Reshaping global customer value: Mickey Mikitani on digital ecosystems at IMC 2025

At the 9th India Mobile Congress, Asia’s largest telecom, media and technology event held from October 8-11 in New Delhi, India, Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani painted a vivid picture of how integrated digital ecosystems are not just driving innovation and efficiency, but fundamentally reshaping customer value worldwide. Inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the event underscored India’s rapid strides in telecom infrastructure and its ambition to lead in next-generation technologies, a vision closely aligned with Rakuten’s own pioneering efforts.

Rakuten’s integrated Ecosystem: a foundation for innovation

Mikitani opened his keynote by describing the scale of Rakuten’s ecosystem in Japan. The company leads in e-commerce, credit cards, online banking, mobile services, digital content, messaging and loyalty programs. These services operate under a unified brand that also extends to travel, fintech and professional sports.

“This ecosystem allows us to create value not only for individual services but for our customers across sectors,” Mikitani said. Built steadily over the past 28 years, Rakuten’s integrated approach demonstrates how connected digital services can enhance customer engagement, simplify daily transactions and deliver consistent value across services. He highlighted that Rakuten’s strength lies in its software-first approach, which has been instrumental in building these interconnected services.

Customers directly benefit from this integrated approach. Rakuten Mobile subscribers, for instance, navigate the ecosystem with greater ease, shopping on Rakuten Ichiba, booking hotels on Rakuten Travel, and accessing digital content effortlessly. This enhanced convenience drives significant engagement: data from Japan indicates mobile customers tend to spend 48.5% more on the marketplace and use Rakuten Travel 10% more, showcasing the ecosystem’s success in simplifying and enriching the user experience.

Telecom innovation and operational efficiency

This software-first philosophy, deeply embedded across Rakuten’s diverse offerings, has been particularly transformative in the telecommunications sector. Mikitani highlighted Rakuten Mobile’s achievements in deploying Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) in Japan. Unlike many companies that start in mobile and then move into other digital services, Rakuten built its software expertise first, enabling it to apply this advantage directly to its mobile network.

By fully virtualizing the network and applying AI-driven automation, Rakuten Mobile keeps capital expenditure about 50% lower than competitors and operating costs 30 to 40% lower. The network operates with fewer than 1,000 employees, compared with industry peers that typically employ around 15,000.

Mikitani emphasized how Rakuten Mobile leverages automation and integrated technology to expand network coverage and efficiency across Japan. “Our approach combines algorithms, hardware and software at full scale in Japan,” Mikitani said. “We have proven that high quality can be achieved efficiently.” The network includes more than 100,000 macro cell towers, covering nearly the entire population, with automation enabling efficient field operations, site configuration and overall network management. Outside Japan, Rakuten manages thousands of data centers and edge computing facilities, including four major data centers supporting 38,000 servers.

Opportunities in India and global lessons

Reflecting on international trends, Mikitani noted that countries like India, China and South Korea are scaling digital services rapidly. He emphasized that Japan can accelerate its own progress by learning from these markets, particularly in AI adoption and ecosystem integration.

India remains a strategic market for Rakuten. Beyond mobile infrastructure, Mikitani sees opportunities in e-commerce, fintech and broader digital services. Rakuten’s experience in Japan provides a model for integrating services, building customer loyalty and supporting global partners through software-driven solutions, offering practical insights for companies and policymakers in India.

Human connection in a digital world

While discussing technological advancement, Mikitani emphasized that human creativity remains central. “A handcrafted luxury handbag made entirely by robots will never carry the same meaning as one made by an artisan,” he said. “AI should enhance that human connection, not replace it.”

He concluded by urging collaboration between countries and companies to ensure technology develops responsibly. “As we expand our ecosystem, we aim to deliver software-driven solutions that empower people and businesses, helping them benefit from innovation in ways that are practical, accessible and meaningful,” Mikitani said.