Rakuten, AST SpaceMobile to form firm to create satellite network in Japan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Rakuten Group Inc. on Monday said it will establish a joint venture this month with U.S. satellite manufacturer AST SpaceMobile Inc.
Rakuten Group Inc. has announced plans to form a joint venture with U.S. satellite manufacturer AST SpaceMobile Inc. with the aim of establishing a satellite communications network in Japan by March 2029. The new company, Rakuten AST Inc., will be 51 percent owned by Rakuten, and the satellite will be operated and managed by Rakuten.
The establishment of this network is intended to strengthen Japan's communications infrastructure in the event of a disaster, as well as to provide connectivity to remote areas where base stations may be damaged. Rakuten AST Inc. plans to create a direct connection between satellites and smartphones using Rakuten Mobile Inc.'s service.
The Japanese government has pledged up to 148 billion yen in subsidies over three years to support the project, which is being undertaken in an effort to reduce dependence on Starlink, the satellite communications service operated by SpaceX. Rakuten's decision to invest in AST SpaceMobile comes as other Japanese communication giants, such as NTT Docomo Inc., KDDI Corp., and SoftBank Corp., also utilize Starlink.
The joint venture will begin a trial service connecting AST satellites with smartphones by the end of this year.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
