FutureNet Asia 2025: Top 5 highlights in AI, Open RAN, and Intelligent Growth

FutureNet Asia 2025 in Singapore was a momentous event for Rakuten Symphony. From winning industry recognition to driving forward-looking discussions with global operators, our presence at the show was all about forging connections, showcasing innovation, and presenting to the region’s operators how they can succeed with Intelligent Growth.

Throughout the show, we kept the focus on our technology and partnerships that deliver end-to-end AI-native solutions, from Open RAN to Cloud to OSS. These demonstrations illustrated how Rakuten Symphony is helping operators implement Intelligent Growth to deliver efficiency, profitability, and long-term competitiveness.

Award-Winning Innovation

One of the highlights came when our Rakuten Cloud-Native Orchestrator software won the “Orchestrator Award.” The solution allows customers to enable seamless scaling from edge to core, hyper-automation, day 1/2 life cycle management and one-click application onboarding.

Intelligent Conversations with Global Leaders

Our leadership team took center stage across a featured fireside chat and panel discussions, driving meaningful dialogue on the industry’s most pressing challenges:

• Sharad Sriwastawa, President of Rakuten Symphony, explored how operators can unlock new revenue streams by monetizing 5G and AI data during a fireside chat with Roy Chua of AvidThink.
• Vivek Murthy, President of the OSS Business Unit, joined Singtel, Axiata, and True Corp to explore what the “Future Telco in the AI Era” will look like. He also authored an insightful article, sharing his perspective on the future of telcos in the AI era.
• Sachin Verma, Chief Data & AI Officer at Rakuten Mobile, outlined how data-driven AI will shape the next decade, alongside leaders from BT, Dialog Axiata, ABI Research, and Comarch.

The Intelligent Growth Series

We brought our Intelligent Growth framework to life through a series of discussions hosted by Network Media Group. Together with executives from Singtel, Axiata, Telstra, Vodafone, StarHub, Telenor, and NTT Docomo, Rakuten Symphony leaders highlighted how telecom operators can align innovation with business fundamentals to achieve sustainable growth. These were great conversations, and we encourage you to check them out.

Driving Open RAN Innovation

A major announcement at the event underscored our commitment to network transformation: Rakuten Symphony and Grameenphone, a Telenor Group company, launched a pilot Open RAN deployment serving many of its 86 million customers throughout Bangladesh. The project includes CU/DU infrastructure, 4G/5G radio units, and OSS solutions, enabling Grameenphone to pioneer Open RAN in its market and drive new levels of network innovation.

FutureNet Asia 2025 showcased how Rakuten Symphony is not only advancing technology but also collaborating with operators to create next-generation networks that benefit from Intelligent Growth. Visit the microsite to learn more. Until next time, let’s keep advancing Intelligent Growth together.