Open RAN pioneer Rakuten Mobile lined up Cisco, Nokia and F5 as vendor partners, as Japan’s newest mobile player prepares to deploy a standalone (SA) 5G network across the country.

In a statement, the operator highlighted the deployment will “significantly enhance” network capabilities and simplify operations using AI-driven systems.

Rakuten is set to deploy Cisco’s mobile packet core portfolio, which the operator claims will enable it to streamline operations and improve network performance.

Nokia will deliver cloud-native network functions, covering authentication, user data management, signalling analytics and IMS voice. Enabled by multi-cloud capabilities, the gear will be deployed on Rakuten Symphony’s cloud-native platform and storage.

F5, a partner for Rakuten since 2019, will supply updated API security and traffic management capabilities, and cloud-native network functions, which it said are crucial for ensuring the reliability and performance of the SA 5G network core.

The operator launched LTE services in 2019 and closed Q1 with 8.6 million mobile subscribers. It ended March with 94,000 base stations, including 21,600 5G sites.