Samsung has expanded its Open RAN relationship with Japan’s NTT Docomo, despite Docomo’s long-standing and very close partnership with NEC, another prominent supplier of Open RAN radios. Samsung is already providing the largest Japanese MNO with 3.4 GHz radio units and has now added contracts for equipment in 3.7 GHz, 4.5 GHz and 28 GHz bands. Together, these make up all the TDD bands (many very specific to Japan in their band-plan) that Docomo currently plans to use for 5G. The companies said they have been testing the interoperability of these new radios with basebands from various vendors in Docomo’s commercial network environment. “We have been collaborating with Samsung since the beginning of 5G and through our Open RAN expansion,…