Anxiety and expectation of Rakuten Mobile's mobile phone business -Mobile Watch

　Rakuten Mobile is scheduled to start service in October this year as a fourth mobile phone operator following NTT DOCOMO, au and Softbank.As a mobile phone service, it will be a service by a new mobile phone business operator for the first time in 12 years since E -Mobile, which launched the service in March 2007 (now SoftBank's absorbed merger).

　Looking back on the background so far, Rakuten in October 2014, in the form of Fusion Communications (now Rakuten Communications) in the group of the company, borrowing the NTT DOCOMO mobile phone network, "Rakuten Mobile.Is started.

　As a Rakuten Group, Fusion Communications borrowed the PHS line of WILLCOM in 2009 (after integrating E -Mobile, SoftBank is now absorbed) in 2009, and entered the MVNO business, Rakuten in 2012.It is known that he has been looking for the opportunity to enter the mobile phone business, such as establishing a joint venture with E -Mobile, establishing Rakuten E -Mobile, and developing the MVNO business.By the way, before and after the establishment of Rakuten E -Mobile, Rakuten's acquisition of e -mobile was rumored.

　And in January 2018, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications's new frequency band for LTE.7GHz band and 3.Apply for a new allocation as Rakuten for the 4GHz band allocation recruitment, 1 in April 2018.With the 7GHz band frequency assignment, he finally entered the mobile phone business as a mobile phone operator (MNO).Immediately before the division, at the MWC 2018 held in Barcelona, Spain, Hiroshi Mikitani, Chairman and President of Rakuten, will be on stage and appeal to new entry as MNOs.I asked.

　In addition, in a place to explain the remarks of Secretary -General Kan, who had been discussed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications at a mobile study group, "there is room to reduce 40 %", and Secretary -General Kan himself "newly shows the entry of the mobile phone business.Rakuten plans to set it to about half the price of an existing business operator. Based on these, there is room for about 40 % of the competition than now, and there is room to lower it.He said that he had prospect (related article), and had great expectations.

　Furthermore, in a series of discussions of the Mobile Study Group, the contract cancellation fee for the two -year contract will be reduced from 9500 yen to 1000 yen, as the contract with the period restrained will be disabled when shifting by MNP from the three major companies.There was a tailwind in terms of policy (related articles).

　However, it has been reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications provided the third administrative guidance against Rakuten Mobile, and dark clouds are beginning to drift on the start of the service on October 1.An administrative guidance document issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on August 26 described the initiatives for the development of base stations.(Press material by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)

1 Immediate work to secure the location of specific base stations required for stable provision of services

2 Regarding the construction of specific base stations, the system to organize the number of processing requirements, processing capabilities, etc. in each process, and control steady work progress.

3 Prior to the launch of the service on October 1, this year, we will provide information on services including quality and provision areas to users, and to process complaints and inquiries.Working on maintenance

　In other words, since the base station has not been installed, the area construction is not progressing smoothly and the construction is not well established, so we will improve these.Prior to the start of the service on October 1, it is also required to provide information such as the provision area and service contents so that the users can afford and judge it, and to create a system for complaints and inquiries.It can be said that the content of administrative guidance is specific and harsh.