By Catherine Sbeglia Nin

Movandi is providing Japan’s Rakuten Mobile with 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) smart repeaters and BeamXR Open-RAN technology to help the operator expand its outdoor and indoor coverage and capacity.

According to Rakuten Mobile CEO Tareq Amin, Movandi’s mmWave RF chipsets, phased-array antenna and software technology has the potential to reduce the cost of infrastructure needed to extend and deploy its 5G network by more than half. “We’ve been much impressed with their core 5G mmWave technology that enables us to extend and deploy our 5G network in Japan cost effectively,” he stated.

This reduction in cost is critical because while mmWave delivers high-speed connectivity, its limited coverage and poor penetration means a high cost of deployment if a service provider is looking to provided adequate mmWave coverage using only small cells. But by simply repeating the mmWave signal, it can be affordably and easily extended.

Earlier this year, Movandi — a strong advocate for mmWave — partnered with Qualcomm to generate more momentum around the high-speed technology. The pair combined the capabilities of mmWave small cells powered by Qualcomm’s FSM 5G RAN platforms and Movandi-powered 5G smart repeaters to lower the cost of deployment and extend the high-frequency spectrum’s coverage.

“This market needs more alliances,” Movandi’s CEO and Founder Maryam Rofougaran told RCR Wireless News back in March, adding that despite the industry’s mixed feelings about mmWave, both Qualcomm and Movandi see its real potential.

So does Rakuten Mobile, which has 400 megahertz of mmWave spectrum that Amin said will be used alongside the company’s sub-6 GHz spectrum to bolster its fixed wireless access plans. “Our cost structure to deliver FWA to the house is going to be one of the lowest in the world,” he boasted. https://www.rcrwireless.com