E - commerce giant - turned - wireless operator Rakuten has tapped Japanese company NEC , rather than China 's Huawei , to install around 16,000 low - cost 5 ##G base stations , aiming for full network installation by 2024 . The companies will develop a low - cost 5 G antenna running on internet - provided software , significantly reducing costs and potentially accelerating roll - out . Rakuten 's system costs [UNK] m ( $ 76,000 ) per unit , a fraction of NTT Docomo 's price . The collaboration also offers a big opportunity to NEC , which had fallen down the ranks of global network equipment suppliers .
E-commerce giant-turned-wireless carrier Rakuten has tapped IT group NEC, rather than China's Huawei, to install around 16,000 low-cost 5G base stations, aiming for full network installation by 2024. The companies will develop a low-cost 5G antenna running on internet-provided software, significantly reducing costs and potentially accelerating roll-out. Rakuten's system costs JPY8.2m ($76,000) per unit, a fraction of NTT Docomo's price. The collaboration also offers a big opportunity to NEC, which had fallen down the ranks of global network equipment suppliers.