[REVISION HISTORY]

Rakuten Mobile service and network adjustments

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-07 01:59 UTC → 2026-09-30 09:22 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Rakuten Mobile has announced several operational changes regarding its service requirements and network infrastructure. In early September, the company announced it would end the ability to use services without a linked Rakuten ID by November 30. Users failing to upgrade to a Rakuten Member account or complete a contract transfer by this deadline face automatic contract cancellation and loss of phone numbers. Additionally, Rakuten Mobile is adjusting its roaming agreement with KDDI (au). Starting in ~~October, roaming services~~ October 2026, KDDI will ~~be scaled~~ scale back ~~in areas where Rakuten’s own~~ its au network ~~coverage is deemed sufficient,~~ roaming services for Rakuten Mobile. KDDI stated that the roaming agreement was a “temporary measure intended to support Rakuten Mobile while ~~remaining available in areas where~~ the latter built out its proprietary physical base station network.” As Rakuten Mobile expands its own ~~infrastructure still requires improvement. The company~~ footprint, KDDI is ~~currently in final-stage discussions with~~ systematically winding down network-sharing provisions. An interactive coverage map released by KDDI ~~regarding these~~ shows that roaming coverage ~~changes.~~ zones in major urban centers—including the Tokyo metropolitan area, Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka—will contract significantly in certain districts. These reductions are most notable in densely populated commercial and residential sectors where Rakuten Mobile has successfully deployed its own independent infrastructure.

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