Rakuten Mobile and Airspan Networks sign MoU to bring OpenRANGE vRAN solution to Rakuten Communications Platform Global Customers

Tokyo, March 17, 2021 – Rakuten Mobile, Inc., and Airspan Networks, Inc., today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to have Airspan offer on Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP) its complete vRAN hardware and software platform OpenRANGE, based on O-RAN specifications.

Under the agreement, Airspan will also aim to collaborate with Rakuten Mobile on RCP go-to-market (GTM) marketing strategies world-wide and jointly sell RCP with Airspan’s solutions to telco operators, enterprises and governments.

RCP combines the technology blueprint and expert playbook of the world’s first end-to-end cloud native mobile network of Rakuten Mobile and its world-class partners to offer telecom companies and enterprises a way to easily build and deploy fully cloud native network services at speed and low-cost.

RCP contains the elements of the Rakuten Mobile network, including telco applications and software from multiple vendors, OSS and BSS systems handling customer billing and activation systems, in addition to edge computing and virtual network management functions.

“We are excited to welcome Airspan as a member of the RCP family and leverage all that we have achieved on our journey together. Airspan’s unwavering commitment to innovation has made it possible for Rakuten Mobile to offer its customers a truly customizable network architecture,” said Tareq Amin, Chief Technology Officer at Rakuten Mobile.

“Airspan has always been a champion of RAN disaggregation whether it be from small cells to macro or software to hardware, we are steadfast in our commitment to innovate and are honored to be a part of something truly special with Rakuten Mobile,” said Eric Stonestrom, President and Chief Executive Officer of Airspan Networks.

Airspan and Rakuten Mobile intend to further jointly develop next generation communications and collaboration technologies to enable operators and end user customers to simplify, accelerate and expand their offerings, while generating new revenue streams.

About Airspan
Airspan is a US-based 5G end-to-end, Open RAN  hardware and software provider with a product portfolio spanning 150 patents granted and 94 patents pending. The company is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida and has global offices in London, Tel Aviv, Mumbai, and Tokyo. For more information, visit  www.airspan.com.

About Rakuten Mobile
Rakuten Mobile, Inc. is a Rakuten Group company responsible for mobile communications, including mobile network operator (MNO) and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) businesses, as well as ICT and energy. Through continuous innovation and the deployment of advanced technology, Rakuten Mobile aims to redefine expectations in the mobile communications industry in order to provide appealing and convenient services that respond to diverse customer needs.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "believe," "intend," "plan," "projection," "outlook" or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Airspan’s provision of products to run on RCP, collaboration between Airspan and Rakuten Mobile on go-to-market strategies. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements.