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Rakuten Mobile Tops 10 Million Contracts, Cementing Fourth-Carrier Status

Mikitani signals profitability remains distant due to heavy spending on infrastructure plus customer acquisition.

Overview

  • The company announced on December 25 that its mobile contracts surpassed 10 million, reaching the mark five years and eight months after its April 2020 market entry.
  • The milestone solidifies Rakuten Mobile's position as Japan's fourth carrier alongside NTT Docomo, KDDI and SoftBank.
  • Chairman Hiroshi Mikitani called the figure a passing point and emphasized the need to improve service quality and expand a network still weaker than the three majors.
  • Rakuten's mobile unit booked a ¥126.8 billion operating loss in the January–September 2025 period, with costs elevated by equipment investment and PR for customer acquisition.
  • Subscriber growth has been aided by low-priced plans, uptake by dual-device users and SMEs, and integration with Rakuten Points and e-commerce, even as rivals moved to higher pricing.