Five minutes with Sharad Sriwastawa, CTO of Rakuten Mobile

Q. Rakuten has become one of the world’s most progressive network operators, what makes you different?

The best thing we have is the ability to work collectively on challenges. Everyone has challenges but we pride ourselves on our ability to work on them.

Q. How do you set priorities on new technologies?

We strive for improvements in customer experience so anything that enhances that gets priority. Of course, price and speed are also critical, but the overall customer experience is the driver.

Q. What are the biggest challenges for you?

The biggest challenge as we speak right now is spectrum. 5G is in the plan but we can’t launch in the way we would like to because of spectrum limitations.

Q. What are you most proud of in your role as CTO?

Setting direction, managing challenges, motivating a fabulous team, and delivering are key parts of my role.

Q. What can we expect from Rakuten in the future?

We are working on many things we can’t disclose right now but it will be all about enhanced coverage and innovative new Symphony products. I will be able to shed more light on these in my session at DTWA in Bangkok.

 

Join Sharad at DTW Asia from 14-16 March in Bangkok. Sharad will be interviewed by Mark Newman, TM Forum’s Chief Analyst on Rakuten Mobile’s 5G tech roadmap.

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