Rakuten Symphony and Lightstorm to Deliver Sovereign Network-as-a-Service Platform

March 3, 2026

Seamless integration of cloud and network automation through Rakuten Cloud solutions with Lightstorm’s Polarin Network-as-a-Service (NaaS).

Self-service, automated network operations empowering telecom and data center providers with faster revenue realization and enhanced customer experiences.

Global reach and regional focus across India, MEA, and APAC to serve data centers, telecom operators and sovereign cloud providers.

TOKYO and NEW DELHI, March 3, 2026 – Rakuten Symphony, Inc. and Lightstorm Telecom Connectivity Pvt Ltd (Lightstorm) today announced a strategic collaboration to bring integrated cloud and network automation solutions to enterprises, telecom operators and sovereign cloud providers. The partnership combines Lightstorm’s Polarin Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform with Rakuten Cloud-Native Platform and Rakuten Cloud-Native Orchestrator to simplify cloud deployments and accelerate digital transformation.

Polarin, Lightstorm’s NaaS fabric platform, enables telecom and data center operators to onboard customers, publish product catalogs, provision services, track performance metrics and manage billing, all from a single self-service portal. By joining forces with Rakuten Symphony, Polarin will also be made available through Rakuten Symphony channels, expanding access and adoption.

“With Polarin, our customers gain true self-service capabilities—from service provisioning to billing—which not only accelerates revenue realization but also enhances overall network management,” said Amajit Gupta, CEO and Managing Director of Lightstorm. “Now, by integrating with Rakuten Cloud solutions, this experience will extend to sovereign in-country deployments, ensuring compliance while delivering agility.”

Kubernetes®-based Rakuten Cloud solutions bring automation at scale, optimized for sovereign data centers, telecom operators and AI-driven workloads. Together with Polarin, the solution delivers Layer 2, Layer 3 and internet access as part of a unified, automated infrastructure.

“This collaboration provides enterprises and service providers with an end-to-end solution that integrates cloud and network automation, cutting deployment times from days to minutes,” said Sharad Sriwastawa, President of Rakuten Symphony. “By combining Polarin’s programmable network fabric with our orchestration and cloud-native capabilities, we’re empowering customers to deliver robust, compliant services from core to edge.”

The collaboration targets customers across MEA, India and APAC, with a focus on data centers, telecom network service providers and sovereign cloud operators. Organizations in these regions will benefit from faster service delivery, increased operational control and the ability to support both private AI-driven deployments and accelerate digital transformation.

About Lightstorm
Lightstorm is a pioneer in providing cutting-edge digital network infrastructure solutions across the Asia-Pacific region. Lightstorm cater to the dynamic needs of Hyperscalers, cloud-native companies, and large enterprises through our innovative network solutions. Our mission is to empower businesses with resilient, secure, and scalable connectivity, ensuring seamless integration and interoperability across various cloud and data centre environments.

About Rakuten Symphony
Rakuten Symphony is reimagining telecom, changing supply chain norms and disrupting outmoded thinking that threatens the industry’s pursuit of rapid innovation and growth. Based on proven modern infrastructure practices, its open interface platforms make it possible to launch and operate advanced services in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional approaches, with no compromise to network quality or security. Rakuten Symphony has operations in Japan, the United States, Singapore, India, South Korea, UK, Europe and the Middle East Africa region.

https://symphony.rakuten.com/newsroom/...etwork-as-a-service-platform
 

Signs at last that Japan’s Rakuten is starting to export not just its networking and cloud software but also the systems that would enable companies to emulate the Rakuten model of combining connectivity with multiple digital apps and services. Rakuten Symphony is working with Beeline Uzbekistan, Veon’s digital operator in Uzbekistan, to establish a “framework to explore collaboration focused on areas including network deployment, optimisation and development, and digital services, leveraging Rakuten’s software stack and platform expertise – proven at scale with over 100 million members in Japan and over 10 million subscribers to Rakuten Mobile.” The collaboration aims to support “the development of Uzbekistan’s fast-growing digital economy, including on Open RAN development, AI-powered network intelligence and next-generation digital platforms,” noted Symphony in this announcement. The vendor is already working with Kyivstar, another Veon Group operator, on the potential deployment of Open RAN technology in Ukraine.

Still with Rakuten Symphony… It has teamed up with New Delhi-based cloud connectivity specialist Lightstorm to offer integrated cloud and network automation solutions to enterprises, telecom operators and sovereign cloud providers. The partnership combines Lightstorm’s Polarin network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform with the vendor’s Rakuten Cloud-Native Platform and Rakuten Cloud-Native Orchestrator “to simplify cloud deployments and accelerate digital transformation,” noted Rakuten Symphony in this announcement.
 

Rakuten Bank BaaS Business: Offering Unique Value with JRE BANK

March 09, 2026

As Rakuten Bank steadily expands, its BaaS (Banking as a Service) business is attracting attention with a unique approach that thoroughly addresses customer needs. In particular, "JRE BANK," launched in collaboration with JR East and View Card, received 540,000 account opening applications in its first year since launch. We introduce the secrets to the success of this business, which combines 25 years of online banking expertise with the assets of partner companies to create "new value the world has never seen before."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htKCdE0UN_c
 

https://finance.yahoo.com/m/...e136c/at-t-is-plowing-250-billion.html
 

Rakuten Heralds New Future in Advertising with Unique Three-method Approach

March 10, 2026

In the evolving marketing industry, Rakuten stands out by combining three marketing approaches: "Attention marketing," which captivates audiences with rich information; "Relational marketing," which deepens customer relationships through Rakuten Points; and "AI marketing," which leverages cutting-edge AI. By effectively integrating these three methods and harnessing data and AI, Rakuten offers groundbreaking solutions to advertisers. Also, catch highlights of "Rakuten Ad & Marketing Day 2026," where industry trends and the latest case studies were shared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fbM9OdzQ3I
 

https://www.sec.rakuten.com.hk/en/promotion/sakura2026
 

Rakuten Symphony's Vivek Chadha on the company's commitment to openness. Plus a trail on AI and automation

11 March 2026

https://the-mobile-network.com/2026/03/...pushing-commitment-to-open/
 

Rakuten Travel to Launch “Rakuten Travel Super SALE” from March 4

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Rakuten Group will soon launch the “Rakuten Travel Super SALE” on its travel booking site “Rakuten Travel,” starting at 8:00 p.m. on March 4. The sale period will run until March 20.

In addition to offering discounted plans at accommodation facilities nationwide in Japan, Rakuten Travel will sell special plans and distribute coupons for domestic accommodation, domestic tours, rental cars, buses, and overseas tours.

By using coupons, hotels and other accommodations in Japan can be discounted by up to 20%, domestic tours by up to 30,000 yen, rental cars by up to 60%, highway buses by up to 1,000 yen, and activities/experiences by up to 30%. Some coupons can be combined.

A members-only early sale has been underway since 10:00 a.m. on March 1 for Rakuten Mobile subscribers and members at Bonus Level 1 or higher in the Rakuten Travel Bonus Program. With coupons and sale plans, discounts can reach up to 24%.

https://en.traicy.com/posts/2026030433386/
 

What the CEOs of AST SpaceMobile and Globalstar are saying about the satellite industry today
Abel Avellan: "We Are the First"

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) CEO Abel Avellan made the stakes clear:
"We are the only company capable of delivering 4G and 5G and in the future, 6G broadband speed sufficient for voice calls, voice over LTE, live video calls, streaming, and full Internet access directly to unmodified devices."

READ: The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks
Avellan backs the claim with specifics. BlueBird 6 is described as "the largest ever commercial communication array deploying load at orbit" at roughly 2,400 square feet. The Block 2 satellites are roughly 3.5 times larger and 10 times the capacity of BlueBird 1 through 5.

The numbers behind the ambition are real. Q4 2025 revenue hit $54.30 million, beating estimates by 28.56% and growing 2,731% year over year. Full-year 2025 revenue came in at $70.92 million, and 2026 guidance calls for $150 million to $200 million. President Scott Wisniewski added the longer view: "We see the opportunity in 2027 approaching $1 billion in annual revenue."

On manufacturing, Avellan was candid about scale: "Simply put, we are the first company in the history of commercial satellite manufacturing to produce satellites of our size and power at scale." Production capacity exiting 2025 supports up to six satellites worth of micron and phased array per month.

The target: 45 to 60 satellites in orbit by end of 2026, with launches every one to two months. The stock has gained about 200% over the past year, though it has pulled back roughly 14% over the past month as the market digests the capital intensity of this build.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...le-globalstar-saying-121617472.html

 

How Much Did Cabify Raise? Funding & Key Investors

March 14, 2025

https://www.clay.com/dossier/cabify-funding
 

Last updated: March, 2026

https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/...e-hailing-market
 

Rakuten Advertising Unveils Innovation Labs to Accelerate AI Innovation in Affiliate Marketing

New AI hub in Rakuten Advertising’s Insights & Analytics portal launches with AI Recommendations for advertisers and publishers

SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rakuten Advertising, the leading global affiliate marketing network, today announced the launch of Innovation Labs — a product collaboration hub dedicated to accelerating the development and application of AI to generate greater ad spend efficiency to target and engage customers across Rakuten Advertising’s world-leading affiliate publisher network. Now available in Rakuten Advertising’s Insights & Analytics portal, Innovation Labs provides advertisers and publishers with a space to explore and collaborate on future-forward AI capabilities for advancing their businesses.

“Innovation Labs is the culmination of years of work growing our Affiliate Intelligence suite of AI-powered tools, bringing together data, AI, premium partnerships, and expert strategies,” said Nick Stamos, CEO at Rakuten Advertising. “This initiative is a critical step in how Rakuten Advertising contributes to the broader Rakuten Group’s ‘Triple 20’ commitment to using AI to drive 20% greater efficiency for our employees, our internal teams, and most importantly, our clients. Innovation Labs will shorten the build–measure–learn cycle of AI transformation, helping us fast-track future investment in capabilities that improve outcomes for our advertisers and publisher partners.”
At launch, Innovation Labs brings advertisers and publishers new AI Recommendations.

For Advertisers: AI Recommendations will holistically analyze multidimensional advertiser attributes to determine new types of publishers. This involves analyzing profiles, products, and other characteristics to identify publishers with demonstrated success in similar campaigns, and also identifying new categories of publishers that will maximize growth.

For Publishers: AI-driven Product Recommendations reduces research time and enhances monetization for publishers by instantly identifying emerging trends from partnered and non-partnered advertisers, then curating them for a targeted audience and narrowing options with brand and category filters.

Rakuten Advertising’s Data Science team will conduct rolling experiments within Innovation Labs, guided by client and partner feedback, leading to an always-on research and development space where new features will be added and updated on a regular basis.

“Innovation Labs delivers on our promise to continually innovate our products in a way that benefits every participant in the affiliate marketing universe, from brands, to publishers, and ultimately, consumers,” said Adam Rostan, Chief Product Officer. “This will be a space where advertisers and publishers can experiment, collaborate, and scale new use cases with AI to deliver greater efficiency for everyone and accelerate the industry’s growth.”

About Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Advertising delivers performance-driven, brand-driven, and people-driven ad solutions that help the world’s top brands connect with unique, highly engaged audiences – from first impression to final sale. Backed by industry-leading technology, global media properties, and the largest, high-quality partner network, Rakuten Advertising taps into data and experience to develop the strategies and ad experiences that will drive engagement, sales, loyalty, and beyond.

A leader in the industry since its beginnings, Rakuten Advertising is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world’s leading internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and North America. Learn more at RakutenAdvertising.com.

https://rakutenadvertising.com/media-and-press/...ffiliate-marketing/

 

Key Open RAN Revenue Projections for 2026:

Market Share: Open RAN is expected to account for 15% of the total RAN market by 2026.

Revenue Growth: Projections for the global Open RAN market in 2026 range from $3.6 billion to over $20 billion, depending on the scope of the report (e.g., specific radio unit revenue vs. total market ecosystem).

Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR): The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 25.95% to 30%, with total revenues potentially reaching up to $45.87 billion by 2034.

https://www.google.com/...IHBTItMi4xyAcVgAgA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
 

Rakuten fixes issues twice as fast with Codex

March 11, 2026

https://openai.com/index/rakuten/
 

Rakuten: Coding agents accelerate developers’ incident response

12th March 2026

Rakuten has demonstrated how developers can accelerate their incident response workflows and cut recovery times by integrating coding agents.

As a global company spanning e-commerce, fintech, and mobile communications, Rakuten’s engineering team builds across a complex product ecosystem requiring both speed and reliability. Yusuke Kaji, General Manager of AI for Business at Rakuten, has spent the past year pushing agentic workflows into how teams plan, build, and validate software.

Rakuten’s platform engineers use tools like OpenAI’s Codex to work faster without compromising security. Across the technology sector, integrating automation into incident management drives better resilience and higher ROI.

The company’s engineers integrated Codex across operations and software delivery. This integration compressed incident response and secured an approximate 50 percent reduction in mean time to recovery (MTTR).

https://www.developer-tech.com/news/...-developers-incident-response/
 

Rakuten SAIKYO U-NEXT DealGet Points Back Now!

Campaign Period : March 1, 2026 – TBD

https://rmobile-referral.com/en/  

From silicon to services: What MWC confirmed about telecom’s future

March 5, 2026

https://symphony.rakuten.com/...t-mwc-confirmed-about-telecoms-future
 

I believe, Rakuten should sell 11 million of its 31 million AST-shares and buy back from this amount of about $ 1 billion shares  of Rakuten.  

Open RAN Leaders: Rakuten, 1&1 on the Future of Open and Automated Architecture

March 11, 2026

Global telecom industry leaders Sharad Sriwastawa, co-CEO of Rakuten Mobile and President, Rakuten Symphony, Michael Martin, CEO of 1&1 and Head of GSMA Intelligence Peter Jarich came together during MWC Barcelona at the Rakuten booth for an insightful discussion around Open RAN, it's initial promise, the current trajectory and future possiblities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4tcZkv4IcE
 

Rakuten Bank Surpasses 18 Million Customer Accounts

Tokyo, March 13, 2026 - Rakuten Bank, Ltd. today announced that it has surpassed 18 million customer accounts as of March 12, 2026.

Since it started as a digital bank in 2001, Rakuten Bank has strived to provide swift and convenient services to individual, corporate and sole proprietor business customers. The number of Rakuten Bank accounts has now surpassed 18 million, less than one year since hitting 17 million accounts in May 2025. Rakuten Bank customers proactively use multiple services after opening their accounts, such as bank transfers and using their accounts to receive salaries and bonuses. As a result, usage of Rakuten Bank as customers' main account is steadily increasing.

Beginning February 2026, Rakuten Mobile subscribers who hold a Rakuten Bank account will be eligible for a maximum interest rate of 0.64% per annum (0.509% per annum after tax), more than double the standard interest rate*8, positioning it as a highly competitive offering in the market. Thanks to strong reception from customers for these convenient and affordable services, the number of deposit accounts has now surpassed 18 million.

https://www.marketscreener.com/news/...omer-accounts-ce7e5fd2de8bf522
 

For this amount Rakuten can buy back more than 200 million own shares - that are about 10% of the outstanding shares.  

DITO Telecommunity and Rakuten Viber Bring Real Connections to Life at the Wonderful Moments Music Festival — Introducing Free Viber Dating Premium for Level Up 129 Subscribers

March 13, 2026

DITO Telecommunity, the Official Network Sponsor of iME Philippines’ Wonderful Moments Music Festival, kicked off Valentine’s weekend with a partnership that goes beyond fast data — one that actively helps young Filipinos, particularly single Gen Z women, find genuine, meaningful connections in a safe digital space. Alongside Rakuten Viber, DITO transformed the two-day festival into a celebration of both music and modern romance, proving that the best connections start online but come alive offline.

https://manilastandard.net/spotlight/314715156/...29-subscribers.html
 

Rakuten TV doubles down on ad-supported streaming in Europe

March 9, 2026

In a market defined by subscription fatigue and advertising reinvention, Rakuten TV is betting that FAST is not simply an add-on to streaming but one of its defining next chapters.

“The appetite is huge, and it’s growing,” Cedric Dufour, CEO of Rakuten TV tells Streaming Media. “We are seeing a real shift in consumer behaviour and in advertising budgets. The momentum behind FAST is not just cyclical; it’s structural.”

“Developments in the US had signalled that premium content could thrive in a free, ad-supported environment,” Dufour explains. “We realised there was room for free content with ads as a new way of delivering content. So we invested heavily in AVOD and FAST.”

The platform now distributes approximately 500 FAST channels across Europe, including around 120 owned-and-operated channels reaching more than 150 million households. Individual markets typically carry about 100 channels, balancing Rakuten-owned IP with third-party offerings such as CNN and a range of sports, news and lifestyle brands.

Recent internal research shows that 70% of TV viewers watch FAST channels at least once per week. Among those viewers, a significant share — particularly younger demos— no longer consume traditional linear television.

“If advertisers want to reach younger audiences, CTV is essential,” Dufour says. “If they stay only on traditional TV, they will not reach this population.”

That said, Dufour believes CTV is additive to linear. “They will coexist,” he says. “There is space for both, just as streaming did not eliminate cinema.”

Operating across 42 territories gives Rakuten TV a substantial comparative data set. Japanese manga performs particularly well in France and Germany, for example, but less strongly in other markets. In Poland, the platform operates a dedicated local-language movie channel to address domestic demand.

“Local content is very important,” Dufour says. “It must sit alongside global content.”

Partnerships with smart TV manufacturers including Samsung TV+, LG Channels, Hisense VIDAA, TCL Channels, Xiaomi TV+, Free and Netgem have secured branded remote-control buttons, home-screen placements and EPG integrations.

For now, Rakuten TV remains focused on Europe, but the US market is under consideration. “It is very saturated,” Dufour acknowledges. “We are having discussions around distributing selected channels, potentially leveraging Spanish-language or movie-focused offerings.

“Beyond that, opportunities in the Middle East and parts of Asia are being evaluated, subject to rights agreements. In VOD, scale is everything. If you do not reach scale, content costs are too high.”

https://www.streamingmediaglobal.com/Articles/...n-Europe-173799.aspx
 

Die Rakuten Bank überschreitet die Marke von 18 Millionen Einlagenkonten.

Die Rakuten Bank, Ltd. (nachfolgend „Rakuten Bank“ genannt) gab bekannt, dass die Zahl der Einlagenkonten am Donnerstag, dem 12. März 2026, 18 Millionen überschritten hat (Anmerkung 1).

Seit ihrer Gründung als Digitalbank im Jahr 2001 hat die Rakuten Bank sich zum Ziel gesetzt, Privatkunden, Unternehmen und Einzelunternehmern mithilfe des Internets bequeme und kostengünstige Dienstleistungen schnell und unkompliziert anzubieten. Wir freuen uns, bekanntgeben zu können, dass die Anzahl der Einlagenkonten mittlerweile 18 Millionen überschritten hat.

https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/news/press/2026/0313_01.html  

Announcing the Top 30 Best IT Companies in Vietnam 2026: When Performance and AI Redefine the New Standards
11/03/2026
Top 15 Small & Medium Enterprises (Under 300 Employees)
        1.§NAVER VIETNAM
        2.     YOONG          §
        3.§Topicus Vietnam
        4.§GFT Technologies Vietnam
        5.§Scandinavian Software Park
        6.§MTI TECHNOLOGY
        7.Optimizely          §
        8.§Creative Force
        9.§RAKSUL Vietnam
       10.§Allgrowlabo Co.,Ltd.
       11.§Synergie Global, LLC
       12.    LARION          §
       13.§Parcel Perform
       14.§Rakuten Fintech Vietnam Co., Ltd
       15.§DEVBLOCK VIETNAM