Rakuten, AST set March 2029 direct-to-smartphone target in Japan

Rakuten Mobile and AST SpaceMobile plan to start direct-to-smartphone service in Japan in March 2029 through a joint venture backed by about US$1 billion in grants from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

The operator will use AST’s Bluebird low-Earth orbit satellites and midband spectrum, with March 2029 serving as the commercial target rather than evidence of a finished constellation. The service aims to strengthen Japan’s disaster and emergency communications. Rakuten CEO Mickey Mikitani described the project as “a key pillar of its network strategy.”

Rakuten is AST’s latest telco partner. AST says it has more than 60 operator partners worldwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone and Bell Canada. That figure describes partnership reach, not deployed capacity. The Japanese venture still depends on AST building and launching the Bluebird network before the service can operate.

What does this change for Japanese mobile users?

The immediate change is a planned direct-to-smartphone channel intended to reinforce disaster and emergency communications. The announcement sets out no pricing, coverage footprint or handset requirements. For users, the practical benefit therefore remains tied to the March 2029 start and the constellation’s progress toward coverage.

How far along is the Bluebird network?

AST’s deployment remains early. The company has 13 satellites in orbit, including one test satellite and five first-generation satellites. It says the first-generation craft can deliver peak data rates of 100 Mbit/s. Its second-generation Block 2 satellites will have twice that throughput.

AST aims for 45-60 satellites to cover key markets including North America, Asia and Europe. It also says it has launch-service agreements to deploy more than 100 satellites. AST says limited space on launch vehicles remains a bottleneck despite those agreements.

AST is developing its own 20-ton Blacklift rocket, with a first commercial launch expected in late 2028. That date falls only months before Rakuten’s service target. The timing makes the 2029 schedule dependent on both the rocket’s first commercial flight and the wider launch campaign, not the joint venture agreement alone.

How does Bluebird compare with Starlink?

Bluebird uses a cellular-oriented architecture rather than Starlink’s primary broadband design. AST says its phased-array antennas, around 2,400 square feet or 223 square meters, are the world’s largest. Bluebird satellites operate at altitudes of 505-590 km and 715-740 km.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are a fraction of the size, roughly 65 square feet, and sit at lower orbits of approximately 330 km and 490 km. Around 12,000 Starlink craft are currently in orbit, giving SpaceX a deployment scale far beyond AST’s 13 satellites.

SpaceX aims to introduce direct-to-cell capability with its next-generation V2 satellites, which the FCC has approved. The first V2 launches are expected in 2027, two years before Rakuten and AST’s service start. Approval gives SpaceX a regulatory opening; AST’s Japanese project still rests on MIC grants and its own deployment schedule.

What is NTT exploring?

NTT, subsidiary NTT DoCoMo Business, the Development Bank of Japan, MUFG and satellite and defense firm Mitsubishi Electric plan to study a mega-constellation covering much of Earth. Their memorandum of understanding covers the feasibility of commercializing “services enabled by mega-constellations, including communications, Earth observation, satellite-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), and space data centers.”

The study has no stated launch date, satellite count, spectrum plan or committed capital. It remains a feasibility exercise, not an announced network. The five participants span telecom, development finance, banking and satellite and defense work, but no delivery roles or investment amounts were assigned.

What does SpaceX mean for Deutsche Telekom?

Separately, Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges said the carrier takes SpaceX seriously as a new mobile network competitor in the US, as the operator reported third-quarter earnings. The statement identifies a strategic risk, but no estimate of financial or subscriber impact accompanied it.

The next dated milestones are concrete: SpaceX expects its first V2 launch in 2027; Blacklift targets its first commercial flight for late 2028; and Rakuten’s service start is set for March 2029. AST still must expand from 13 orbiting satellites toward its targeted 45-60 craft, while NTT’s five-party consortium remains at the feasibility stage.