Rakuten Mobile and

Rakuten Communications Platform New Initiatives

August 11, 2020

Agenda

• Rakuten Mobile – Journey of innovation

• Keeping our Promises
• Our Network is 5G Ready
• Going Global - RCP (Rakuten Communications Platform)

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Rakuten Mobile Journey of Innovation

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 World’s First
Fully Virtualized
New Generation Network

April 8, 2020
Full-Scale Launch
Rakuten Architecture is Designed around Open Networks
An open network delivers cost effective & vendor agnostic solutions

RAN HW&SW MEC OPERATIONS CORE

OpenRAN OPEN COTS-BASED AUTOMATION OpenCORE

ARCHITECTURE HW & SW MEC DESIGN & AI OPS INNOVATION
Cloud native, de-coupled, Standardized, open HW Optimal mix of edge and Pervasive automation and Innovation partnership
OpenRAN Architecture and SW frameworks central DCs & resources zero operations control w/ NEC to create OpenCORE

Edge Data Centers Centralized Data Centers

4G LTE
RCP AUTOMATOR
RCP AUTOMATOR
IP Transport

IP Transport
Fibre
Front Haul FIBER Mid Haul FIBER
vDU

vDU

vDU

vDU

CU-UP
CU-CP
Fiber

vEPC

vIMS
Fiber Network
5G mmWave Internet
RCP CLUSTER
RCP CLUSTER

SUB-6 RU

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Journey of Innovation since 2018
A highly stable, demand elastic and future-proof telco platform in only two years
Platform RAN Operations

Cloud Native 4G & 5G OpenRAN Automation & AI-

Telco Platform Platform Operation

Highly stable. demand elastic, Cloud native 5G radio Ops efficiency with RMOPs
cloud native telco Platform architecture deployed on RCP being improved everyday

Transport Cloud Services

Elastic Backbone COTS based CDC, RCS

8TB RDC & GCs Rakuten Link App

Single app for all communication

Highest flexibility and scaling COTS based MEC
needs deployed
with lowest latency Infrastructure deployed

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Three Layers of Redundancy Enables a Highly Stable Network
Seamless, reliable connectivity through virtual machines

3,000,000 PDN Sessions

Tokyo
SAEGW-C1

System level Redundancy

3,000,000 PDN Sessions
2,500,000 UE Session Capacity
MME 1 & 2 active SAEGW-C1
MME1 3,000,000 PDN Sessions
MME 3 & 4 standby SAEGW-C1
3,000,000 PDN Sessions
SAEGW-C1

2,500,000 UE Session Capacity UPF UPF

MME2 UPF UPF UPF UPF

Node level Redundancy

3,000,000 PDN Sessions
Osaka
SAEGW-C1
2,500,000 UE Session Capacity 3,000,000 PDN Sessions
SAEGW-C1

Geographic Redundancy
MME3 3,000,000 PDN Sessions
SAEGW-C1
3,000,000 PDN Sessions
MME 1 & 2 standby SAEGW-C5
MME 3 & 4 active
UPF UPF
2,500,000 UE Session Capacity
UPF UPF UPF UPF

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Security at the Core of Our Cloud Native Network

Fronthaul

1 Strong Identity using Certificates

MEC (GC)

2 Validated Secure Configuration

Backhaul

3 Segmentation of Network Services

DC (CDC)
4 Visibility of Network Activities

CNFs
5 Limited Access to Network Elements

6 Many Security Perimeters

Manage

Automation

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Keeping Our Promises
and Going Beyond

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Network Able to Serve Demand of Data Hungry Customers

Data Volume / Sub Video Performance RCS Calls Ratio

2 Million
0.5GB/Day 70%
Videos / Day
2X more compared to 50% of traffic is video and 2.5X more RCS calls
other operators streaming than VoLTE

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Elastic Cloud Network Architecture Delivers Stable Performance with Increasing Traffic

800000 Average Daily Active Subs & Data Volume 30.00

28.00
700000
26.00
600000
24.00
500000
22.00

400000 20.00

18.00
300000
16.00
200000
14.00
100000
12.00

0 10.00
week 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 July
Average active subscriber Average Downlink user throughput

99.7% 99.7% 99.8%

AVAILABILITY ACCESSIBILITY RETAINABILITY

*Availability, accessibility, and retainability are a day value measured on 26 July, 2020

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Opensignal Reports: “Rakuten’s Mobile Experience is All Set to Challenge Japan and the World”
Customer experience almost on par with established networks

World First E2E

Virtualized Network

Embrace OpenRAN
Base Station

Meets & Beats Customer

Experience KPIs Globally
“…when Rakuten users are using Rakuten’s network the
Download Speed Experience is much closer to users’
experience on the established networks. ”

*Source : Opensignal, June 2020, “Why Rakuten’s mobile experience is set to challenge Japan and the world”

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World’s Largest HETNET Open RAN Deployment
A diverse range of cell types enhances coverage experience

FI KR USA USA USA TW TW

Enterprise
Macro Macro Mini Macro Small cell Small Cell Femto
Small cell

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Simplified Site Deployment Reducing Cost and Build Out Time

Traditional Site Deployment Rakuten Simplified Site Deployment

Integrated RRH + Antenna

Power Board Rectifier & Battery

Power Board GC

DU
BBU

BBU Rectifier & Cable &

Cabinet RRU Antenna Rectifier & Battery AAU
Battery Jumper

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Accelerating Base Station Build-out Plan
Provide 70% population coverage by march 2021

Other sites on process

7,487
Sites with contract signed

Initial Plan 5,739

3,432 Base stations on-air
(March 2020)

(June 2020)

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Unique Modular Concrete Poles that are Simple and Cost Effective

Cost Effective Concrete Pole

Ease of
40% Installation
40% less cost compared to Deploy maximum no. of
building top macro poles nationwide

Complete Control Modular

Ease of
5G Ready
Access
To site maintenance Minimum required space

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Our Network is 5G Ready

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5G Products Developed with Industry Leaders including Qualcomm, Airspan and
NEC

5G NR (mmWave DRU) 5G NR (Sub-6 RU)

28 GHz, 128 x 128 Antenna Element, 51 dBm EiRP 3.8 GHz, 32 x 32 TRx, 70 dBm EiRP

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OpenRAN Software Deployed on RCP : Industry-first Containerization
Enabling highly scalable and reliable platform

Legacy custom-build ORAN compliant software

deployed as CNF (Cloud Network ORAN compliant software deployed as
hardware with proprietary
Function) on COTS hardware container on RCP platform
software implementation

Radio

LTE SW LTE SW LTE SW

Guest Guest Guest

OS OS OS
5G
SW
CPRI VM VM VM

Hyperviser RCP

Baseband
Host OS Operation System
Hardware &
LTE SW

Cell Site Data Center Data Center

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Both VMs and Containers can Help Get the Most Out of Available Computer
Hardware and Software Resources CONTAINERS

Virtual Machines Containers

• Heavyweight • Lightweight
•
•
Limited performance
Each VM runs in its own OS
WHATS •
•
Native performance
All containers share the host OS
•
•
Hardware-level virtualization
Startup time in minutes
the •
•
OS virtualization
Startup time in milliseconds
•
•
Allocates required memory
Fully isolated and hence more secure DIFF? •
•
Requires less memory space
Process-level isolation, possibly less secure

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Delivering Japanese Quality through Partnership with NEC
Joint development of containerized converged 4G & 5G core

Cloud Native Converged 5G Core (NEC) NEC Partnership for 5G Core

SMF/SPGW-C AMF/MME
(4G/5G Combo Node) (4G/5G Combo Node)

UPF SPGW-U • Partnership with NEC for 5G openCore

(4G/5G Combo NSSF NRF
Node) • Cloud native converged core capabilities
• Source code sharing and joint development
with Rakuten Mobile
Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP)
• Collaboration on developing and selling 4G & 5G
core to global markets

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Awarded Japanese Government Grant for Further 5G Research

Rakuten Mobile Initiatives Selected by METI and New Energy and Industrial Technology
Development Organization (NEDO) for “Research and Development Project for
Enhancement of the bases for post-5G information and communication systems”

OSS/MANO Open 5G RAN

enhancement enhancement

• E2E Slice Orchestration and • RAN network slicing

Operation • Performance optimization +
• Prediction and dynamic resource Support of new 3GPP features
allocation on multiple datacenter
• Near Realtime optimization

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Going Global with
Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP)

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RCP Marketplace Enhances Telcos’ Capabilities and Brings an “App-store-like”
Interface where Additional Services can be Easily Purchased

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Going Global with 5G: “Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP)”
A cost effective solution for 5G deployment
CAPEX Reduction of ~40% OPEX Reduction of ~30%

Rationale for
Traditional RCP % Change Traditional RCP % Change Rationale for Change
Change

Total
100 60 - 40% Total Opex 100 70 - 30%
Capex
• Fewer site equipment
Software 30 30 0% • N/A Rent & reducing footprint
40 30 - 25%
Electricity need and total power
• Fewer site consumption
Hardware 45 17.5 - 60% equipment due to
• Increased use of
virtualization and
Data Centers 5 10 100% edge locations for
Deployment 25 12.5 - 50% pooling of capacity
low latency use cases
/ resources
• Increased use of
Transmission 10 15 50% edge locations and
transmission
• Automation and
scale of
Ops Center 10 5 - 50%
centralization of
resources
• Fewer site equipment
Field
35 10 - 70% and automation in
Maintenance
maintenance

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International Expansion Ramps Up for Rakuten Communications Platform
United States

Singapore

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