KDDI and DriveNets have signed a strategic partnership to deploy DriveNets’ Network Cloud software in KDDI’s commercial backbone network, targeting full operational rollout by the end of 2025. The initiative will support the expansion of open, disaggregated network architectures designed to meet the data-intensive demands of AI and cloud workloads. The first deployment phase will focus on four core backbone sites across KDDI’s network in Japan.
This agreement builds on KDDI’s prior work in deploying disaggregated routers through the Telecom Infra Project. KDDI began testing Cluster-Based Distributed Disaggregated Backbone Routers (DDBRs) in 2020 and completed technical validation of DDBR clusters for backbone use in early 2025. The peering routers deployed in 2023—based on DriveNets’ software—have already demonstrated operational stability. The new initiative will now bring those principles to the core, aiming to optimize CAPEX and OPEX, simplify operations, and increase scalability.
DriveNets’ Network Cloud decouples network software from hardware, running on white-box infrastructure to improve flexibility and lower total costs. It has been adopted by Tier-1 operators and hyperscalers worldwide and is positioned as a cloud-native alternative to traditional chassis-based systems, particularly in high-performance AI and edge deployments.
- DriveNets software to be deployed in KDDI’s core backbone at 4 locations by end of 2025
- Strategic goal is to scale disaggregated routers and enhance network agility for AI demands
- Builds on prior deployments of peering routers based on DriveNets software (June 2023)
- Follows completion of technical validation for DDBR clusters in February 2025
- DriveNets’ Network Cloud supports white-box hardware and Ethernet-based AI networking
“Our collaboration with DriveNets will create significant new innovations. Our vision is to build a flexible and robust architecture suited to the AI era,” said Kazuyuki Yoshimura, CTO of KDDI.
- KDDI is one of Japan’s largest telecommunications providers, serving over 64 million mobile subscribers as of March 2025. The company operates an extensive nationwide network that includes over 100,000 5G base stations, providing 5G coverage to more than 96% of the population. KDDI launched its 5G services in March 2020 and has steadily expanded both standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G deployments. Its fixed-line and mobile networks are integrated to support seamless connectivity across urban and rural areas. KDDI also maintains international operations and undersea cable assets to support its global enterprise and data center offerings, positioning it as a key enabler of Japan’s digital transformation and AI infrastructure goals.
- KDDI has made significant strides in advancing Open RAN architecture as part of its broader effort to create a more flexible and cost-effective mobile network. Since 2021, the company has participated in multiple global initiatives, including the O-RAN Alliance and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), to foster interoperability and vendor diversity. In February 2022, KDDI announced its first Open RAN deployment in collaboration with Samsung and Fujitsu, targeting 5G baseband and radio units. By 2023, KDDI had launched a commercial Open RAN site in Japan, focusing on dense urban environments and demonstrating multivendor interoperability.
- In 2024, KDDI scaled its Open RAN deployments in select urban and suburban areas, leveraging virtualization and containerized network functions (vRAN) to enhance scalability. The company has also been testing RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) and AI-based optimization tools to enable more efficient spectrum use and energy savings. Looking ahead, KDDI plans to integrate Open RAN into its nationwide 5G Standalone (SA) rollout, enabling a programmable and adaptive network architecture aligned with its AI and automation strategy.