Tech & Innovation

  • BlogRakuten highlighted its software-first mindset with high-impact speaking sessions, meetings and events at Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona.
    March 17, 2023 5 min read

    Rakuten’s Mobile as a Software™ vision resonates at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023

    What does true telecom transformation look like on the industry’s biggest stage? How can Mobile as a Software™ usher in the next phase of mobile connectivity? Rakuten answered both questions, loud and clear, at this year’s Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona. From Feb 27–Mar 2, Rakuten highlighted its software-first mindset, which has already been proven at scale through Rakuten Mobile in Japa

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  • BlogRakuten has seen incredible growth in the fintech industry, combining digital technology with payment services, investing, banking and more.
    March 10, 2023 5 min read

    What’s behind Rakuten’s fintech success in Japan?

    Rakuten first made a name for itself with e-commerce — an industry that has grown alongside the very internet itself. Today, Rakuten offers some 70 different online and offline services in Japan, ranging from mobile coverage to drone deliveries. In recent years, Rakuten has seen incredible growth in one industry in particular: fintech. Rakuten’s fintech offerings combine digital technology w

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  • BlogRakuten Viber has a new feature that promises to make the app a more integral part of everyday life: Free, seamless payments from inside regular chats.
    March 7, 2023 4 min read

    Spotlight on super-app Rakuten Viber’s free in-chat payments in EU

    For close to a billion users around the globe, Rakuten Viber is a key tool for keeping in touch with friends and family. Last year, Rakuten Viber announced a new feature that promises to make the app an even more integral part of everyday life: Free, seamless payments from inside regular chats — as easy as sending a message. The new service is being rolled out in the EU, with plans to expand into

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  • BlogFrom high-tech mobile networks and drone deliveries to green innovation and AR racing, Rakuten lists down a few things to be optimistic about for 2023.
    February 22, 2023 5 min read

    A few things to be optimistic about: Rakuten in 2023

    It’s no secret that Rakuten is a company of optimists – it’s in the name, after all. From high-tech mobile networks and drone deliveries to green innovation and AR race cars, here are just a few things that we’re particularly optimistic about for this current year. Sustainability entrepreneurs assemble! Last year, Rakuten’s European businesses came together to launch a new

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  • BlogGoogle Cloud chief decision scientist Cassie Kozyrkov joined Ting Cai and Ewa Szymanska at Rakuten Technology Conference 2022, exploring the very fundamentals of AI and its modern applications.
    February 6, 2023 7 min read

    Democratizing AI: It’s anyone’s game

    “Humanity’s history is a story of toolmaking, and AI is a tool like any other. It’s not a replacement for people. What it is, is a very specific tool — a very powerful tool that, like the computer, will create a lot of opportunities.” Google Cloud chief decision scientist Cassie Kozyrkov is on a mission to democratize AI. At the recent Rakuten Technology Conference, she joi

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  • BlogCatch Rakuten at Mobile World Congress Barcelona, the world’s largest, most influential connectivity from February 27 – Mar 2, 2023.
    February 1, 2023 3 min read

    Join Rakuten at MWC 2023 Barcelona to experience “Mobile as a Software”

    Mobile World Congress (MWC) the world’s largest, most influential connectivity event, will return to Barcelona from February 27 – Mar 2, 2023, playing host to some of telecom’s most advanced technologies, impactful announcements and industry-shaping storylines for the year. Following a headline-making MWC 2022, Rakuten is aiming to make waves once again at MWC 2023, with a busy schedule of speakin

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  • BlogRakuten Mobile leveraged its 5G Standalone mobile network to host an immersive experience of the virtual reality play “Typeman."
    January 25, 2023 3 min read

    Rakuten Mobile’s 5G Standalone Mobile Network powers new VR theater

    On December 13, 2022, Rakuten Mobile leveraged its 5G Standalone (5G SA) mobile network to host an immersive, hands-on experience of the virtual reality (VR) play “Typeman” through the Rakuten Mobile Partner Program. CinemaLeap Inc. and WOWOW Inc. co-produced the theatrical experience to give participants a taste of the future potential of 5G-powered entertainment. Participants take part in the VR

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  • BlogIn November 2022, Rakuten unveiled Rakuten Drone Gateway, a new platform aimed at drone operators and businesses looking to leverage drone services.
    January 20, 2023 4 min read

    Pilots assemble! Rakuten Drone Gateway launches in Japan

    Japan’s drone economy is finally taking off! In November 2022, Rakuten unveiled Rakuten Drone Gateway, a new platform aimed at drone operators and businesses looking to leverage drone services. In addition to job matching, the platform looks to be a one-stop shop for everything one might need to get flying. The launch came at a similar time as the recent changes to Japan’s drone regula

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  • Blog“Tech & Green: The future is in motion” was the theme of the recent Rakuten Optimism conference, with sessions welcoming leaders from various industries.
    December 23, 2022 5 min read

    Energy, data centers and an opportunity for rebirth: Japan’s green leaders share their Optimism

    Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani shares the company’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality in 2023 on stage at Rakuten Optimism 2022. Tech & Green: The future is in motion was the theme of the recent Rakuten Optimism conference, which welcomed leaders and luminaries from a wide range of industries and areas of expertise to share visions of a brighter future. The conference featured

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