Japan and Britain will cooperate in promoting a new communications network that does not rely on specific companies' infrastructure in the wake of China's increasing presence in the field, sources familiar with the case have said.
By using Open RAN, or Open Radio Access Network, which has industry-wide standards that enable its interoperability between multiple vendors' equipment for cellular wireless networks, the two countries aim to avoid a situation in which Huawei Technologies and other Chinese players control the flow of information.
According to the sources, Japanese and British companies are expected to begin technology sharing in 2023. Major Japanese technology firms working to implement Open RAN include NEC and NTT Docomo.