Hiroshi Mikitani

Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Group; Chairman of Rakuten Mobile

Appears in 1 story

Born: March 11, 1965, Kobe

Education: Hitotsubashi University, Harvard University, Harvard Business School

Last updated Nov 2, 2026

Stories

AST SpaceMobile builds its BlueBird satellite phone network

Built World

As of August 2026: Steering Rakuten's satellite venture with AST SpaceMobile toward a 2026 launch

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 3:42 a.m. on August 5, carrying three of the largest commercial antennas ever flown. Each one is meant to do a strange thing: give an ordinary smartphone a signal with no cell tower for hundreds of miles.

Updated Aug 9