TOKYO, July 1, 2026 - Rakuten Symphony, Inc., today announced the appointment of Amit Bhardwaj as the new President of the Radio Access Network (RAN) Business Unit. Based in the United States, Bhardwaj will lead the company’s global RAN Business Unit, driving the continued evolution and deployment of cloud-native, Open RAN solutions for operators worldwide.
Bhardwaj joins Rakuten Symphony with 25 years of deep telecommunications industry expertise, including a distinguished 16-year tenure at Ericsson, where he held various leadership roles, followed by two years at Boost Mobile leading national Network Engineering for RAN and Device. His proven track record in network technology and his insight into next-gen mobile connectivity will be instrumental as Rakuten Symphony continues to scale its RAN portfolio to meet the growing demand for flexible, software-driven network architectures.
“We are excited to welcome Amit to the team as we accelerate our mission to transform the mobile industry,” said Sharad Sriwastawa, Representative Director and President of Rakuten Symphony. “Amit’s comprehensive experience in network infrastructure and his forward-thinking approach make him the ideal leader to guide our RAN Business Unit as we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with Open RAN and cloud-native technology.”
Bhardwaj succeeds Anil Sawkar, who has led the RAN Business Unit since its founding in 2021. To ensure a seamless transition and to continue leveraging his deep technical and strategic expertise, Sawkar will transition into an advisory role with the company.
“I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Anil for his significant contributions to Rakuten Symphony and to his impact in driving cutting-edge approaches in the mobile industry,” added Sriwastawa. “His leadership has been pivotal in shaping our RAN business, and we look forward to his continued support as senior advisor.”
Amit Bhardwaj is a global telecommunications executive with over 25 years of experience leading large-scale network transformation and innovation across operators and technology providers. As President of the RAN Business Unit at Rakuten Symphony, he is based in the United States and leads the company’s global RAN business, driving the evolution and scale of cloud-native Open RAN solutions to help operators build flexible, software-driven mobile networks.
Prior to joining Rakuten Symphony, Bhardwaj led National RAN and Device Engineering at Boost Mobile (formerly DISH Wireless). Before that, he spent 16 years at Ericsson in a series of senior technology and engineering leadership roles, delivering large-scale mobile network transformations for leading global operators. His expertise spans next-generation mobile networks, cloud-native architectures, and Open RAN, with a strong track record of translating technology innovation into business outcomes.
Bhardwaj holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Communication and an MBA from Management Development Institute.
About Rakuten Symphony
Rakuten Symphony is changing supply chain norms and disrupting outmoded thinking that threatens the industry’s pursuit of rapid innovation and growth. Based on proven modern infrastructure practices, its open interface platforms make it possible to launch and operate advanced services in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional approaches, with no compromise to network quality or security. Rakuten Symphony has operations in Japan, the United States, Singapore, India, South Korea, Europe and the Middle East Africa region.
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