Intel announced it will provide technology to Rakuten for a new cloud-native mobile network.
It will be fully virtualized from radio access network (RAN) to core and will adopt an innovative 5G systems architecture from its launch. The network is significant as it will offer end-to-end automation for both network and services. It is being built to serve millions of subscribers in Japan.
This architecture uses Intel Xeon processors and Intel FPGA-based accelerators that allow Rakuten greater agility and flexibility, and the ability to scale outside Japan and to offer services at a lower cost to consumers. The launch of commercial services planned for October will leverage an innovative architecture that is set to disrupt not only the telecom industry landscape in Japan but also across the rest of the world.
What Already has been Tested: Initial end-to-end real-world tests of the new fully-virtualized network were conducted on Feb. 3 in suburban Tokyo. A roving test successfully used the data network to conduct voice and video calls over the Rakuten Viber mobile messaging platform. A review of data and performance metrics from the test phase will ensure a robust launch of the network.
The Rakuten network uses a virtualized radio access network running on Intel Xeon processor-based servers from Quanta, support radio access technology from Altiostar and core network software from Cisco, providing a network that is fully virtualized from RAN to core.
Rakuten is also adopting multi-access edge computing (MEC) with Intel to extend its network, putting server-like devices closer to the network edge. Placement at the network edge means faster speeds and almost no latency in applications and rich media content. Rakuten is looking to deliver even more new communications and data-rich services with the network that will help its existing users of e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications.
Sandra Rivera, Intel SVP, Network Platforms Group
Rakuten, already a leader in e-commerce and fintech markets has now built a mobile network from the ground up that runs on Intel Xeon Scalable processors and uses Intel FPGAs for acceleration.
Tareq Amin, CTO, Rakuten Mobile Network
Intel powers the backbone of our network — the high-performance Intel Xeon processors across data centers, core network and radio access network. We believe this full end-to-end virtualized network will help us to shift away from reliance on dedicated hardware and legacy infrastructure.
