Tech & Innovation
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Blog
As Crimson Red model hits stores, Rakuten Mini developers share backstory of ground-breaking phone
In the three months since its release, Rakuten Mobile’s first original device, the Rakuten Mini, has made big waves for a small phone. Measuring just 10.6cm by 5.3cm and weighing 79 grams, the phone was designed for people who want the convenience of a powerful handset — complete with FeliCa touchless payment capability, facial recognition, high-res 16MP camera and more — but with the added benefi…
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Transforming the Economics of Telecom: Rakuten Mobile and Altiostar reinvent Radio Access Networks (RAN)
This article is part of a series highlighting the collaboration between Rakuten Mobile and its partners to build the world’s first end-to-end fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network. In this edition, we speak with Ashraf M. Dahod, CEO of Altiostar Networks, Inc. Base stations that make up Rakuten Mobile’s new network in Japan are unlike any others in the world. They are the first anywhere to…
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Autonomous drones inspect Rakuten Mobile’s new cell towers
In the year 1920, the aviation industry was at a pivotal point. Airplanes had taken off just a few years earlier, and the first world war had propelled the technology to new heights. By the turn of the decade, flying machines had begun to evolve from futuristic airborne wonders to revolutionary practical tools. 100 years later, the drone is undergoing a similar evolution. While drones themselves a…
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A Brave New World of Communications: Rakuten Mobile and Mavenir combine the best of the internet with the best of cellular
This article is part of a series highlighting the collaboration between Rakuten Mobile and its partners to build the world’s first end-to-end fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network. In this edition, we speak with Bejoy Pankajakshan, Chief Strategy Officer at Mavenir. Rakuten Mobile is using internet best practices to reinvent cellular services. A key partner in this endeavor is Mavenir, a T…
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Livestreaming from the living room: Is this the future?
Livestreaming. Videoconferencing. E-learning. Virtual doctor appointments. While none of these technologies are new, right now, they’re approaching essential. Humans have been connecting and streaming online for years, but the mass adoption of work-from-home and social distancing policies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed livestreaming and videoconferencing from something optional an…
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A world first for 5G: Rakuten Mobile & NEC deploy groundbreaking radios for new 5G network
This article is part of a series highlighting the collaboration between Rakuten Mobile and its partners to build the world’s first end-to-end fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network. In this edition, we speak with Nozomu Watanabe, senior vice president, NEC Corporation. Working together, Rakuten Mobile and NEC Corporation have achieved a world first – they have built the world’s first…
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New drone delivery trial sees groceries sent to isolated community in Iwate Prefecture
Rakuten chalked up another successful drone delivery trial last month, this time demonstrating the service’s ability to reach a remote mountainous location in Iwate Prefecture, where many elderly residents struggle to go shopping for food. Having launched in September 2016, the Rakuten drone team aims to eventually provide sustainable delivery infrastructure where Japan’s conventional network cann…
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Rakuten Mobile unveils its new UN-LIMIT plan with a “Bang!” thanks to pop sensation MIYAVI
As Rakuten Mobile launches its groundbreaking mobile phone carrier service, it makes sense that it would team up with one of Japan’s biggest and most innovative pop sensations: the so-called “Samurai Guitarist,” MIYAVI. Known for edgy, aggressive electric guitar licks and his dramatic “finger-slapping” play style, MIYAVI burst onto the global music scene with a new album last year and a prominent…
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Abel Avellan wants to connect your mobile phone to space
In the not-so-distant future, Rakuten Mobile users could be connecting directly to space. To coincide with the official reveal of Rakuten Mobile launch plans for April, Rakuten also announced its investment in space cellular broadband network startup AST & Science. The company is in the process of launching a revolutionary cellular network called SpaceMobile — a constellation of low-Earth-orbi…
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