Rakuten Mobile Announces GIGA School Program Support Plan Available for All Schools Nationwide

Tokyo, March 30, 2020 - Rakuten Mobile, Inc. today announced its GIGA School Program Support Plan, a plan to support schools across Japan, including public and private elementary, junior high and senior high schools^*1, in meeting the requirements of the GIGA School Program proposed by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

The GIGA School Program Support Plan is designed to allow schools that install a Rakuten Mobile base station on their grounds to utilize the base station’s broadband fiber connection essentially free of charge^*2 for the purpose of offering an in-school communication network.

Applications for the GIGA School Program Support Plan will be accepted from March 30, 2020^*3. As the first step in implementation of the plan, Rakuten Mobile has concluded an agreement in advance of the official opening of applications with Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture to promote development of in-school communication networks for Chiba City schools and to provide support in the future to create an advanced education environment leveraging 5G technologies. Rakuten Mobile is also in talks with other local governments and educational institutions, including Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, in order to expand implementation of the plan.

In December 2019, MEXT announced the GIGA School Program to prepare children for life in Society 5.0^*4 by supplying an educational device to every student and to establish high-speed, high-capacity communication networks in schools across the nation. The “GIGA” in the name of the program, is an abbreviation of “Global and Innovation Gateway for All,” and highlights the aim of establishing information and communications technology (ICT) educational environments that leave no child behind as they nurture creativity, optimized to the needs of each individual child.

Rakuten Mobile supports the GIGA School Program and made the decision to offer this plan based on discussions with MEXT. Through the GIGA School Program Support Plan, Rakuten Mobile believes it can assist in the development of high-speed communication networks in schools and in creating advanced education environments leveraging future 5G technologies. In addition, by installing Rakuten Mobile base stations in schools to support the provision of in-school communication networks, the plan will also contribute to the improvement of the communications environment for local residents and the availability of the network in times of natural disaster or other emergencies.

Rakuten Mobile will continue to work to promote ICT in education and to improve customer convenience through the development of social infrastructure.

*1 Applications for this plan are open to local governments and educational institutions overseeing public and private elementary, junior high schools, compulsory education schools, senior high schools, schools for special needs education and colleges of technology across Japan eligible for the GIGA School Program.

*2 Part of the base station broadband fiber connection will be used in the in-school communications network. Some schools may be unable to install a base station due to location and other factors.

*3 Details of how to apply will be sent to local governments and educational institutions in response to any queries received by the enquiry desk (rmi-biz-contact-01@mail.rakuten.com) from March 30, 2020.

*4 Society 5.0 is a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space. Society 5.0 was proposed in the 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan as Japan’s vision for future society. It follows the hunting and gathering society (Society 1.0), agricultural society (Society 2.0), industrial society (Society 3.0), and information society (Society 4.0).

*Reference: Cabinet Office, What is Society 5.0? https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/society5_0/index.html

• Title: GIGA School Program Support Plan
• Application period: March 30, 2020 to April 28, 2020
  *There is a possibility that the plan may be reopened for applications after the end of the initial application period.
• Eligibility: Local governments and educational institutions overseeing public and private elementary, junior high schools, compulsory education schools, senior high schools, schools for special needs education and colleges of technology across Japan, that are eligible for the GIGA School Program.
• Enquiries from local governments, school corporations, boards of education, and schools: rmi-biz-contact-01@mail.rakuten.com
  *An overview of the GIGA School Program Support Plan and an application form will be sent after receiving an inquiry.
• Plan overview: The GIGA School Program Support Plan is designed to allow schools that install a Rakuten Mobile base station on their grounds to utilize the base station’s broadband fiber connection essentially free of charge*2 for the purpose of offering an in-school communication network.
• Offer conditions: Support through this plan is conditional upon completion of a contract to install a Rakuten Mobile base station and installation of a base station on school grounds.