“UQ WiMAX Official Shop” Opens on Rakuten Ichiba

Rakuten, Inc. (“Rakuten,” Chairman and CEO: Hiroshi Mikitani, Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo) has announced that UQ Communications Inc. (“UQ,” CEO: Akio Nozaka, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo) launched an official shop named “UQ WiMAX Rakuten Ichiba Shop” in Rakuten Ichiba, an online shopping mall operated by Rakuten on Wednesday, September 14, 2011. This is the first case for Rakuten Ichiba to host a shop which primarily sells Telecom services.

At launch, “UQ WiMAX Rakuten Ichiba Shop” will sell 15 items, including data communication cards and their mobile router; “WiMAX Speed Wi-Fi,” which enables various Wi-Fi-capable devices to connect to the Internet in and out of home. To mark its launch, “UQ WiMAX Rakuten Ichiba Shop,” will begin a campaign offering discounts on WiMAX devices and will also offer credit vouchers and Rakuten Super Points.

Rakuten will also mark the occasion with the introduction of an entirely new product category on Ichiba called “Mobile Communications” to add to its existing 35 categories. Rakuten aims to further expand sales in the Internet communication sector. Rakuten is going to design some promotions to sell WiMAX embedded PCs and related products through Rakuten Ichiba.

At this time, customer’s need for mobile telecommunication service is rapidly expanding in replacement of fixed lines in the broadband market, and the market is expected to continue growing as mobile Internet devices, such as smart phones and tablets flood the market.

To date, UQ has been selling its products and services on its own web site. By launching UQ shop in “Rakuten Ichiba,” Japan’s largest Internet shopping mall, UQ aims to create more channels to a wide range of users and to expand its customer base.

Rakuten firmly believes that the participation of UQ, a major high speed mobile internet carrier which attracts customers with low-priced and user-friendly products and services, on Rakuten Ichiba will enhance the customer experience of Rakuten members.

UQ and Rakuten will to cooperate to expand the use of mobile communication services and develop online shopping capabilities on a variety of mobile Internet devices for Rakuten’s 72 million members, thereby also stimulating e-commerce as a whole.

Name of Shop:          UQ WiMAX Rakuten Ichiba Shop

Shop URL:                  www.rakuten.co.jp/uqwimax/

Date of Launch:         Wednesday, September 14, 2011.　

Products:                    15 Items; Mobile router “WiMAX Speed Wi-Fi”, Data Communication Card

Campaign:                 Terms: September 14, 2011 to September 30, 2011

17,000 yen (Including tax) discount from fixed price, present 3,000 yen credit voucher and 10 times Rakuten Super Points