Rakuten Mobile posted its first quarterly EBITDA profit, signaling progress in its greenfield strategy despite wider net losses. The telecom unit’s revenue rose nearly 11 percent, and subscriber growth continued. Positive EBITDA and reduced losses hint at a potential turnaround for the ambitious, cloud-native network operator within Rakuten Group’s evolving telecom push.
Rakuten Mobile is making waves with its groundbreaking collaboration with Fujitsu to accelerate 5G network expansion in Japan. By incorporating Fujitsu’s energy-efficient 44R21 radio units, Rakuten Mobile is poised to enhance Sub6 network coverage quickly.
Rakuten Mobile launches “Rakuten AI for Business,” a Generative AI solution designed for Japanese corporate environments, enhancing tasks like document creation and translation with ease. Featuring robust language processing and seamless web browser access, it’s both efficient and affordable.
Rakuten Mobile is amplifying its presence in the U.S. to push Open RAN forward, a key focus of the NTIA’s Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. This move aims to strengthen the telecommunications supply chain and foster competition in the wireless sector.
In a groundbreaking development, Rakuten Mobile, in partnership with Nokia, has successfully conducted a trial demonstrating the capability of transmitting data at a rate of 1 terabit per second (Tbps) over a single wavelength. This trial spanned an impressive distance of 820 kilometers across both subsea and terrestrial networks in Japan, setting a new benchmark in the Asia Pacific region for this level of data transmission.
In an ambitious move to enhance mobile connectivity across Japan, Rakuten Mobile has announced its plan to offer satellite-to-mobile services by 2026, partnering with AST SpaceMobile. This initiative aims to leverage AST SpaceMobile’s space-based cellular broadband network, enabling direct access to smartphones for text messaging, voice, and data services.
Japanese mobile operators KDDI and Rakuten Mobile forge a new roaming agreement to boost network coverage, enhance connectivity, and reduce financial burden while streamlining 4G infrastructure utilization and 5G network rollout.
Rakuten Symphony advances its Real Open RAN Licensing Program through key partnerships with Cisco, Airspan, and Tech Mahindra. This initiative accelerates Open RAN adoption globally, enabling seamless 5G deployment.
AST SpaceMobile’s five BlueBird satellites are set to launch on September 12, heralding the start of their commercial non-terrestrial network services in collaboration with carriers like Verizon and AT&T. This pivotal event not only enhances global cellular connectivity but also signifies a major milestone in low Earth orbit telecommunications.
South Korea has officially revoked the mobile license of Stage X, led by Stage Five, an affiliate of tech giant Kakao Corp. The Ministry of Science and ICT cited failure to meet financial and operational criteria as reasons. Stage X aimed to join established carriers like SK Telecom and KT but struggled to secure necessary capital.
