Rakuten Mobile, Inc. (commonly known as Rakuten Mobile) is a Japanese mobile network operator (MNO) headquartered in Setagaya, Tokyo. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese technology conglomerate Rakuten Group. Rakuten Mobile operates nationwide 4G and 5G mobile telecommunications networks in Japan.
The company entered the Japanese mobile carrier market as the country's fourth major mobile network operator, competing with NTT Docomo, KDDI, and SoftBank Group. Rakuten Mobile is known for deploying a cloud-native mobile network architecture based on Open RAN technology.
Rakuten Mobile launched commercial 4G services in April 2020 and introduced 5G services later that year. The company has continued expanding network coverage across Japan while promoting a low-cost pricing model integrated with Rakuten's broader digital ecosystem.
History
Rakuten Mobile was founded in January 2018 in Tokyo.
Rakuten Mobile and German telecommunications company 1&1 launched a mobile network based on Open RAN technology in December 2023. [5]
Services
External links
References
- Rakuten tips Tepco tie-up to tap into mobile business TeleGeography, 2018-03-07, retrieved 2023-01-24^
- Rakuten mobile network to launch Oct-19; revises target to 10m subscribers TeleGeography, 2018-08-07, retrieved 2023-01-24^
- Rakuten Mobile hits 96% population coverage in Japan Fierce Wireless, 2022-04-20, retrieved 2023-01-24^
- The risky new way of building mobile broadband networks, explained by Rakuten Mobile CEO Tareq Amin The Verge, 2022-08-09, retrieved 2023-01-25^
- Arjun Kharpal. Rakuten makes first mobile foray into Europe as Japanese tech giant grapples with debt overhang CNBC, 2023-12-08, retrieved 2023-12-09^
- Rakuten Mobile launches low-cost mobile plans in Japan TeleGeography, 2020-04-08, retrieved 2023-01-26^
- Rakuten Mobile launches 5G in a number of regions; more to follow TeleGeography, 2020-10-01, retrieved 2023-01-24^