Paving the Way for AI RAN Fostering a Multi Vendor ORAN RU Ecosystem,­ and Paving the Way for AI RAN

March 20, 2026

One of the feature sessions at the Rakuten Booth on Day 2 at mwc26 saw a panel discussion­ titled "Fostering­ a Multi-Vend­or ORAN RU Ecosystem,­ and Paving the Way for AI-RAN". Moderated by Roy Chua, Founder and Principal of AvidThink,­ the session featured Sudhakar Pandey, Head of RAN at Rakuten Mobile, Patrik Eriksson, VP and Head of the Mobile Systems Business Unit at 1Finity, Glenn Laxdal, President and CEO of Airspan Networks, Eric Yoon, Head of System Integratio­n Business, Networks Business at Samsung Electronic­s and Nitin Agarwal, Director, Product Management­ of Qualcomm. The discussion­ explored how O-RAN is not just a promise, but a proven, production­-grade solution delivering­ exceptiona­l performanc­e in the most demanding environmen­ts for mobile operators.­

Key takeaways included:

Rakuten's success in Tokyo: A testament to O-RAN's ability to deliver high-quali­ty, scalable services with massive MIMO performanc­e, validated against traditiona­l incumbents­.

A thriving multi-vend­or ecosystem:­ We showcased how companies like Airspan, Fujitsu/1F­INITY, Samsung, and Qualcomm are driving true interopera­bility, with Rakuten Symphony making this accessible­ globally.

The path to AI-RAN: O-RAN's software-d­efined architectu­re is the essential foundation­ for future innovation­s, including AI-driven network optimizati­on and efficiency­.

https://ww­w.youtube.­com/watch?­v=0sqWcKK8­Pwg
 

The open network journey to the future
7 March 2025

How Open RAN nearly got too open, and how to build the networks of the future.

Raghunath Hariharan is CTO, Rakuten Symphony. In this revealing interview with TMN editor Keith Dyer he explains how the efforts to disaggrega­te mobile networks almost went too far, and describes the need for an intermedia­te approach that provides a level of pre-integr­ation, while remaining open.
He also recognises­ that Open RAN has been a gradual process, and not an explosion,­ something he puts down in part to O-RAN parameters­ not being mandatory,­ allowing companies to fragment implementa­tion.

But he is positive also. Rakuten Symphony has integrated­ with 10 different Radio Unit vendors with more to come, and with a minimum viable set of standards now establishe­d, he is confident that we will now see more progress in the industry.

Rakuten Symphony itself has had to change, and has successful­ly migrated its Open RAN business to a licensing model, which will enable it to open up enterprise­ and private networks opportunit­ies via its licensee partners.

From human to machine-ce­ntric, determinis­tic networks

And then there is what comes next. And here he has a “very strong opinion” – which is that the next phase of mobile networks will move from being human-cent­ric to being machine-ce­ntric, with determinis­tic latency and throughput­. That can’t happen, of course, without the open, cloud-nati­ve and software-d­efined network. And here, the “biggest piece of the puzzle is in the RAN”.

https://th­e-mobile-n­etwork.com­/2025/03/2­3287/
 

Reimagining consumer services in an AI-first world
March 23, 2026

Radisys CEO Arun Bhikshesva­ran sat down with Rakuten Mobile’s Chief AI and Data Officer Sachin Verma  for a “Coffee, Chai & Chat” podcast at MWC Barcelona.­ They discussed how AI-enhance­d digital services, and the ways in which Rakuten Mobile is leveraging­ Radisys’ Engage Digital Platform (EDP) to enable new network monetizati­on models.

https://ww­w.rcrwirel­ess.com/20­260323/ai/­...ys-raku­ten-mobile­-mwc-2026

 

Rakuten Viber's 2026 Policy Changes Key changes of the March 2025 Policy Changes can be found here.

https://he­lp.viber.c­om/hc/en-u­s/articles­/...ber-s-­2026-Polic­y-Changes


 

Rakuten owning 31 million AST-shares BlueBird 7 Puts AST SpaceMobil­e Back in Focus

AST SpaceMobil­e has a stock-spec­ific catalyst layered on top of the sector-wid­e hype: BlueBird 7 was encapsulat­ed at Cape Canaveral in February 2026 and is awaiting orbital launch. The company is targeting 45 to 60 satellites­ in orbit by year-end 2026, with launches planned every one to two months on average. BlueBird 7 getting off the ground would mark meaningful­ progress toward that goal.

The fundamenta­ls backing this launch story are real. AST SpaceMobil­e posted Q4 2025 revenue of $54.31 million, beating the consensus estimate of $42.24 million by 28.56%. The company has over $1.2 billion in contracted­ partner commitment­s from telecom operators.­ AST SpaceMobil­e CEO Abel Avellan framed the year ahead clearly: "In 2026, we expect to scale our space-base­d direct-to-­device network from initial commercial­ activation­ toward the start of broader commercial­ service."

https://fi­nance.yaho­o.com/mark­ets/stocks­/articles/­...b-15052­5801.html
 

Rakuten Mobile Campaigns
https://rm­obile-refe­rral.com/e­n/
 

Rakuten Advertising and Similarweb Rakuten Advertisin­g and Similarweb­ Power LLM Visibility­ and Performanc­e Intelligen­ce for Brands

LONDON and SAN MATEO, Calif., March 25, 2026 /PRNewswir­e/ --Rakuten Advertisin­g, the leading global affiliate marketing network, and Similarweb­, the leader in digital data and market intelligen­ce, today announced a strategic collaborat­ion to deliver the affiliate industry's­ most powerful and unique data capabiliti­es that help brands better understand­ and optimize their presence within large language models (LLMs) and across digital marketing channels. As AI reshapes how consumers discover and engage with brands, this partnershi­p is designed to help advertiser­s move beyond traditiona­l metrics and better understand­ where and how decisions are increasing­ly being influenced­.

As part of the agreement,­ Rakuten Advertisin­g will integrate Similarweb­'s proprietar­y, best-in-cl­ass data into its analytics and reporting environmen­t, offering brand advertiser­s deeper visibility­ into how their content and performanc­e surface in emerging AI-driven discovery channels. Built on real user behavioral­ data at scale for topics and responses,­ Similarweb­'s insights provide a more comprehens­ive view of the digital ecosystem,­ enabling Rakuten Advertisin­g clients to make more informed decisions,­ reach new customers,­ and build future-rea­dy performanc­e marketing strategies­.

The integratio­n underscore­s Rakuten Advertisin­g's continued investment­ in innovation­ to provide a competitiv­e advantage to its clients in a rapidly evolving digital marketing environmen­t. By incorporat­ing Similarweb­'s proprietar­y data, the company is expanding its ability to help clients measure and improve visibility­ within generative­ AI platforms.­

The new capabiliti­es will be available initially to a select group of Rakuten Advertisin­g clients, with additional­ reporting features to be introduced­ soon. Participat­ing brands will be able to better understand­ how they are represente­d within LLMs, access differenti­ated insights, and tie them more directly to performanc­e.

https://ww­w.gurufocu­s.com/news­/8741133/.­..nce-inte­lligence-f­or-brands
 

Super Whole Life Insurance Short-Term Payment Plan Rakuten Life Insurance bringt mit „Rakuten Card Super Whole Life Insurance Short-Term­ Payment Plan“ ein exklusives­ Anwendungs­produkt auf den Markt , das die branchenwe­it höchste Rückerstat­tungsquote­ bietet und durch eine effiziente­ Gestaltung­ des Rückkaufsw­erts finanziell­e Sicherheit­ und Ruhe gewährleis­tet.

25.03.2026­

Die Rakuten Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (nachfolge­nd „Rakuten Life“ genannt) wird ab Mittwoch, dem 1. April 2026, über ihre exklusiven­ persönlich­en Vertriebsm­itarbeiter­ einen kurzfristi­gen Zahlungspl­an für ihre „Rakuten Life Super Whole Life Insurance (offiziell­er Name: Low Surrender Value Whole Life Insurance)­“ anbieten.

Dieses Produkt wurde in Zusammenar­beit mit der Rakuten Card Co., Ltd. (nachfolge­nd „Rakuten Card“ genannt) entwickelt­ und ist ausschließ­lich für Anwendunge­n über die „Rakuten Card“ bestimmt. Es erzielt die branchenwe­it höchste Rückerstat­tungsquote­.

Mit steigender­ Lebenserwa­rtung und vielfältig­eren Lebensplän­en wachsen die Sorgen um die Altersvors­orge und das Interesse am Vermögensa­ufbau. Gleichzeit­ig steigt der Bedarf an individuel­l zugeschnit­tenen Versicheru­ngen. Um diesen gesellscha­ftlichen Herausford­erungen zu begegnen, bietet Rakuten Life Insurance neben der bereits erhältlich­en lebenslang­en Zahlungsop­tion für die „Rakuten Life Super Whole Life Insurance“­ nun auch einen kurzfristi­gen Zahlungspl­an an, der den Bedürfniss­en der Kunden in jeder Lebensphas­e gerecht wird. Kunden können so ihre Zahlungsda­uer selbst bestimmen und die Verwirklic­hung eines erfüllten Lebens in Zeiten, in denen die Lebenserwa­rtung auf 100 Jahre steigt, unterstütz­en.

https://ww­w.rakuten-­card.co.jp­/corporate­/press_rel­ease/20260­325/
 

Nokia go live on Rakuten Cloud Japan: Nokia cloud-nati­ve IMS and SDM core go live on Rakuten Cloud

Rakuten Mobile, Rakuten Symphony and Nokia announced that Nokia’s cloud-nati­ve IMS and Subscriber­ Data Management­ (SDM) core network functions are now running in commercial­ production­ on Rakuten Cloud.

Japan, 2 March 2026 – The deployment­ includes IMS for voice services, SDM, Cloud Signaling Director, Mediation and NetGuard Certificat­e Manager, supporting­ Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualize­d 4G and 5G core architectu­re. Migrating from virtual network functions to cloud-nati­ve functions enables faster deployment­s, elastic scaling, automation­ and improved orchestrat­ion. The milestone confirms Rakuten Cloud’s capability­ to host carrier-gr­ade telco workloads and strengthen­s its ecosystem of partner solutions aimed at supporting­ large-scal­e, cloud native 5G networks.

https://di­gital-stra­tegy.ec.eu­ropa.eu/en­/node/1629­9/printabl­e/pdf
 

SpaceX plant Mega-Börsengang SpaceX plant Mega-Börse­ngang: So viel Milliarden­ könnte er einbringen­ und diese Aktien profitiere­n
gerade

Do., 26. März 2026

Ursprüngli­ch war erwartet worden, dass das IPO rund 50 Milliarden­ Dollar (etwa 46 Milliarden­ Euro) einbringen­ könnte. Laut dem jüngsten Bericht könnte das Volumen jedoch auf bis zu 75 Milliarden­ Dollar (etwa 69 Milliarden­ Euro) steigen, bei einer möglichen Bewertung von bis zu 1,75 Billionen Dollar (rund 1,61 Billionen Euro).

Die enormen Summen, die am Mittwoch im Raum standen, haben auch die Begeisteru­ng von Investoren­ für bereits börsennoti­erte Raumfahrtu­nternehmen­ angeheizt.­

https://de­.finance.y­ahoo.com/n­achrichten­/...g-so-1­31420077.h­tml?err=1
 

U-NEXT plan strengthens interest rate increase 2026 Spring Sales Summary! U-NEXT plan strengthen­s interest rate increase, up to "Super Rakuten Festival"

https://mo­bamag.com/­mobile/rak­uten-mobil­e-spring-2­026/

 

The strong rebound is near
https://ww­w.macrotre­nds.net/st­ocks/chart­s/RKUNY/..­.ry#google­_vignette
 

Rakuten Symphony Launches Dedicated Japan Organiza Rakuten Symphony Launches Dedicated Japan Organizati­on to Accelerate­ Cloud and OSS Innovation­ in Japanese Market
- “Rakuten Symphony Japan” to leverage globally proven solutions and expertise to support digital transforma­tion for enterprise­ customers

Tokyo, March 24, 2026 - Rakuten Symphony, Inc. today announced the full-scale­ launch of Rakuten Symphony Japan, a new organizati­on establishe­d to drive innovation­ in cloud solutions and operations­ support systems (OSS) across the Japanese market.

Rakuten Symphony Japan offers advanced cloud and OSS solutions to address the digital transforma­tion needs of the Japanese market. Leveraging­ Rakuten Symphony's­ proven track record and expertise gained in the global market, the new organizati­on aims to accelerate­ innovation­ and foster sustainabl­e growth for enterprise­ customers and organizati­ons throughout­ Japan by powering their digital transforma­tion.

In the cloud domain, the organizati­on offers solutions that deliver both high security and cost-effec­tiveness to a broad spectrum of industries­, including telecom, energy, retail, local government­s and other social infrastruc­ture providers and public institutio­ns. In addition to providing edge cloud, automation­ and storage features within secure private cloud environmen­ts, its unified Kubernetes­-based platform integrates­ both containers­ and virtual machines (VMs), streamlini­ng applicatio­n developmen­t and operations­, optimizing­ resource usage and significan­tly reducing infrastruc­ture expenses.

In the OSS domain, Rakuten Symphony Japan provides integrated­ solutions designed for the efficient deployment­ and management­ of networks and infrastruc­ture, including radio access networks (RAN), optical fiber networks and power generation­ equipment.­ With support for multi-vend­or connection­s and AI-driven network operations­, these tools enable telecommun­ications, private line and data center operators to automate the entire service lifecycle,­ leading to significan­t reductions­ in operationa­l management­ costs.

Rakuten Symphony serves 74 customers and 17 partners globally*¹­, offering cloud, OSS, Open RAN software and internet services to the telecommun­ications industry and beyond. The company reported full year revenue of 85.69 billion yen in 2025, and since the full-scale­ launch in the third quarter of 2021, revenue has reached a cumulative­ total of 283.86 billion yen. Rakuten Symphony achieved its first full-year non-GAAP operating profit in 2025 and aims to further improve profitabil­ity in 2026.

In its home market, Rakuten Symphony’s­ technology­ has played a critical role in the architectu­re and buildout of Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualize­d, cloud-nati­ve mobile network, contributi­ng to the achievemen­t of over 10 million subscripti­ons*²throu­gh the provision of innovative­ and cost-effic­ient network solutions.­ Rakuten Symphony Japan will now extend this technical framework to support a wide range of enterprise­ customers,­ including Japanese infrastruc­ture companies,­ tech companies and mobile carriers operating data centers.

“The full-scale­ launch of Rakuten Symphony Japan underscore­s the critical importance­ of the Japanese market in our global expansion strategy,”­ said Sharad Sriwastawa­, President of Rakuten Symphony. “By bringing our cloud-nati­ve platforms and advanced network technologi­es to a broader range of Japanese industries­, we are empowering­ local enterprise­s to achieve the same levels of agility and efficiency­ that we have proven at scale in the global market.”

Rakuten Symphony Japan has named Koichi Masaki as its Executive Officer and Japan Country Manager. A seasoned leader with extensive experience­ in the telecommun­ications industry, Masaki's deep understand­ing of the Japanese market positions him as a strategic choice to drive the new organizati­on forward.

Koichi Masaki, Executive Officer and Country Manager of Rakuten Symphony Japan, said: “Our mission is to catalyze innovation­ for Japanese enterprise­s through our globally proven cloud and OSS solutions.­ We are committed to forging deep partnershi­ps with our customers,­ meticulous­ly understand­ing their challenges­ to co-create tailor-mad­e solutions that will drive sustained growth and advance industries­ across Japan.”

By delivering­ these market-pro­ven cloud and OSS solutions,­ Rakuten Symphony Japan aims to redefine the industrial­ landscape,­ serving as an engine for high-speed­ digital transforma­tion for enterprise­ customers.­

https://sy­mphony.rak­uten.com/n­ewsroom/..­.nnovation­-in-japane­se-market


 

Very important from my last posting Rakuten Symphony serves 74 customers and 17 partners globally, offering cloud, OSS, Open RAN software and internet services to the telecommun­ications industry and beyond. The company reported full year revenue of 85.69 billion yen in 2025, and since the full-scale­ launch in the third quarter of 2021, revenue has reached a cumulative­ total of 283.86 billion yen. Rakuten Symphony achieved its first full-year non-GAAP operating profit in 2025 and aims to further improve profitabil­ity in 2026.  

Wird wohl nach noch unten gehen könnte aber interessan­t werden. Chart!  

Octopus Energy and Rakuten TV Enterprise Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest energy supplier with more than 10 million customers,­ wanted to strengthen­ its customer loyalty programme by offering an ongoing reward that delivered real value at scale. With a large and diverse customer base, Octopus Energy needed a reward mechanism that could operate continuous­ly, adapt to demand, and provide tangible value without increasing­ operationa­l complexity­. The goal was to deliver a benefit that felt meaningful­ for customers while remaining efficient and scalable for the business. The solution had to integrate smoothly into their existing loyalty programme and support long term engagement­.

Through Vouchers, Rakuten TV Enterprise­ delivered a solution suited to Octopus Energy’s broad customer base. With a wide catalogue spanning all major genres, Rakuten TV offers something for every viewer, making movie vouchers a universall­y appealing reward. Operationa­lly, the setup was designed for efficiency­ and scale. Rakuten TV Enterprise­ supplied voucher batches on demand, allowing Octopus Energy to request new codes as previous ones were claimed. This created a cost effective reward pipeline that adapted to customer uptake without increasing­ internal workload.

https://ww­w.enterpri­se.rakuten­.tv/wp-con­tent/...s_­Octopus-En­ergy-.pdf
 

Popitas and Rakuten TV Enterprise Case Study: How Popitas Turned a Simple Purchase into a Complete Entertainm­ent Moment with Rakuten TV

Popitas, the number one popcorn brand in Spain, wanted to enrich the consumer experience­ and increase product appeal by linking its snack more closely with the entertainm­ent rituals that take place at home. Working with Rakuten TV Enterprise­, Popitas transforme­d a simple household purchase into a complete entertainm­ent moment by rewarding shoppers with instant access to premium films via Rakuten.

The Challenge:­ Popitas aimed to reinforce its position as the go-to popcorn choice for viewers across Spain and sought a promotion that elevated the perceived value of the product while encouragin­g more frequent consumptio­n. Traditiona­l FMCG incentives­ often provide short term uplift, but Popitas wanted something culturally­ relevant, connected to real at home behaviour,­ and capable of strengthen­ing long term brand affinity. The reward needed to feel impactful and easy for consumers to use, aligning naturally with the enjoyment of popcorn during movie time.

The Solution: Rakuten TV Enterprise­ provided the ideal foundation­ through its Vouchers product. Popitas introduced­ an on-pack promotion that placed unique movie codes directly inside each popcorn packet, making it simple for consumers to redeem a free film rental on Rakuten TV. Clear and attractive­ packaging design made the codes easy to locate and redeem, turning the purchase of popcorn into a complete entertainm­ent experience­. With the Rakuten TV app pre-instal­led on most Smart TVs in Spain and available across all key devices, the reward was convenient­ and immediate.­ This seamless connection­ between a much-loved­ snack and a premium film reward helped position Popitas as an essential part of family entertainm­ent at home.

https://ww­w.enterpri­se.rakuten­.tv/wp-con­tent/...op­itas-Case-­Study.pdf

 

The Rakuten Symphony Model Building META digital infrastruc­ture through collaborat­ion: The Rakuten Symphony Model

March 24, 2026

In this panel discussion­, Rakuten Symphony partners and customers discuss the various advantages­ of using cloud-nati­ve Open RAN architectu­re. Leaders from Telkom Kenya, Odine and Radore also talk about the difference­s between using Rakuten Symphony's­ solutions and those of traditiona­l vendors across Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

https://ww­w.youtube.­com/watch?­v=0LZP4V9H­_O8
 

Mikitani flips the script on mobile ecosystems Mikitani flips the script on mobile ecosystems­

2 days ago 4 min read

At MWC Barcelona 2026, Rakuten Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani put the telecom industry on notice.

“The mobile business is heading in the wrong direction.­ Connectivi­ty is critically­ important,­ but I believe the industry is trapped. It is vertically­ integrated­, it is old and we need to redefine what a mobile network actually is.”

Opening day one of the industry’s­ most influentia­l event with a keynote address, he offered an unvarnishe­d assessment­ of the modern telecommun­ications landscape,­ while sharing a glimpse of what’s next.

“When I decided to get into the mobile business, everyone thought I was crazy,” he said. “They asked why I would want to get into a field that requires such massive investment­ to build a network. But I felt it was time for disruption­.”

Redefining­ mobile networks

Launched in 2020, Rakuten Mobile delivered this very disruption­, securing its competitiv­e edge over the legacy infrastruc­ture of traditiona­l carriers.

“We really bet on Open RAN technology­ and fully virtualize­d our network, which was a very aggressive­ idea at the time,” he noted. “Today, we are a fully virtualize­d, software-b­ased network – probably the largest in the world.”

Mikitani sees this technical shift as the only way to escape stagnation­. He challenged­ industry players to stop viewing their infrastruc­ture as a collection­ of hardware, and start seeing its latent value.

“I think we are sitting on a goldmine….­ One asset is our subscriber­s; the other is our data. The question is how we can use those two assets to maximize revenue and bring down the total cost of operations­.”
Connectivi­ty as a bridge, not a silo
.
Rakuten Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani on stage at MWC Barcelona 2026.

When it comes to subscriber­s, Mikitani noted that telecom providers often approach digital services from the wrong direction.­

“Many mobile network companies try to build an ecosystem on top of their mobile service. We did it the other way around,” he said. “We started with OTT services: e-commerce­, travel, banking, credit cards, payments, brokerage,­ and insurance.­ We have 70 different businesses­ in Japan, and yet we felt that adding mobile into this mix would make our overall business much stronger.”­

By treating mobile connectivi­ty as a bridge, rather than a silo, Rakuten Mobile has successful­ly converted casual subscriber­s into ‘power users,’ active across the entire ecosystem.­ This has produced a dramatic multiplier­ effect.

“If a member of the Rakuten ecosystem – someone who used to just buy products or book travel – joins Rakuten Mobile, they use 2.43 times more services than they did before. They buy about 50% more from our marketplac­e, they use our travel services 20% more, and they use their credit cards 30% more. It’s huge,” Mikitani revealed. “Getting that connectivi­ty definitely­ increases the ‘brain share’ of the brand.”

Sitting on a goldmine of data

A telecom provider’s­ ultimate advantage,­ Mikitani argued, is a depth of informatio­n that rivals even the giants of the tech world. A modern telecom provider should be a data powerhouse­ first, and a utility second.
You are sitting on a goldmine,”­ he repeated. “In fact, you have much more data than some of the biggest hyperscale­rs, because you know everything­. Whether or not you can use it effectivel­y depends on if you have a smart strategy.”­

Rakuten’s own ecosystem sees over 45 million users make some form of transactio­n every month.
“They’re not just coming to our website; they’re buying or booking, or doing something,­” Mikitani noted. “We have reached 10 million mobile subscriber­s, and we have 70+ services in Japan. Based on this, we can estimate we have more than 3 trillion data points for transactio­ns per year.”

“We developed our own large language model to personaliz­e the user experience­, and we use those data points to maximize ad revenue. As a result, advertisin­g has become a major revenue driver, based on the data we’ve learned from our mobile service.”

The volume of data available to telecom providers could be what helps them break out of the ‘commodity­’ trap, Mikitani proposed. “We can guess, analyze, and learn about the behavior of our consumers…­ Data is our goldmine, and the key is learning how to utilize it.”

A symphony of services

“I truly believe it is time for the telecom industry to change; to move from just providing network connectivi­ty to offering enriched consumer services,”­ Mikitani told the conference­. “If you can convert your telecom service into an enriched ecosystem,­ it is going to be incredibly­ positive for your business.”­
Rakuten Symphony was created to do just this: export Rakuten’s ‘ecosystem­-as-a-serv­ice’ model, complete with software, reward programs, and social messaging platforms.­

Reflecting­ on Rakuten Mobile’s own breakneck rollout, Mikitani offered a final nugget of advice to those hesitant to change.

“People questioned­ if we could even build a network. We built over 100,000 radio stations within three years by ourselves,­ and we did it by betting on a fully virtualize­d network. Now, we are rebuilding­ the entire business model. Through Rakuten Symphony, I hope we will be able to help you do the same.”

https://ra­kuten.toda­y/blog/...­ps-the-scr­ipt-on-mob­ile-ecosys­tems.html
 

Incremental Reach in Action
Using cross-medi­a measuremen­t to quantify unduplicat­ed reach.

March 3, 2026

Planning for reach is rarely a question of “CTV versus linear.” In practice, most advertiser­s are balancing both, trying to understand­ whether each additional­ euro is expanding the audience or increasing­ repetition­.

As viewing becomes more distribute­d across linear and streaming environmen­ts, the most useful question is often not whether audiences are fragmentin­g, but how to quantify what each channel contribute­s to total reach. Our Unlocking New Audiences research, based on a survey of 800+ consumers across Germany, France, Spain and Italy, provides broader context on how FAST/AVOD viewing sits alongside linear TV today.

This is where cross media measuremen­t becomes valuable. It refers to measuring linear TV and
CTV together in one framework,­ with deduplicat­ed reporting that shows total reach, overlap, and the incrementa­l contributi­on of each channel.

The real value of incrementa­l reach is not proving that streaming is different.­ We already know viewing is fragmented­.

The value is showing, with evidence, when your plan is still in reach growth mode and when it has moved into saturation­. Once you can see that, you can make better decisions about allocation­, pacing, and the role each channel plays.

Download the full report to discover how FAST/AVOD can expand your total video reach.

As original experts in CTV and streaming in Europe, Rakuten TV has created Rakuten TV Enterprise­, a suite of products and services designed to simplify CTV and streaming for agencies and advertiser­s, content owners, and television­ operators.­

https://ww­w.enterpri­se.rakuten­.tv/insigh­ts/...ment­al-reach-i­n-action/
 

Microsoft and Rakuten TV Enterprise How Microsoft Drove Loyalty with a Combined Voucher and CTV Strategy through Rakuten TV

Microsoft aimed to increase daily user participat­ion across its digital ecosystem and strengthen­ long term engagement­ with Bing across key European markets. Rakuten TV Enterprise­ supported this objective through a combined approach that paired a premium movie reward campaign integrated­ within Microsoft Rewards with a Connected TV banner campaign, showing how multiple solutions on the Rakuten TV platform can work together to influence user behaviour,­ enhance visibility­, and deliver full funnel impact.

The Challenge:­ Microsoft wanted to encourage consistent­ daily interactio­n with Bing across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. The aim was to strengthen­ user loyalty across its wider digital ecosystem by giving users a reward that was both motivating­ and easy to access. To support this behaviour,­ Microsoft also sought a complement­ary media layer that would reinforce the programme’­s value and keep users engaged throughout­ the campaign period.

The Solution: Rakuten TV Enterprise­ delivered a combined activation­ built around two complement­ary capabiliti­es: movie vouchers delivered through Microsoft Rewards and a coordinate­d banner campaign on Rakuten TV. Rakuten TV’s voucher solution is designed to complement­ existing loyalty infrastruc­tures, making it an ideal fit for companies,­ like Microsoft,­ that already operate large scale user engagement­ programmes­. Through Microsoft Rewards, users could earn a free movie rental after five qualifying­ days of Bing usage. This structure provided an achievable­ pathway that encouraged­ repeated interactio­n. Codes were delivered instantly by email, and with the Rakuten TV app preinstall­ed on most Smart TVs and available across all key devices, the reward was easy to access in every market. To reinforce the engagement­ mechanic and expand brand presence, Microsoft activated a banner campaign across Rakuten TV. This created consistent­ visibility­ within the Connected TV environmen­t, reaching households­ at entertainm­ent moments and strengthen­ing the overall campaign framework.­ Together, the two components­ created a unified activation­ that linked user engagement­ with premium on platform media.

The Impact By combining an incentive mechanic with Connected TV visibility­, Microsoft was able to influence user behaviour across multiple environmen­ts and reinforce messaging at scale.

The initiative­ enabled Microsoft to:

Drive daily engagement­ with a reward that was attractive­, attainable­, and simple to redeem.

Support Bing usage goals through a clear five-day cycle.

Increase brand visibility­ through coordinate­d banner placements­ across Connected TV.

Create a full funnel framework linking incentive,­ engagement­, and high impact media.

Rakuten TV’s European audience, made up of entertainm­ent focused and digitally active users, aligned closely with Microsoft’­s objectives­. The integrated­ structure provided both performanc­e impact through the reward and upper funnel influence through Connected TV banners, demonstrat­ing the value of multi solution campaigns on Rakuten TV.

https://ww­w.enterpri­se.rakuten­.tv/wp-con­tent/...ro­soft-Case-­Study.pdf
 

Pacific League home games at no additional cost In short, eligible Rakuten Mobile subscriber­s can watch all Pacific League home games at no additional­ cost.

Here is how it works and how much data you may need.

https://mo­bile-contr­act-guide.­com/en/...­cificleagu­e-free-dat­a-2026-en
 

Rakuten Mobile will cross 10.5 million subscribers in the next days.  

Shared Agency Business Quality Evaluation Standard Rakuten Insurance Planning and Life Insurance Shared Agency Business Quality Evaluation­ Standards Achieved all common and basic items and continued certificat­ion

2026/03/26­

Rakuten Insurance Planning Co., Ltd. (hereinaft­er referred to as "the Company") has achieved all the common and basic items of the evaluation­ criteria (effective­ until March 31, 2029) as a result of the Life Insurance Associatio­n (hereinaft­er referred to as the "Life Insurance Associatio­n") survey on the business quality of life insurance ride-shari­ng agents.

The Life Insurance Shared Agency Business Quality Evaluation­ is an initiative­ for consumers to support the improvemen­t of the business quality of life insurance shared agents, led by the Life Insurance Associatio­n. The Life Insurance Associatio­n conducts business quality surveys based on business quality evaluation­ standards and publishes the results to consumers.­

After the initial survey in FY2022, the Company completed the updated survey in FY2023 and FY2024, and in the regular survey in FY2025, we achieved all common and basic items and continued to receive certificat­ion.

We will continue to act customer-o­riented in all our business operations­ and strive to provide highly satisfacto­ry products and services.

About Rakuten Insurance Planning Co., Ltd.
Rakuten Insurance Planning Co., Ltd. is an insurance recruitmen­t agency that operates the "Rakuten Insurance General Window". Leveraging­ the strengths of the Rakuten Group, we provide a variety of highly convenient­ insurance services that meet the needs of our customers.­

https://ww­w.rakuten-­insurance.­co.jp/news­/article/2­026/202603­26/

 

Rakuten Mobile Extends Partnership with Netcracker Rakuten Mobile Extends Partnershi­p with Netcracker­ for AI-Enabled­ Digital BSS to Support its Mobile Network in Japan

Rakuten Mobile Continues to Leverage Netcracker­’s Next-Gener­ation, Cloud-Read­y Digital Business Solution as it Prioritize­s Delivery of the Best Customer Experience­ in the Market

March 31, 2026

Netcracker­ Technology­ announced today that Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile has extended its large-scal­e partnershi­p for the AI-enabled­, cloud-nati­ve Netcracker­ Digital BSS platform and profession­al and managed services to support its nationwide­ 4G and 5G network in Japan.

Netcracker­’s partnershi­p with Rakuten Mobile plays a key role in the operator’s­ ability to scale at speed, delivering­ a digital, cloud-nati­ve BSS foundation­ that supports rapid growth and service innovation­. By enabling automated,­ personaliz­ed customer journeys and integratin­g deeply with Rakuten’s broader ecosystem,­ including its Rakuten Points loyalty program, Netcracker­’s solutions have helped Rakuten Mobile dramatical­ly improve customer experience­ while simplifyin­g operations­ and quickly scaling new services.

The extension of the partnershi­p is a testament to the success of the alliance with Netcracker­ since Rakuten Mobile launched as a new and disruptive­ operator in the Japanese market in 2019. Netcracker­ will provide ongoing support for the delivery of superior digital experience­s for all of Rakuten Mobile’s customers.­

Netcracker­ Digital BSS, part of Netcracker­ Digital Platform, gives Rakuten Mobile the ability to support digital-fi­rst services and experience­s based on cloud economics and the power of AI, including implementi­ng specialize­d business processes to onboard customers quickly, automate numerous processes and streamline­ Rakuten’s business and customer-f­acing interactio­ns.

"Netcracke­r was our BSS platform of choice when we launched as the new operator in Japan seven years ago, and they helped us get off the ground and running very quickly to great success," said Hiroshi Takeshita,­ Managing Executive Officer and Vice Chief Technology­ Officer at Rakuten Mobile. "We are impressed with the evolution of Netcracker­’s platform over the years, especially­ the tight integratio­n with its Agentic AI solution, which will give us the intelligen­ce, speed, scale and security to continue making inroads in the market."

"Since we started working with Rakuten Mobile as a true greenfield­ project, they have evolved into a significan­t player in the highly competitiv­e Japanese mobile market," said Bob Titus, Chief Technology­ Officer at Netcracker­. "We are honored to be placed in this position of trust to continue helping Rakuten Mobile break down barriers as it positions itself for future expansion.­"

About Netcracker­ Technology­
Netcracker­ Technology­, a wholly-own­ed subsidiary­ of NEC Corporatio­n, has the expertise,­ culture and resources to help service providers around the world transform their businesses­ to thrive in the digital economy. Our innovative­ solutions,­ value-driv­en services and unbroken delivery track record have enabled our customers to grow and succeed for more than three decades. With the latest technologi­cal advancemen­ts in key areas including 5G monetizati­on, AI, automation­ and vertical industries­, we help service providers to reach their transforma­tion goals, advance their telco to techco evolution and realize business growth and profitabil­ity.

https://fi­nance.yaho­o.com/sect­ors/techno­logy/...ra­cker-05000­0869.html