Rakuten Mobile and Tokyo Institute of Technology Sign Basic Agreement to Collaborate on 5G Networks

Tokyo, April 16, 2021 - Rakuten Mobile, Inc. and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) today announced the completion of a basic agreement to jointly collaborate on 5G networks. Rakuten Mobile and Tokyo Tech will begin work towards trials utilizing 5G networks, as well as collaborate with the Super Smart Society Promotion Consortium established by Tokyo Tech, with the aim of driving innovation to realize a super smart society, also known as Society 5.0.

Rakuten Mobile will build an end-to-end fully virtualized 5G network on the Ookayama Campus of Tokyo Tech and the surrounding area. Over the next four years until March 2025, Rakuten Mobile and Tokyo Tech will carry out trials leveraging sub-6 and mmW 5G NR (New Radio) that will aim to support the development of the surrounding area, to address local community needs and to build a model case of a “Super Smart Town.”

Tokyo Tech’s Super Smart Town concept leverages the high speed and low latency potential of 5G to create new services such as smart navigation, smart shopping and smart mobility, with the aim of realizing a better way of living and revitalizing the local community. 

Tokyo Tech established the “Super Smart Society Promotion Consortium” in 2018 to promote the realization of a super smart society. Through the consortium, Tokyo Tech is collaborating with participating organizations to create a next generation social research and education platform that integrates functions from human resource development to R&D. Rakuten Mobile has been a member of the consortium since November 2020.

Rakuten Mobile and Tokyo Tech will work together to promote the adoption of 5G and technologies to contribute to the local community by leveraging the high speed, low latency and multi-connectivity characteristics of 5G.

About Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Tech stands at the forefront of research and higher education as the leading university for science and technology in Japan. Tokyo Tech researchers excel in fields ranging from materials science to biology, computer science, and physics. Founded in 1881, Tokyo Tech hosts over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students per year, who develop into scientific leaders and some of the most sought-after engineers in industry. Embodying the Japanese philosophy of “monotsukuri,” meaning “technical ingenuity and innovation,” the Tokyo Tech community strives to contribute to society through high-impact research.
https://www.titech.ac.jp/english/

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.