Rakuten Symphony Announces Full-Scale Commercial Launch of File Storage Cloud Service “Rakuten Drive” in Japan

- Now integrated with Rakuten ID for easier access and Microsoft 365 for boosting team productivity.
- Rakuten Drive official site: https://home.rakuten-drive.com/

Tokyo, February 6, 2024 – Rakuten Symphony, Inc. today announced the full-scale commercial launch of Rakuten Drive, a file storage cloud service, in Japan. Rakuten Drive provides file storage cloud services for both individual and enterprise customers that allow users to send large files quickly and offer secure, intuitive file storage and sharing on the cloud.

Rakuten Drive is introducing the ability to view and edit in real-time documents, decks and spreadsheets using the web version of Microsoft 365 productivity apps like Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The consumer-facing version of the service has also been integrated with Rakuten ID – a shared ID that allows Rakuten members to access multiple services – making it possible for the 100 million Rakuten members in Japan to conveniently use the service with their existing Rakuten ID.

Since launching as Sendy in 2019, Rakuten Drive has grown its userbase both in Japan and worldwide. The cloud service has seen considerable growth in Japan since joining the Rakuten Group when Rakuten Symphony’s parent company Rakuten Mobile, Inc. acquired the South Korean peer-to-peer file transfer solution provider Estmob, Inc.^*1 in 2021. Estmob was renamed to Rakuten Symphony Korea, Inc. in 2022 and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Rakuten Symphony. Rakuten Drive is operated by Rakuten Symphony Korea in the global market, with Rakuten Symphony conducting sales and marketing activities for the service in the Japanese market.

Rakuten Drive is operated in strict accordance with its advanced data storage and information security policies, and will continue to actively develop its services and release additional features for the B2B market, supporting freelancers, small businesses and large enterprises. Additionally, Rakuten Drive is planned for future integration with Rakuten Points, Rakuten’s flagship loyalty program, to provide a convenient place to earn and spend points for use across the Rakuten Ecosystem and its partners across Japan.

Ryan Son, CEO of Rakuten Symphony Korea, commented, “I am thrilled to officially introduce Rakuten Drive to consumers and businesses across Japan. Our file storage cloud service enables users to safely and efficiently manage their valuable personal and business files and data. From freelancers and small business owners to large companies, our promise is to continue to develop Rakuten Drive as a trusted and secure cloud service of choice."

In addition to Rakuten Drive, Rakuten Symphony also provides a wide range of cloud-based internet services such as email, message, chat, file transfer, storage, CPaaS^*2 and SaaS to improve customer productivity through its Internet Services business division. Going forward, Rakuten Symphony will continue to deliver increased convenience and productivity to its customer base through these services.

Notes
*1 Past press release for reference: Rakuten Mobile to Acquire Estmob
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2021/1025_01.html
*2 Past press release for reference: Rakuten Mobile Starts Full-scale Sales in Japan for SMS Service, “Symworld™ CPaaS SMS API”
https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2023/0518_01/

About Rakuten Symphony
Rakuten Symphony is reimagining telecom, changing supply chain norms, and disrupting outmoded thinking that threatens the industry’s pursuit of rapid innovation and growth. Based on proven modern infrastructure practices, its open interface platforms make it possible to launch and operate advanced mobile services in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional approaches, with no compromise to network quality or security. Rakuten Symphony has headquarters in Japan and local presence in the United States, Singapore, India, Europe, and the Middle East Africa region.

For more information, visit: https://symphony.rakuten.com/

*Microsoft and Office 365 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
*Product names and service names included in this press release are generally trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Trademarks such as “™” and “®” may be omitted when company trademarks are mentioned.