DTW Ignite 2025: Unpacking the shift towards Intelligent Growth

While AI remained the focal point of every conversation, this year’s DTW centered around discussions on Agentic AI, Autonomous Networks, and Digital Twins—three pillars driving the future of telecom and intelligent growth.

Today, telecom operators globally are focused on accelerating the development of Agentic AI through frameworks such as MCP and A2A, with data quality, accessibility, and human oversight being the major concerns. Another critical priority that has emerged is Autonomous Networks, with TM Forum and industry leaders like Google pushing toward AN Level 4+, despite ongoing fragmentation and cultural resistance.

Meanwhile, it's Digital Twins that are gaining traction as essential tools for network lifecycle management, with AI-powered implementations demonstrating significant gains in prediction, testing, and optimization through real-time modeling.

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Key takeaways from our presence at DTW Ignite 2025

Being a TechCo doing telecom, our theme for the event was Intelligent Growth – Building the Future TechCo. By embedding AI and automation into everything we do, our mission is to accelerate our customer’s TechCo transformation. We strive to empower them to rapidly scale services, modernize operations, and lead in a future that is data-driven, AI-powered, and autonomous.

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Let’s get started with the key highlights at the event:

• Rakuten leadership takes the center stage at DTW Ignite: Rakuten leaders delivered a bold, future-focused vision; AI-first, cloud-native, and built for scale. Ting Cai, Chief AI & Data Officer, Rakuten Group talked about moving from legacy automation to embracing Agentic AI. Shailesh Gupta, Director of Network Operations, Rakuten Mobile, presented a case study on Rakuten Mobile’s journey toward network autonomy. Vivek Murthy, President, OSS, Rakuten Symphony emphasized the power of combining human intelligence with AI to drive truly intelligent operations.
• Launch of the Rakuten Site Management 2.0: This year’s DTW also marked the launch of the Rakuten Site Management 2.0. It is an AI-powered platform that transforms and accelerates network rollouts, redefines legacy processes, and delivers predictability, automation, and efficiency in site lifecycle management. From network builds spanning cell sites, data centers and fiber rollouts, the platform helps to plan, build and manage network infrastructure at scale. It is cloud-native, open-source, and low-code, with proven results from both existing and new operators in live deployments.
• Announcement with AT&T in the US: When one of the world’s largest operators chooses your platform to power a nationwide transformation, you take a moment. We announced the extension of our multi-year collaboration with AT&T to accelerate its Network Simplification Transformation (NST) project and nationwide Open RAN rollout. As part of this partnership, AT&T will consolidate legacy systems into Rakuten Site Management, our AI-powered platform designed to streamline site planning, design, construction, and fiber expansion operations. With more than 10,000 users already onboarded and full legacy tool replacement completed in just 18 months, this collaboration proves what’s possible when vision meets execution.
• Live Demos in action: Powered by AI, we showcased our Next Gen OSS automation platform and real-world use cases, including:
  • Rakuten Site Management: Achieve competitive agility across industries with an AI-powered deployment suite, proven at scale, driving automation, efficiency, and transformation.
  • Rakuten Intelligent Operations: Transition from reactive to proactive intelligent operations with an AI-powered vendor-agnostic foundation suite that intelligently orchestrates multi-vendor, multi-technology, and multi-domain networks.
  • Rakuten AI for Telecom: Purpose-built AI that proactively drives value, empowering businesses with AI-driven insights, operational excellence, and seamless data management.

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• Intelligent Growth series with our customers and partners: In collaboration with NMG, we hosted eight executive leadership panel discussions as part of the Intelligent Growth series, joined by industry leaders from Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Colt Technology Services, Telenor, NTT Data, Intel, Jio, TELUS, Matrixx Software, and Aira Technologies. Watch all sessions from the Intelligent Growth Series on demand here.

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DTW Ignite 2025 puts spotlight on AI-Native TechCo

We spotlighted the shift to Agentic AI, Autonomous Networks, and Digital Twins and launched Rakuten Site Management 2.0 to power that transformation. From announcing our expanded partnership with AT&T, to showcasing real-world AI in action through live demos, to hosting global leaders in the Intelligent Growth series — this year’s event reflected our commitment to building the AI-native TechCo.

Thank you to our partners, customers, and all who joined us at the show. We look forward to seeing you next year!  

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