The Japanese government granted this spectrum band to Rakuten Mobile in October 2023
Japanese telco Rakuten Mobile announced that it will deploy base stations using mobile network radios developed by Nokia operating in the 700 MHz band, also known as the “platinum band”, the telco said in a release.
The carrier noted that this spectrum band was allocated by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in October 2023, adding that it expects to start operating base stations using this frequency band soon.
By using a next-generation Distributed Unit (DU) developed by Rakuten Mobile subsidiary Rakuten Symphony, the Japanese telco said it will be able to easily deploy the radio in its virtualized, Open RAN network. As a result, the newly deployed antenna compatible with 1.7 GHz band and 700 MHz band will be deployed alongside the existing 1.7 GHz radios, allowing the base stations to operate promptly via a software update.
The telco also highlighted that the “platinum band” has the unique ability to maintain a strong signal even in the presence of obstacles like buildings or when indoors. It added it aims to combine its allocated 700 MHz spectrum with its existing 4G and 5G frequency bands and roaming, as well as expanding the deployment of its platinum band starting with urban areas with a high volume of users and traffic.
In addition, Rakuten Symphony will collaborate with Nokia to provide the radios to Rakuten Symphony customers in select markets around the world.
“Rakuten Mobile is thrilled to partner with Nokia to deploy platinum band services across our nationwide network that will bring even higher-quality mobile service to our customers in Japan. We will continue striving to provide high-quality mobile services to our customers,” said Sharad Sriwastawa, Co-CEO of Rakuten Mobile.
“Utilizing the 700 MHz band will improve the user experience, especially indoors and our AirScale” portfolio can support network construction across any frequency band,” said Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks at Nokia.
Rakuten Mobile has reached over 6 million subscribers as of the end of December. The operator previously said it expected to reach 8-10 million mobile subscribers by the end of 2024.
Meanwhile, the telco’s network had 60,300 sites at the end of the third quarter of the year. The carrier ended Q3 with a 4G coverage of 98.8% of Japan’s territory.
Rakuten Mobile recently announced plans to start provide satellite-to-mobile service in Japan in 2026 in partnership with AST SpaceMobile.
Rakuten Mobile said that the actual timing of the initiation of any such service and the scope of such service is uncertain and is subject to a number of factors, including those that are outside of the control of Rakuten and AST SpaceMobile.
The companies aim to provide direct satellite-to-mobile services that can be used not only for text messaging but also for broadband communication such as voice and video calls on commercially available smartphones, the Japanese telco said.
