KDDI will give Rakuten access to its nationwide roaming services, while Rakuten will provide KDDI its expertise in mobile payments. The government has backed Rakuten’s planned entry into mobile services in 2019.
The deal comes as the country’s major telecom operators are under government pressure to cut their prices and enable consumers to spend on other items.
Earlier in 2018, Rakuten has announced plans to acquire a local Bitcoin exchange. Rakuten indicated that the acquisition comes as a response to demands from a growing number of foreign exchange customers on its securities business arm, who have been calling for the offering of a cryptocurrency exchange service.
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