Rakuten Mobile Explained

Rakuten Mobile, Inc.
Type:Subsidiary
Industry:Telecommunications
Hq Location:Rakuten Crimson House, 1-14-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku
Hq Location City:Tokyo
Hq Location Country:Japan
Area Served:Japan, Germany
Owner:Rakuten Group, Inc. (100%)
Jio Platforms (50%)
Num Employees:4,830 (as of 1 January 2023)
Footnotes:[1] [2] [3] [4]

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 Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten. Currently, Rakuten Mobile offers 4G[5] [6] and 5G[7] [8] services. In December 2023, it expanded into Europe launching a network in Germany. [9]

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. [10]

Services

LTE (4G)

Rakuten Mobile launched its cellular service in Japan (which was LTE) in April 2020 and with this, it became the 4th telecom operator in the country.[11]

5G

Rakuten mobile started rolling out its 5G service in October 2020 in selected regions of Japan.[7]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rakuten tips Tepco tie-up to tap into mobile business . TeleGeography . 2018-03-07 . 2023-01-24.
  2. Web site: Rakuten mobile network to launch Oct-19; revises target to 10m subscribers . TeleGeography . 2018-08-07 . 2023-01-24.
  3. News: Rakuten Mobile hits 96% population coverage in Japan . Fierce Wireless . en . 2022-04-20 . 2023-01-24.
  4. Web site: The risky new way of building mobile broadband networks, explained by Rakuten Mobile CEO Tareq Amin . The Verge . en-US . 2022-08-09 . 2023-01-25.
  5. Web site: Rakuten Mobile launches low-cost mobile plans in Japan . TeleGeography . 2020-04-08 . 2023-01-24.
  6. Web site: Rakuten Mobile reaches coverage target for its 4G network . RCR Wireless News . en-US . 2022-02-04 . 2023-01-24.
  7. Web site: Rakuten Mobile launches 5G in a number of regions; more to follow . TeleGeography . 2020-10-01 . 2023-01-24.
  8. Web site: Rakuten Mobile: Rakuten, Telefonica partner to jointly develop OpenRAN architecture in 5G networks, Telecom News, ET Telecom . www.ETTelecom.com . ETTelecom.com . en . 2020-09-16 . 2023-01-24.
  9. Web site: Kharpal . Arjun . 2023-12-08 . Rakuten makes first mobile foray into Europe as Japanese tech giant grapples with debt overhang . 2023-12-09 . CNBC . en.
  10. Web site: Kharpal . Arjun . 2023-12-08 . Rakuten makes first mobile foray into Europe as Japanese tech giant grapples with debt overhang . 2023-12-09 . CNBC . en.
  11. Web site: Rakuten Mobile launches low-cost mobile plans in Japan . TeleGeography . 2020-04-08 . 2023-01-26.