Cloud-native infrastructure was supposed to deliver agility and efficiency. For most telcos, it delivered siloed complexity instead—separate clouds for separate applications and domains, based on a cloud's inability to natively support different workloads with different performance requirements. And from this came different operational models, inconsistent data understanding and different supply chains. All leading to the opposite result than the one desired – increased cost, complexity and timelines.
The difference isn't in adopting containers or Kubernetes—it's in building a truly horizontal platform that unifies these domains.
Rakuten Cloud breaks this pattern with a truly horizontal platform. One infrastructure. One set of operational procedures. Supporting containerized network functions (CNFs), virtualized network functions (VNFs), and bare metal applications—across IT, OSS, BSS, Core, and RAN domains. Multi-vendor and vendor-agnostic by design. This isn't theoretical; it's running in production at carrier scale.
Here's what most cloud vendors miss: telecommunications networks need to run mission-critical workloads across fundamentally different domains—IT applications, OSS/BSS systems, Core network functions, and RAN—simultaneously. Each typically demands separate infrastructure: containers for cloud-native apps, VMs for legacy systems, and accelerators for performance-critical workloads. Traditional cloud platforms force you into this siloed approach, multiplying your hardware footprint, operational teams, management complexity and lifecycle management burden.
1: Velocity Through Design Thinking and Automation
We eliminated configuration busy-work by parameterizing workloads at the design level and embedding intelligent automation throughout the platform. Configure once, replicate infinitely. Common open-source packages that network engineers typically use and need, come pre-integrated and pre-configured out of the box. The platform includes advanced automation for bare-metal server provisioning, Kubernetes cluster deployment, network device configuration, and service chain instantiation—all orchestrated through unified infrastructure aware workflows.
2: Automation Across the Entire Service Lifecycle
Day 1 is just the beginning. The real operational burden hits at Day 2 and beyond—upgrades, patches, troubleshooting, lifecycle management. Rakuten Cloud was architected from the ground up with automation that spans every phase. Remote configuration, profile driven deployment and management capabilities reduce response times and eliminate the truck-roll mentality that plagues traditional telco operations.
3: True Horizontal Infrastructure: Multi-Vendor, Multi-Domain
This is the architectural breakthrough that changes economics: a unified infrastructure and cloud platform supporting CNFs, VNFs, and bare-metal applications across IT, OSS, BSS, Core, and RAN domains, all without specialized coding or separate operational silos. Another tier-one OEM deployed both their 5G core and vRAN on the same cloud infrastructure in under 10 days, with no changes to its products or Rakuten Software. For 1&1 in Germany, we deployed their end-to-end network, from OSS/BSS to Core to Open RAN, on this horizontal cloud platform, supporting applications from approximately 100 partner vendors. No infrastructure silos. No duplicated operations teams. Complete provider choice and flexibility.
These three pillars enabled a tier-one OEM to recently deploy their 5G core in under three days because they didn't have to hunt through cryptic non-standard processes and documentation or perform manual setup tasks. The same tier-one OEM deployed their vRAN on the same cloud infrastructure in under ten days total, with zero changes to their products or Rakuten Symphony software. This is in addition to previous similar experiences and with 100+ other technology partners proven in production. Tune into MWC for more details and announcements in this area!
Rakuten Symphony Completes Interoperability Tests with Samsung’s vRAN and vCore on Rakuten Cloud
Rakuten Cloud isn't a proof-of-concept. It's the foundation of two groundbreaking commercial networks and a platform that enables rapid onboarding for any application.
Japan: World's Largest Telco Edge Deployment
Nearly 50,000 edge cloud sites running Rakuten Mobile's fully cloud-native 4G and 5G network—three times more than any other mobile operator globally. Every automation workflow, every parameterization, every efficiency gain emerged from actual operational demands serving over 10 million customers, not synthetic lab conditions. When you can provision a new 5G cell site in four minutes and an entire vRAN in under a week, automation isn't optional—it's fundamental to operations.
Germany: Europe's First Fully Cloud-Native Open RAN Network
1&1's network launched in just 28 months from contract signing to commercial service, integrating approximately 100 technology partners across Core, OSS, BSS, and Open RAN on a unified horizontal cloud platform. The network now serves over 12 million customers nationwide. This isn't a single-vendor deployment—it's a multi-vendor ecosystem proving that horizontal cloud infrastructure works at carrier scale across diverse technology providers.
Cloud-native infrastructure was supposed to deliver agility and efficiency. For most telcos, it delivered siloed complexity instead, separate clouds for IT applications, OSS/BSS, Core, and RAN, each with its own operational model. The difference isn't in adopting containers or Kubernetes, it's in building a truly horizontal platform that unifies these domains:
We built Rakuten Cloud because we lived the operational nightmare of network transformation. Two carrier-scale deployments later, nearly 50,000 edge sites in Japan and a nationwide network in Germany, we're watching the industry recognize that horizontal cloud infrastructure isn't just faster to deploy. It fundamentally transforms the economics of Day 2 operations by eliminating infrastructure silos and unifying management across all network domains.
Ready to move from siloed infrastructure to horizontal cloud?
Discover how Rakuten Cloud's production-proven platform, deployed across 50,000+ edge sites and serving millions of customers, can accelerate your transformation from months to days while unifying IT, OSS, BSS, Core, and RAN on a single horizontal infrastructure. Contact us for a technical deep-dive. Attending MWC? Be sure to visit us at our booth.
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