Buckle up! It’s another Rakuten Symphony & Mobile media & analyst update. The latest briefing provided the now customary mixture of remarkable progress, boundless optimism and alternate perspective on what exactly transformation really means for the telecom industry. And that last point is important, because unless you’re prepared to entertain the idea of fundamental change in the industry, you’ll likely miss the real significance of what Tareq Amin (CEO for both Rakuten Symphony and Rakuten Mobile) is saying. Quarterly briefing calls are the place for metrics, and in Rakuten Mobile mode Tareq was happy to share highlights: 44,000 4G and 5G macro cells now deployed. 97% of population coverage, with 99% on the near horizon. 270,000 total cells across indoor and outdoor 4G and 5G locations. An open RAN comprising kit from seven vendors (Nokia, KMW, Airspan, Altiostar, Sercomm, NEC, Qualcomm) across urban, suburban and rural locations. A network rated independently as one of the best in the world. 3,500 staff now under Symphony (with 90% in R&D). Subscriber numbers en route to six million, rapidly converting from Rakuten’s MVNO to its own network. Image courtesy of Rakuten Symphony Impressive numbers already. But here’s where that alternate perspective starts to […]