{"id":7039690,"date":"2026-08-16T19:12:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T19:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/5g-technology\/rakuten-confirms-kddi-roaming-will-be-reduced-as-own-network-expands\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T19:12:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T19:12:04","slug":"rakuten-confirms-kddi-roaming-will-be-reduced-as-own-network-expands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690","title":{"rendered":"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"penci-post-entry-inner\">\n<p>\t\t\t<i class=\"penci-post-countview-number-check\" style=\"display:none\">53<\/i><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From October, Rakuten Mobile will continue using KDDI\u2019s network in areas where it needs more time to build coverage, while roaming will be scaled back in areas where the telco already has sufficient coverage<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In sum \u2013 what to know:<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Roaming transition<\/strong> \u2013 Rakuten said roaming will continue from October where the telco still lacks coverage, while roaming will be scaled back where Rakuten already has coverage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rural talks<\/strong> \u2013 KDDI and Rakuten are still discussing whether roaming can continue for a limited period in certain sparsely populated rural areas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Network investment<\/strong> \u2013 Rakuten plans JPY200 billion in 2026 base-station investment, with JPY65.5 billion spent by the end of June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japanese carrier Rakuten Mobile is finalizing a new arrangement with compatriot operator KDDI to continue roaming beyond the expiration of their current agreement at the end of September 2026, with the scope of roaming expected to be reduced as Rakuten Mobile expands its own network.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From October, Rakuten executives said that the telco will continue using KDDI\u2019s network in areas where it needs more time to build coverage, while roaming will be scaled back in areas where Rakuten already has sufficient coverage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the telco\u2019s recent earning call, Rakuten Group chief operating officer Kentaro Hyakuno said the company\u2019s accelerated base-station rollout is not simply a response to the expiration of the roaming agreement with KDDI. The executive said that Rakuten had already planned to speed up network construction and is now proceeding at maximum pace, including bringing part of the construction process in-house to address Japan\u2019s severe labor shortage. The strategy will allow Rakuten to progressively reduce its reliance on KDDI roaming as its own network footprint expands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the earnings call, Rakuten Group\u2019s president and chief executive officer, Hiroshi Mikitani said negotiations with KDDI over roaming remain ongoing. He also said the companies\u2019 relationship had been important to Rakuten Mobile since the start of its mobile business, with KDDI supporting Rakuten\u2019s entry into the Japanese mobile market.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two carriers <a href=\"https:\/\/news.kddi.com\/kddi\/corporate\/english\/newsrelease\/2018\/11\/01\/3457.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed<\/a> the roaming agreement in 2018. KDDI has provided roaming access to its au network to support Rakuten Mobile, which <a href=\"https:\/\/rcrwireless.com\/20200930\/5g\/rakuten-mobile-launches-5g-services-in-parts-of-japan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">entered the market as Japan\u2019s fourth mobile carrier in 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KDDI president Hirokazu Matsuda recently said that KDDI plans to end the current roaming support arrangement at the end of September, while discussions continue over a possible time-limited continuation in certain sparsely populated rural areas. The exact areas that could remain covered have not been disclosed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rakuten is also increasing investment in its own network. The company has said it plans to spend JPY200 billion ($1.3 billion) on Rakuten Mobile base-station buildout in 2026, compared with JPY62.9 billion in 2025. Rakuten had spent JPY65.5 billion of the 2026 budget by the end of June, with investment directed toward base stations using its 700MHz, 1.7GHz, 3.7GHz and 28GHz spectrum bands.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>53 From October, Rakuten Mobile will continue using KDDI\u2019s network in areas where it needs more time to build coverage, while roaming will be scaled back in areas where the telco already has sufficient coverage In sum \u2013 what to know: Roaming transition \u2013 Rakuten said roaming will continue from October where the telco still [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7039691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12020],"tags":[19735,17090,77837,9809,11574,5981,23259],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7039690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5g-technology","tag-confirms","tag-expands","tag-kddi","tag-network","tag-rakuten","tag-reduced","tag-roaming"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"53 From October, Rakuten Mobile will continue using KDDI\u2019s network in areas where it needs more time to build coverage, while roaming will be scaled back in areas where the telco already has sufficient coverage In sum \u2013 what to know: Roaming transition \u2013 Rakuten said roaming will continue from October where the telco still [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-16T19:12:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-16T19:12:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690\"},\"wordCount\":479,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Confirms\",\"Expands\",\"KDDI\",\"Network\",\"Rakuten\",\"Reduced\",\"Roaming\"],\"articleSection\":[\"5G Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690\",\"name\":\"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-16T19:12:04+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands - Som2ny Network","og_description":"53 From October, Rakuten Mobile will continue using KDDI\u2019s network in areas where it needs more time to build coverage, while roaming will be scaled back in areas where the telco already has sufficient coverage In sum \u2013 what to know: Roaming transition \u2013 Rakuten said roaming will continue from October where the telco still [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2026-08-16T19:12:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands","datePublished":"2026-08-16T19:12:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690"},"wordCount":479,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg","keywords":["Confirms","Expands","KDDI","Network","Rakuten","Reduced","Roaming"],"articleSection":["5G Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690","name":"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-16T19:12:04+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rakuten_Mobile_Key-scaled-1024x683.jpg","width":1024,"height":683},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7039690#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rakuten confirms KDDI roaming will be reduced as own network expands"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7039690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7039690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7039690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7039691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7039690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7039690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7039690"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=7039690"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=7039690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}