Most operators at MWC behave with the cool detachment of the clear leaders of the food chain; but not NTT Docomo, which was busy promoting its latest Open RAN endeavor – a JV with NEC called OREX SAI. The Open RAN system-integration (SI) offering combines NTT Docomo’s lengthy experience in Open RAN with NEC’s global footprint. The success of this enterprise will depend on Docomo’s ability to transition from operator to vendor – and then compete with Rakuten Symphony and the tier 1 vendors. The joint venture is just one step in the Japanese operator’s program to seed and monetize an Open RAN market. In 2020, Docomo launched the world’s first nationwide Open RAN 5G service in Japan and launched…