Rakuten Symphony Secures METI Grant for Ukraine Open RAN Field Trials with Kyivstar

Introduction: Open RAN’s Role in Post-Conflict Network Reconstruction

On July 27, 2026, Rakuten Symphony announced it had been awarded a subsidy of up to 350 million Japanese yen (approximately US$2.14 million) from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) under the Subsidy Program for Future-Oriented Co-creation Projects with the Global South. The funding supports a larger JPY710 million ($4.34 million) project focused on strengthening Ukraine’s telecommunications infrastructure through virtualized, cloud-native Open RAN technology. Working in partnership with Rakuten Mobile and Ukraine’s largest operator Kyivstar (a VEON subsidiary), the initiative transitions 17 months of laboratory demonstrations into real-world field testing. This development stands out as a concrete, production-oriented step in Open RAN’s global expansion, particularly in challenging environments where network resilience and rapid deployment matter most.

The project timeline runs through May 31, 2027, encompassing hardware procurement, interoperability validation, pilot deployment, and operational process establishment. For engineers and operators evaluating multi-vendor, disaggregated RAN strategies, the effort provides a live case study in brownfield modernization, D-RAN versus C-RAN flexibility, and the practical hurdles of delivering stable performance with commercial traffic.

Project Scope and Technical Architecture

The core objective is to validate a flexible, low-cost Open RAN deployment model suitable for Ukrainian operators. The architecture centers on Rakuten Symphony’s virtualized, cloud-native Open RAN software stack running on standard server hardware, paired with appropriate radio units. Key elements include:

• Virtualized Baseband Processing: Centralization options allow both distributed (D-RAN) and centralized (C-RAN) configurations. This enables operators to balance latency, transport costs, and compute pooling depending on site density and fiber availability.
• 4G LTE Focus in Field Trials: Initial live testing will carry commercial customer traffic around Kyiv. The setup replaces legacy infrastructure while maintaining service continuity, a critical requirement in brownfield environments.
• 5G Laboratory Extension: Parallel lab work will evaluate 5G capabilities, establishing a foundation for future commercial 5G rollouts without requiring immediate nationwide hardware changes.
• OSS and Cloud Integration: Collaboration extends beyond the RAN to include operations support systems and cloud platforms, leveraging the broader Rakuten ecosystem for end-to-end automation and management.

Interoperability testing precedes the Ukraine pilot. After design validation, the team will procure radios and servers, instantiate the network in an overseas production environment, and verify stable operations under real conditions. This phased approach—lab to field—mirrors the rigorous qualification processes operators demand before scaling.

From Lab Success to Field Validation

The first phase, completed over the past 17 months, focused on laboratory testing of Rakuten Symphony’s Open RAN and cloud solutions in a 4G environment. This validated core features such as multi-vendor interoperability, protocol compliance with O-RAN Alliance specifications, and basic performance metrics under controlled loads.

The second phase shifts to:

• Live 4G LTE field tests carrying paying customers in the Kyiv area.
• Evaluation of both D-RAN and C-RAN topologies during legacy replacement.
• Assessment of operational benefits including deployment speed, cost efficiency, and resilience.
• 5G capability validation in a dedicated lab setting.

These steps address the practical realities of Open RAN: ensuring the disaggregated stack performs reliably when exposed to variable radio conditions, backhaul constraints, and mixed legacy equipment. The emphasis on commercial traffic from day one differentiates this from pure proof-of-concept exercises.

Why This Matters for Operators and the Broader Ecosystem

Ukraine’s ongoing conflict underscores the need for networks that can be deployed quickly, repaired rapidly, and operated with minimal on-site expertise. Open RAN’s software-centric model supports exactly these attributes—remote configuration, centralized orchestration, and the ability to mix best-of-breed components. The METI grant explicitly frames the work as contributing to economic recovery through resilient infrastructure.

For the global Open RAN community, the project supplies fresh data points on:

• Multi-country trial scalability (Rakuten Symphony has previously tested across seven countries).
• Integration with existing operator ecosystems (Kyivstar’s VEON footprint).
• Government-backed funding mechanisms that de-risk early deployments.

While the announcement does not detail specific AI-RAN features, the virtualized, programmable foundation established here aligns directly with the architectural prerequisites for AI-driven optimization, RIC applications, and future AI-native extensions. Disaggregated interfaces and cloud-native execution environments are precisely what enable non-real-time and near-real-time controllers to ingest telemetry and apply machine learning models at scale.

Engineering Considerations and Potential Challenges

Deploying Open RAN in a post-conflict setting introduces unique variables: intermittent power, damaged transport infrastructure, and the need for rapid site restoration. The trial’s focus on both D-RAN and C-RAN will reveal which topology better tolerates these conditions. Engineers will likely monitor metrics such as handover success rates, uplink/downlink throughput stability, and control-plane latency under load.

Cloud-native aspects raise questions around container orchestration, auto-scaling of baseband functions, and fault tolerance when nodes go offline. The project’s inclusion of OSS integration suggests attention to zero-touch provisioning and automated healing—capabilities that become even more valuable when physical access is limited.

Security considerations, always paramount in Open RAN discussions, will need to cover interface protection (E2, A1, O1) and supply-chain verification for any radios deployed in the field. The involvement of a Japanese government program adds an additional layer of scrutiny and potentially standardized security requirements.

Outlook and Next Steps

With the design phase complete and a Letter of Intent signed, the immediate focus shifts to interoperability testing and hardware logistics. Successful field results could accelerate commercial discussions not only in Ukraine but across Central and Eastern Europe, where similar reconstruction or modernization needs exist.

Rakuten Symphony’s dual role—leveraging Rakuten Mobile’s operational experience while commercializing the Symphony platform—positions the effort as both a technology validation and a business-model experiment. If the pilot demonstrates lower total cost of ownership and faster rollout compared with traditional integrated solutions, it will strengthen the case for Open RAN in greenfield and brownfield scenarios alike.

For the AI-RAN conversation, this deployment creates a live testbed where future RIC-based applications or AI-driven resource allocation can be layered once the foundational stack proves stable. Operators watching the trial will gain insights into how Open RAN’s openness translates into practical advantages when networks must operate under duress.

Sources

• https://www.lightreading.com/open-ran/rakuten-symphony-scores-japanese-grant-to-fast-track-ukraine-open-ran-trials
• https://symphony.rakuten.com/newsroom/rakuten-symphony-selected-for-meti-grant-to-strengthen-ukraines-telecom-infrastructure-with-open-ran
• https://www.lightreading.com/open-ran (recent Open RAN coverage context)