Rakuten decodes Intelligent Growth at MWC 2026
With the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event just around the corner, the telecom industry finds itself at an inflection point.
While hyperscalers and industry leaders continue to embrace cloud-native architectures, AI-powered automation, and robust ecosystem strategies to drive growth, others risk getting left behind.
At Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2026, from March 2-5 at the Fira Gran Via, Rakuten will unveil its proven blueprint for Intelligent Growth, a philosophy at the heart of Rakuten’s ambitious MWC program. Through a busy schedule of booth theater and main stage speaker sessions, live demos, and strategic meetings, the company will illustrate how it is actively transforming operations, accelerating innovation, and cultivating new revenue streams across the sector.
Here’s what Rakuten has in store for MWC Barcelona 2026:
Center stage at MWC
Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani will take to the MWC main stage on day one, joining VEON Group CEO Kaan Terzioğlu to deliver a keynote address on “Transforming Tomorrow’s Connected World.” Veon partnered with Rakuten Symphony, a Rakuten Group company, in 2023 to accelerate reconstruction of Ukraine’s telecommunications infrastructure, through collaboration on open radio access networks (Open RAN) and digital services. Mikitani and Terzioğlu share a similar vision and have built highly customer-focused, digital experience-oriented companies which have redefined the future of communication. On stage from 11:45 to 12:45 CET on Monday, March 2 at MWC Main Stage, Hall 4, they will discuss how innovation, leadership and collaboration can drive meaningful transformation.
A number of other Rakuten leaders will also participate in panels and speaker sessions throughout the four-day event, sharing their insights on some of the most pressing topics in tech today.
Sudhakar Pandey, Head of RAN at Rakuten Mobile, will take part in an O-RAN Alliance Summit panel discussion on Driving operator success: Optimizing cost efficiency, tailoring networks to business models, and powering innovation (9:45-10:30 CET on Tuesday, March 3 at Partner Theatre 3, Hall 8.0 – 4YFN & Partner Theatres).
Pandey will share his experience with Rakuten Mobile’s implementation of O-RAN in live networks, highlighting the benefits to network quality, speed and efficiency unlocked in open networks.
Nagendra Bykampadi, VP Security Research and Standards at Rakuten Symphony will speak about Rakuten Symphony’s innovative security approach, which has enabled Rakuten Mobile to achieve network resiliency in a panel session titled “Cybersecurity in an Uncertain World” (9:30-10:30 CET on Tuesday, March 3 at GSMA Summits Stage, Hall 6).
Devesh Gautam, SVP, Solution Architecture Division at Rakuten Symphony will take to the GSMA stage for a panel discussion titled “Energy and Towers Efficiency Benchmark” (11:30-12:30 CET on Tuesday, March 3 at CC2 GSMA Insights Hub Stage, Hall 2), exploring the influence of energy efficiency on resilience, cost structures, and sustainability goals in next generation networks.
Additionally, Subha Shrinivasan, SVP, Global Service Delivery at Rakuten Symphony will moderate a panel discussion “Seeing Double: Digital Twins as the Smartest Bet for Business” (11:00 – 11:30 CET, Wednesday. March 4, Turing Stage, Hall 6). The panel will discuss the growing implementation of digital twins by early adopters and the tangible gains noticed in safety, speed, and profitability.
Meet us at Booth 2C70
Located in Hall 2 of the Fira Gran Via (Booth 2C70), the Rakuten booth will act as a hub for the Group’s MWC activities. Attendees can catch Rakuten and industry experts on stage at the booth theater each day for a dynamic series of speaker sessions covering key questions in tech, connectivity, AI and more. The booth will also feature demonstrations on Cloud, RAN, OSS and the Rakuten Ecosystem, and a special Partner Zone where Rakuten will showcase a wide range of products and services alongside members of the Rakuten Symphony hardware, software and reseller partner network.
Can’t miss sessions at the Rakuten Booth
On stage at Booth 2C70, leaders from Rakuten Mobile, Rakuten Symphony and the broader Rakuten Group, will be joined by industry innovators, partners and customers for diverse discussions around AI, Open RAN, Cloud and the future of technology. Below are just some of the exciting sessions scheduled each day.
Monday, March 2:
Industry giants Intel and Dell will join Rakuten Mobile for a panel discussion on next-gen DUs. Day one will also feature a special SheConnects panel discussion on AI and cloud transformation, Open RAN and other key topics, moderated by Subha Shrinivasan, alongside some of the leading female voices in telecom.
Tuesday, March 3:
Headlining day two will be a showcase of the Rakuten Ecosystem by Rakuten International CEO Amit Patel, Rakuten TV CEO Cedric Dufour and Rakuten Viber CEO Ofir Eyal. Experts from Samsung and Fujitsu will also be joined by key members of the O-RAN Alliance for a panel on O-RAN RU Ecosystem. Day two will draw to a close with Rakuten’s annual MWC Happy Hour event for partners, customers and friends.
Wednesday, March 4:
Day three at the Rakuten booth will host OSS and Cloud experts as they join Rakuten Symphony leaders to explore the future of autonomous networks, AI and 5G. Rakuten Mobile executives will also be sharing insights into the network’s successful autonomous journey.
Visit our MWC Barcelona 2026 events page here to learn more and book a meeting with our team.
