Japan’s NTT DoCoMo tapped Nokia to update its nationwide IP core backbone in a move that will support advanced 5G mobile services. The move continues what has been a push by operators to boost their network backhaul to power new services.

DoCoMo deployed Nokia’s 7750 SR-14s core routers that use the vendor’s FP routing silicon. This includes its FP5 line cards that can support current 100 Gb/s and 400 Gb/s Ethernet traffic as well as next-generation 800 Gb/s Ethernet with lower power consumption compared to the previous line card iteration while still being able to operate on the same network with those legacy products.

Nokia unveiled its FP5 silicon in mid-2021. The power-rich programmable routing chip is targeted at high-bandwidth use cases like 5G backhaul and industrial IoT networks.

NTT DoCoMo’s Nokia-enhanced backbone will support the carrier’s service-level agreement (SLA)-capable network slicing services using segment routing capabilities from Nokia’s service router operating system.

NTT DoCoMo also deployed Nokia’s Network Services Platform (NSP) using a path computation engine to support the carrier’s segment routing. This uses real-time telemetry to optimize the IP network to meet SLAs.

Nokia’s NSP will also allow DoCoMo to automate the creation and management of network slices in the transport domain.

NTT DoCoMo’s update is similar to one initiated last year by Verizon. That deal was with Juniper Networks to upgrade the operator’s fiber core packet network. The upgrade will quadruple network performance with a path toward future growth while also reducing resource requirements.

Verizon tied the upgrade to surging network demands coming from 5G-based wireless and fixed-line services. Kevin Smith, VP of planning at Verizon, at that time pointed to the carrier witnessing a 249% increase in data usage across its spectrum-rich 5G Ultra Broadband network.

“The kind of traffic that is on this network is all of our public and private traffic, global FiOS traffic, all of our wireless traffic, as well as our former XO [Communications] network,” Smith said. “As we look ahead and we see both from an infrastructure as well as a customer perspective, a lot for 200-gig and 400-gig for both those places, and our current platform just can’t support that level of services.”

Analysts have noted strong growth in 400 Gb/s router deployments by operators looking to stay on top of surging 5G traffic. Dell’Oro Group noted 400 Gb/s router shipments surged more than 140% during the first half of 2022 compared to the previous year, adding that it expects that momentum to continue into 2026.

“5G [radio access network] deployments are leading to a rapid expansion of mobile networks, with a two-fold effect,” the research firm noted in its report. “First, mobile [service providers] need to expand their mobile transport networks and are deploying 400 Gb/s routers to do so. Second, 5G technology enables higher mobile internet connection speeds, which encourage mobile network customers to consume data-heavy media content and thus drive up traffic volumes in SP networks.”

The latest deal between NTT DoCoMo and Nokia continues a long association between the two companies.

NTT DoCoMo last month touted work with Nokia to integrate artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and sub-terahertz spectrum to power potential 6G services. This integrated AI and ML into the radio air interface to provide “6G radios the ability to learn.”

Technically, the move allows the 6G radio to work through signal degradation issues, which reduced signaling overhead and supported a 30% improvement in signal throughput. This was also linked to network slicing use cases, with the companies stating the 6G radios would gain “the flexibility to adapt to the type of connection demanded by an application, device, or user.”