Rakuten Mobile announced it will begin deploying base stations utilizing radio units (RU) developed by Fujitsu, as it accelerates the expansion of its 5G (Sub6) network area in 2025. Leveraging its expertise in building a fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile network based on Open RAN standards in Japan, Rakuten Mobile will continue to rapidly deploy 5G Sub6 base stations and expand its coverage area. Fujitsu, through its compact and energy-efficient RU, will support Rakuten Mobile's rollout of 5G commercial services and contribute to the further global adoption of Open RAN.
The RU model to be used by Rakuten Mobile, 44R21, adopts the O-RAN specifications established by the O-RAN ALLIANCE – a worldwide community promoting the development of Open RAN specifications. The RU facilitates communication between the base station's distributed unit (DU) and centralized unit (CU) via a fronthaul interface. Additionally, using Fujitsu's proprietary technology, the radio units are designed to be compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient, thereby contributing to leaner space requirements and lower network operation costs. The RU 44R21 base model will be showcased at MWC Barcelona 2025.