftBank and KDDI to scale capacity flexibly and efficiently as their 5G business evolves”.

Tommi Uitto, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia, noted the agreement builds on long-standing relationships with KDDI and SoftBank, while tapping the vendor’s experience in network sharing.

KDDI and SoftBank named Ericsson as the first vendor for their joint RAN plan in June, tapping the company to provide baseband, radio and transport equipment.

The operators are also collaborating on building a shared 5G network in rural areas through a 50:50 joint venture designed to boost coverage.