Japan has not been in the first wave of commercial 5G nations, by contrast with previous network generations, but its operators are pursuing innovative approaches to their build-outs, and driving the shift towards open, multivendor and cloud-based networks. Rakuten, the new entrant, is famously deploying a cloud-native RAN and core for 4G and 5G, while NTT Docomo recently switched on its first RAN (pre-commercial as yet) based on Open RAN interfaces. Softbank – always a pioneer of small cells and other creative approaches to 4G roll-out and economics – is now far more than an operator, as its parent group increasingly invests, through the Vision Fund, in many of the technologies, such as AI and quantum computing, which may drive…