Samsung Networks won a deal to provide 5G new radio (NR) equipment to Japanese operator NTT Docomo, further advancing the South Korean vendor’s share of the global market.

In a brief statement, Samsung said it will deliver an open RAN-compliant system to boost Docomo’s 5G coverage. The operator launched a commercial service in March 2020, ending the year with 1.4 million subscribers.

Within the statement, Stefan Pongratz, VP of market research company Dell’Oro Group, branded the Docomo deal “significant” due to the operator’s “history of being at the forefront” of new technologies. He added it “cements Samsung’s position as a major 5G RAN supplier”.

Rival Japanese operator KDDI contracted Samsung as one of its 5G suppliers in 2019.

The vendor also enjoyed success in the US, holding deals with Verizon, AT&T and UScellular.

It also has next-generation supply contracts with operators in its home market, Canadian operators Telus and Videotron; and Spark in New Zealand.