Tech & Innovation

  • Blog
    At Optimism 2021, Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani spoke to Japan Post Holdings CEO Hiroya Masuda about their plans for collaboration.
    4 hours ago

    The future of physical and digital services: Conversation between Japan Post Holdings & Rakuten CEOs

    In early 2021, Rakuten and Japan Post made industry headlines with an announcement that the two companies would partner up on a number of initiatives ranging from logistics to digital transformation. As a company with more than 150 years of history, Japan Post’s choice of partner – a comparative upstart of the internet age – sparked considerable excitement. Hiroya Masuda has led Japan Post Holding…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    Rakuten Mobile’s world-first cellular network has once again been recognized by the global telecoms industry, receiving awards at the 2021 Glotel Awards.
    5 days ago

    2021 Glotel Awards: Rakuten Mobile wins for Ground-breaking Virtualization Initiative and 5G Innovation

    Rakuten Mobile’s world-first cellular network has once again been recognized by the global telecoms industry. Announced November 23, Rakuten Mobile, in conjunction with Altiostar, a Rakuten Symphony Company, was named a Telecoms.com Global Telecoms (Glotel) Awards winner in two categories: Ground-breaking Virtualization Initiative for Rakuten Mobile’s 5G Open RAN on Kubernetes; and Best Oper…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    Rakuten Symphony at MWC LA 2021
    1 week ago

    Rakuten Symphony leaders share vision for the future of telecom at MWC Los Angeles 2021

    Rakuten made its mark on MWC Los Angeles 2021 last month with a packed schedule of executive speaker sessions, sideline interviews, and a celebratory event to formally introduce Rakuten Symphony to the telco industry. Headlined by Rakuten Symphony CEO and Rakuten Group CTO Tareq Amin, the company’s team of tech visionaries and industry thought leaders took to the stage to inspire and challenge est…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    1&1 and Rakuten Symphony are building a ground breaking 5G network called Open Ran and it will be the first fully virtualized mobile network in Europe.
    2 weeks ago

    How Germany will harness advanced connectivity honed in Japan

    One of Germany’s leading internet companies, 1&1, is building a groundbreaking 5G network that promises to deliver a step change in the performance of mobile connectivity. Drawing on Rakuten Mobile’s experience in Japan, 1&1 and Rakuten Symphony are setting up the network with a radical new radio architecture, called Open RAN (radio access network), in Germany – it will be the first fully…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    Collaborating with the local government and others, JP Rakuten Logistics was able to successfully conduct a drone delivery trial in Nagano Prefecture.
    2 weeks ago

    Drones connect mountain hiking spots to empower local businesses

    Reaching over 2.8 km into the sky, the peak of Mt. Shirouma doesn’t seem like the kind of place you might expect an express delivery. That’s just the sort of challenge Rakuten’s drone team is ready to tackle. A seven-hour trip in 15 minutes In the summer of 2021, JP Rakuten Logistics conducted a two-month drone delivery trial around Mt Shirouma in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. The result of a c…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    Dr. Toshihiko Doi, EXILE TETSUYA and Rakuten's Hiroto Furuhashi met onstage at Rakuten Optimism 2021 to discuss the future potential of 5G.
    November 5, 2021

    Harnessing 5G to transform medicine, entertainment and society

    How can 5G change our world? As the fifth generation of mobile communications networks steadily rolls out in Japan and around the world, it’s a question on the minds of experts and consumers alike. Aside from boosting the speed of business and accelerating the development of AI — two topics Rakuten has spent plenty of time and brainpower considering since launching the world’s first fully virtuali…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    Rakuten's Yasufumi Hirai was joined by Microsoft's Ann Johnson and Cisco's Anthony Grieco at Rakuten Optimism to discuss the new frontier in cybersecurity.
    October 22, 2021

    No passwords, no trust: The new frontier in cybersecurity

    October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the United States, and this year warnings about observing proper digital hygiene could not be more critical. This past year has seen massive cyberattacks against supply chains as well as businesses, schools and government facilities in the U.S. and elsewhere, resulting in a flurry of headlines and increasing public awareness around the importance of…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and Rakuten's Chairman & CEO Mickey Mikitani discuss how "Technology Superpowers are Driving the Digitalization of Everything."
    October 13, 2021

    A new kind of connectivity: Intel CEO on why Rakuten Mobile is a template for other operators

    The Rakuten Mobile network in Japan is a window into the future of connectivity according to Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel. The leader of one of the world’s largest chip companies — and a Rakuten Mobile technology partner — compared the “industry shaping” significance of Rakuten’s innovative mobile network to the advent of cloud environments 20 years ago. We’ve cracked it open, … we’re g…

    Read More »
  • Blog
    Rakuten Optimism 2021: "How 5G Will Empower the Future" featuring Qualcomm Incorporated CEO Cristiano Amon and Rakuten Group CEO Mickey Mikitani
    October 13, 2021

    Gazing into the 5G future – the view from the bridge

    CEOs of Rakuten Group and Qualcomm Incorporated discuss how advanced mobile connectivity will change the world. You ain’t seen nothing yet. So says Cristiano Amon, CEO of leading wireless technology company Qualcomm Incorporated, about the transformative potential of 5G and artificial intelligence. “All of a sudden, you have real-time data and contextual information from everything. We will see th…

    Read More »