Guan Cha Zhe Wang·2025-12-30 01:11Core Viewpoint - NEC's withdrawal from the 4G and 5G public base station development market signifies the complete collapse of the Japanese telecommunications equipment industry, highlighting the challenges faced by Japanese companies in the face of fierce competition from Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE [1][5]. Group 1: NEC's Strategic Withdrawal - NEC's president, Takashi Morita, announced that the company will no longer invest in the public base station development sector, marking a significant shift from their previous goal of capturing 20% of the global market by 2030 [1][3]. - The company's market share has dwindled, with NEC and Fujitsu together holding less than 2% of the global base station market, while Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia control nearly 80% [3][4]. - The competitive landscape for 5G has fundamentally changed, requiring higher technical standards and larger scale effects, which NEC, with a market share of less than 1%, cannot sustain [3][4]. Group 2: Structural Crisis in Japanese Telecommunications - NEC's exit reflects a broader crisis within the Japanese telecommunications equipment sector, with other companies like Fujitsu also divesting from similar businesses [5]. - The historical reliance on a closed domestic market has weakened Japanese firms' ability to compete globally, leading to their marginalization as they struggle to match the performance and cost-effectiveness of international competitors [5][6]. - NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile operator, has shifted its procurement strategy to favor foreign suppliers like Ericsson, further indicating the decline of domestic brands [6]. Group 3: NEC's Strategic Shift to Private Networks - Despite exiting the public base station market, NEC is pursuing a strategic pivot towards providing private 5G network solutions in collaboration with Cisco, targeting enterprise clients in Europe and the Middle East [7]. - This shift reflects NEC's recognition of the competitive landscape, where the enterprise private network market is less concentrated and allows for more customized services, an area where NEC has expertise [7]. Group 4: Challenges of Open RAN - NEC's previous involvement in Open RAN technology, which aimed to democratize the telecommunications equipment market, has not yielded the expected results, with deployment lagging behind initial projections [8][9]. - The challenges faced by Open RAN include technical maturity, total cost of ownership uncertainties, and system integration complexities, which hinder its widespread adoption [9][10]. Group 5: Rise of Chinese Competitors - In stark contrast to Japanese firms, Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE have solidified their positions in the global 5G market, with Huawei holding 58% and ZTE 31% of the domestic market [11]. - Chinese firms are not only competitive on price but also lead in technological innovation, with Huawei's solutions significantly enhancing capacity and reducing energy consumption [11][12]. - The rapid advancement of technologies like 5G-A and RedCap by Chinese firms has established a generational gap in capabilities compared to their Japanese counterparts [12][14]. Group 6: Future Outlook and Implications - As Japan grapples with its telecommunications industry's decline, China is positioning itself for future advancements in 6G technology, leveraging its existing infrastructure and technological capabilities [14][15]. - The competitive landscape in telecommunications is evolving, with the importance of scale and continuous innovation becoming critical for survival in a technology-driven market [18].