When Rakuten launched the world’s first fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile network, the industry told us it couldn’t be done. As I reflect on the Rakuten Group Q1 2026 results, I see the validation of a vision that is fundamentally changing how telecommunications work. If there is one thing I want the market to take away, it is this: The era of the "legacy" telco model is ending, and the era of the intelligent, autonomous network has arrived.
For the first time since we entered the mobile network operator (MNO) business in 2019, Rakuten's Mobile Division is profitable. Achieving this while maintaining our disruptive pricing and scaling our infrastructure is no small feat. It is the result of what I call our "Ecosystem Premium”, where we are selling a lifestyle.
"We are building a future where connectivity is the heartbeat of a truly integrated digital ecosystem."
When a user engages with Rakuten Group’s ecosystem of digital, banking, e-commerce, and travel services alongside their mobile plan, the value they receive is exponential. Our churn rates for these multi-service users are effectively near-zero. We have stopped chasing the "short-term churner" and started building lifelong partnerships with our customers.
One of the most persistent myths in telecommunications is that multi-vendor environments are too complex to manage. At Rakuten Symphony, the narrative has shifted from"Is Open RAN possible?" to "How fast can we scale a multi-vendor ecosystem for operators around the world?"
Globally, multi-vendor RAN deployments currently account for less than 5% of the industry. For years, the legacy "single neck to choke" model has held the industry hostage. That era is coming to a close.
"The era of the "legacy" telco model is ending, and the era of the intelligent, autonomous network has arrived."
We are proving that operators don’t need vendor lock-in to achieve high performance. Rakuten Symphony deployments are 100% multi-vendor. We have successfully performed interoperability testing and deployment across 22 different hardware types, successfully mixing and matching baseband and radio units from a diverse ecosystem of partners.
Rakuten Symphony sees multi-vendor RAN as a massive opportunity for growth. We are partnering with our 70 active customers and 21 global partners and are actively dismantling the barriers that have historically kept operators trapped.
We are moving beyond industry skepticism toward a future where multi-vendor interoperability will be as seamless and standard as plugging in a Wi-Fi router. The market is waking up to this reality, and Rakuten Symphony is holding that door open.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, we are not slowing down.
For Rakuten Mobile, the next frontier is total autonomy. We have already achieved Level 4 automation in RAN power efficiency, and we are now applying those same rigorous standards to our core and transport networks. Our goal is a network that self-heals, self-optimizes, and operates with a level of intelligence that legacy infrastructure simply cannot replicate.
For Rakuten Symphony, we are leaning into the AI-RAN revolution. With our new object storage solutions and our expanded cloud-native portfolio, we are providing the foundation for the next generation of sovereign, on-premise AI.
"At Rakuten Mobile, our next frontier is total autonomy, and Rakuten Symphony, leaning into the AI-RAN revolution."
The path we are on is not the easiest one. It requires constant innovation and the courage to challenge the status quo. But as I look at our Q1 2026 performance, I am more convinced than ever that we are on the right side of history.
We are building a future where connectivity is the heartbeat of a truly integrated digital ecosystem.
