Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony Deploy Intelligent AI-powered RIC Platform in Rakuten’s 4G and 5G Open RAN Network in Japan, Setting the Stage for Sustainable Mobile Connectivity

Tokyo, May 28, 2025 – Rakuten Mobile, Japan’s newest and most modern mobile network, and Rakuten Symphony, a subsidiary of global technology leader Rakuten Group, today announced the deployment of an in-house developed RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) platform in Rakuten’s 4G and 5G Open RAN mobile network in Japan. 

The deployment, one of the world’s first nationwide RIC platforms in commercial use in an Open RAN mobile network, is expected to enable up to 20% reduction in network energy consumption and marks a significant step towards more sustainable and intelligent mobile networks of the future.

This pioneering deployment is the culmination of a Rakuten project initiated in 2023 with the aim of developing an Open RAN multi-vendor interoperability platform to reduce mobile network operational costs and improve mobile subscriber user experience. The deployment also validates the potential of RIC transforming traditional RAN into intelligent networks and offers mobile operators a path to new revenue streams through network programmability and increased vendor and developer diversity.

Prioritizing sustainability to achieve 20% power consumption efficiency
Mobile networks traditionally consume a significant amount of energy, with the Radio Access Network (RAN) accounting for around 80% of total power consumption, largely due to the demands of handling ever-increasing user traffic. To address this, Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony prioritized sustainability by developing a RIC platform that will be able to reduce network power consumption on its 4G and 5G Open RAN network by 15% to 20% in the future. Rakuten Mobile in-house developed rApps, powered by machine learning algorithm, analyze subscriber traffic patterns, predict demand and dynamically adjust base station utilization for optimal network efficiency.

Sharad Sriwastawa, Co-CEO of Rakuten Mobile, and President of Rakuten Symphony, commented, "From day one, Rakuten Mobile has been committed to building, deploying and operating an automated, cloud-native, intelligent and open network powered by software. This RIC deployment is a major milestone in our journey to build a fully automated, sustainable and intelligent mobile network. By leveraging AI and Open RAN, we are not only reducing our environmental footprint but also creating a more agile and cost-effective infrastructure that will enable us to deliver innovative services to our customers.”

Rakuten Mobile's success in reducing its energy consumption footprint is also a result of its participation in key research and development projects with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan, focusing on the development of advanced Open RAN technology for the Beyond 5G era^*1, and edge cloud capabilities for next-generation communications^*2.

Rakuten Mobile is also proactively developing specifications for energy-efficient base stations and optimized energy consumption as co-chair of the Sustainability Focus Group within the O-RAN ALLIANCE, a worldwide community promoting the development of Open RAN specifications^*3.

Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony remain committed to driving innovation in network technology, with a focus on improving energy efficiency, reducing operational expenses and fostering environmental sustainability through reduced CO₂ emissions.

 Notes
*1 A portion of the results of this research and development was obtained from NICT's commissioned research (JPJ012368C06501). Related Press Release: Rakuten Mobile to Begin R&D on RIC Necessary for Open RAN Advancement Toward Beyond 5G - https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/news/press/2023/0228_01/ (*page in Japanese)
*2 A portion of the results of this research and development was obtained through a NICT grant program (JPJ012368G50901).
Related Press Release: Rakuten Mobile Launches R&D into Advanced Edge Cloud Technology, with Funding Awarded by NICT - https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2023/1117_01/
*3 The "Sustainability Focus Group" was established by the O-RAN ALLIANCE in May 2023 and is a working group promoting sustainable network operations.

* Product names and service names published in this press release are generally trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Trademarks such as TM and ® may be omitted when trademarks are listed in this press release.