New Delhi, September 23, 2020.

Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services and solutions, and Rakuten Mobile, Inc., a Rakuten Group company responsible for mobile communications, today announced that the two companies have reached an agreement in which Tech Mahindra has been appointed as a preferred partner for global go-to-market opportunities for the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP).

Rakuten Mobile and Tech Mahindra aim to drive innovation by transforming network services and enhancing customer experience globally. Based on the agreement, as a preferred partner, Tech Mahindra will provide its leading technologies and software capabilities to support the development and deployment of mobile networks for global customers of RCP. Through the agreement, Tech Mahindra will also provide managed IT, security and network services to Rakuten Mobile, and there are also plans to designate Tech Mahindra as an official reseller of RCP.

Mickey Mikitani, Chairman, President and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. said, “With groundbreaking technology and the launch of our world-first fully virtualized mobile network in Japan, we are redefining the delivery of mobile services. With a common vision for digital transformation of the telecommunications industry, I am very excited about the potential this partnership with Tech Mahindra has to bring more agile, responsive and efficient services to customers around with world.”

CP Gurnani, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, “As a global leading provider of digital transformation, Tech Mahindra is committed towards leveraging new-age technologies to scale digital services for our customers globally. This first of its kind collaboration with Rakuten Mobile not only strengthens our existing partnership with them, but will also enable us to drive innovation in the telecom space, provide enhanced customer experience and lead the transformation in mobile network technology from the forefront.”

RCP is a cloud-native telco platform that enables telcos and enterprises around the world to easily build secure and open mobile networks at speed and low cost, to generate new revenue streams and to offer customers innovative and immersive experiences. RCP was developed by Rakuten Mobile and is based on its new generation mobile network in Japan which combines the latest technology in virtualization and automation, including containers and micro services, and is built on key secure operations principles.

Tech Mahindra and Rakuten Mobile will leverage their partnership to develop and deploy virtualized mobile networks based on RCP to disrupt the telecom landscape. RCP contains all the elements of the Rakuten Mobile network, including telco applications and software from multiple vendors, OSS and BSS, edge computing and virtual network management functions. RCP also incorporates an app-store-like interface where customers can tailor the platform to their local requirements.

Tareq Amin, Representative Director, Executive Vice President and CTO, Rakuten Mobile, said, “In April this year, with the support of leading partners from around the world, we were able to achieve the incredible milestone of launching full-scale commercial services on the world’s first fully virtualized mobile network. As we take the next step on our journey, we are proud to be partnering with Tech Mahindra to offer cloud native networks to customers around the world through Rakuten Communications Platform.”

Manish Vyas, President, Communications, Media & Entertainment Business & CEO, Network Services, Tech Mahindra, said, “There has been a renewed interest in the dis aggregated software-based cloud native network from enterprises to drive network transformation. As part of TechMNxt charter, our collaboration with Rakuten Mobile will enable us to support the deployment of mobile networks based on a highly innovative cloud-based communication platform that is open, scalable and highly secure.”

As part of the TechMNxt charter, Tech Mahindra has a deep focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies deliver enhanced experience to our customers and is currently engaged with multiple service providers globally on their network transformation journey.