NTT DOCOMO
THE 5GEC : ENTERPRISE 5G IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
In order to globalise its 5G business ,
Siddiqi explains that NTT DOCOMO is leveraging the considerable expertise of the NTT group as a whole and of its partners . “ NTT DOCOMO , and the Group as a whole , are working on memorandums of understanding with various governments and cities , which play a vital role in the promotion of new technologies ,” explains Siddiqi .
Announced in February of this year , one of the key collaborative efforts between NTT DOCOMO , the rest of the NTT Group , and key partners from throughout the ICT industry , is the 5G Global Enterprise solution Consortium ( 5GEC ). Siddiqi explains that , “ The consortium ’ s mission is to provide overseas companies with professional consultation regarding 5G solutions , especially flexible and highly secure private 5G networks that function independently of public networks offered by local telecommunications operators by coordinating each member ’ s strength such as advantages in network technologies or sales and marketing networks .”
Between the consortium ’ s 13 member companies , Siddiqi adds that it possesses “ strengths and assets in varied fields capable of implementing and providing a one-stop shop for provision of private 5G services , which can be extremely beneficial to enterprises that are considering upgrading their manufacturing facilities and executing their smart factory initiatives .”
The decision to target the Thai market initially makes sense for NTT DOCOMO , due to the long-standing relations between Thailand and Japan which , Siddiqi explains , provides not only the potential governmental support for the project , but a broad customer base . “ There are more than 5,000 Japanese enterprise customers that currently operate in Thailand , so the amount of manufacturing and processing infrastructure that ' s present in the market makes it very attractive ,” he explains . “ Japan and Thailand have over 130 years of friendship , which means that companies from Japan and Thailand are very accustomed to working together , and the affinity between the Japanese and Thai governments definitely contributes to this state of affairs .”
The consortium ’ s target for the coming fiscal year is to launch several successful POCs with companies operating in Thailand . Then , once those are successful , Siddiqi expects those POCs to develop into opportunities for commercialisation . Once that has been achieved , he adds that “ we want to develop out into other countries in the region , as well as other continents further down the line .”
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