Experience ‘Telecom Reinvented’ with Rakuten at MWC Barcelona 2024

February 6, 2024 3 min read

At Fira Gran Via from February 26 to 29, Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 will welcome attendees from across the globe to discuss telecom technology.

Taking place at Fira Gran Via from February 26 to 29, Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event will convene global leaders and tens of thousands of visitors to discuss the latest trends and innovation impacting the future of the telecom industry.

Rakuten is returning for the fifth time with a can’t-miss lineup of speaker sessions, booth activities and industry engagements that will showcase the company’s innovative, software-first approach to building and operating mobile networks.

Join us at the Rakuten Booth in Hall 2, 2D46

The hub of Rakuten’s activities for the week will take place at the Rakuten Booth, located in Hall 2 of the Fira Gran Via. There, visitors can connect with the team behind the world’s first fully virtualized mobile network based on Open RAN specifications and learn more how Rakuten is delivering telecom efficiency with automation in cloud solutions for planning, building and operating networks. This year’s booth will again include special experience zones, staffed by Rakuten tech experts, partner showcases and an active theater space for live keynotes, panels and more.

Dive into the details at Rakuten “Experience Zones”

During MWC Barcelona 2024, the company will share its expertise in four special Rakuten Experience Zones focusing on automation, Open RAN, AI, telco cloud, white label solutions and Rakuten Symphony’s partner ecosystem. Rakuten subject matter experts will be on hand in each zone to take visitors through the unique technology powering Rakuten’s next-gen network.

What’s happening at the booth theater

During MWC, leaders from Rakuten Mobile, Rakuten Symphony and the wider Rakuten Group will take to the stage, joined by partners, customers and industry innovators, to share how AI and an ecosystem experience from Rakuten Group can drive the telecom industry forward.

Here are highlights of events taking place at Rakuten’s booth theater:

Monday, February 26 at 2:30pm
Rakuten International Showcase
Rakuten International CEO, Amit Patel will share his business vision for expansion across Europe and the UK while Rakuten TV will give insights into innovative content services for the telecom industry. Rakuten Viber will delve into their core business and customer offerings, providing valuable insights into the future of the messaging app landscape.

Speakers:
– Amit Patel, CEO, Rakuten International
– Ofir Eyal, CEO, Rakuten Viber
– Cedric Dufour, CEO, Rakuten TV

Tuesday, February 27 at 10:30am
Rakuten Group Showcase
Rakuten Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani and Rakuten Mobile co-CEO Sharad Sriwastawa will share updates on Rakuten Group and Rakuten Mobile’s ambitious vision for bringing innovation in global telecom. 1&1 CEO Michael Martin will share the stage with Rakuten Symphony Chief Business Officer Rabih Dabboussi and telecom industry analyst Roy Chua to discuss the launch of 1&1’s mobile services in Germany, what it means for Europe, and where the innovative relationship is heading next.

Speakers:
– Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group
– Michael Martin, CEO 1&1 Mobilfunk
– Rabih Dabboussi, Chief Business Officer, Rakuten Symphony
– Roy Chua, AvidThink

Tuesday, February 27 at 4:00pm
Rakuten Symphony Showcase & Happy Hour
Rakuten Symphony leaders Sharad Sriwastawa and Rahul Atri will share the stage with AT&T’s Yigal Elbaz and industry analyst Chetan Sharma to discuss their vision for Telecom Reinvented.

The Rakuten Happy Hour follows at 5pm

Speakers:
– Sharad Sriwastawa, President, Rakuten Symphony
– Yigal Elbaz, Network Chief Technology Officer, AT&T
– Chetan Sharma, CEO of Chetan Sharma Consulting

Wednesday, February 28 at 10:30am
Rakuten AI Showcase
How is Rakuten leveraging AI to transform telecom and power the wider Rakuten Group ecosystem? AI executive Ting Cai alongside Rahul Atri and Medithe Madhukiran will discuss Rakuten’s transformative ‘AI-nization’ mindset and potential role of AI and automation to upend industries with Appledore Research’s Robert Curran.

Speakers:
– Ting Cai, Chief Data Officer, Rakuten Group
– Rahul Atri, President OSS BU, Rakuten Symphony
– Medithe Madhukiran, Head of Data Science, Rakuten Mobile
– Robert Curran, Appledore Research

Rakuten appearing on MWC stages

Outside the booth, the event will see several Rakuten leaders take to the official MWC stage to discuss a range of pressing industry issues:

Monday, February 26 at 10:50am
THE ANATOMY OF AUTONOMOUS NETWORKS
Rahul Atri, President of OSS BU, Rakuten Symphony
MWC Stage B

Tuesday, February 27 at 2:30pm
IS OPEN RAN LIVING UP TO ITS INTEROPERABILITY PROMISE?
Geoff Hollingworth – CMO, Rakuten Symphony
MWC Debate Stage

Wednesday, February 28 at 10:50am
O-RAN SECURITY SPECIFICATIONS AND VERIFICATION (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Nagendra Bykampadi – Co-chair of the O-RAN Alliance Security Work Group
Partner Theatre 5

Wednesday, February 28 at 4:15pm
FUTURE SECURITY FOR FUTURE NETWORKS
Nagendra Bykampadi – Head of Product Security, Rakuten Symphony
MWC Stage B