[Rakuten Group, Inc.] The future of education aimed at by “NEXT GIGA” supported by Rakuten Mobile Rakuten Group, Inc. Press release: September 27, 2024 The future of education aimed at by “NEXT GIGA” supported by Rakuten Mobile -Achieving a free learning environment for children through four comprehensive supports- Rakuten Mobile, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Rakuten Mobile”) has received comprehensive support for improving school networks in response to the “Request for Initiatives to Improve School Networks” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Digital Agency. We have started a service to In recent years, “NEXT GIGA” has been promoted in Japan, which aims to further develop the educational ICT environment developed under the “GIGA School Initiative” and take it to the next step. On the other hand, as of November 2020, only about 20% of elementary, junior high, and high schools nationwide meet the recommended network bandwidth set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Note 1). . Through this service, Rakuten Mobile will support local governments in solving various issues to realize the “GIGA School Initiative” and “NEXT GIGA,” and create an environment where children can receive a comfortable education through stable communication. We aim to ■Challenges in promoting ICT in educational settings – What is the actual situation of the GIGA School concept? ●About GIGA School Concept/NEXT GIGA The “GIGA School Initiative” promoted by the government aims to realize education that is tailored to the individuality of each student, and aims to provide each student with an information device such as a learning computer or tablet, and provide a high-speed network environment. The idea is to create a new type of education that incorporates ICT (information and communication technology). In addition, as the second phase of the GIGA School Initiative, “NEXT GIGA” will further update the ICT environment and learning methods, and will improve the quality of ICT education, including raising the required specifications of learning terminals and strengthening network infrastructure. It is hoped that through improvements and the provision of subsidies from the national and local governments, each student will be able to enjoy high-quality learning and acquire the skills to play an active role in society in the future.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5889/2270/5889-2270-4be7614988b8a631b6f8d660b398c352-1001×846.png
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5889/2270/5889-2270-46d72d3dfd93f79fd8f645e31a7dba82-1037×772.png *(Figure 1) Source: ICT environment survey for GIGA terminal update https://megaphone.school-voice-pj.org/2024/03/post-4475/ (2024/03/16) ■Rakuten Mobile helps educational institutions realize “NEXT GIGA” In response to the “Request for Initiatives to Improve School Networks” jointly issued by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology/Minister of Internal Affairs and
Communications/Minister of Digital on August 29, Rakuten Mobile will support education nationwide through the following four types of support. The committee has begun comprehensive support for the realization of “NEXT GIGA.” 1. Establishment of dedicated consultation desk for boards of education 2. Support for school network diagnosis and problem identification 3. Provision of ultra-high speed internet connection service with guaranteed bandwidth 4. Providing mobile services that promote learning outside of school 〈Future supported by Rakuten Mobile 1.〉 Improving the quality of children’s education with a reliable system where you can consult at any time – Solving ICT issues through consultation desk and network diagnosis – ●Challenges According to a study, employees’ knowledge of digital technology is shallow, and they have to investigate the causes of machine
malfunctions and how to deal with them themselves, and outsource maintenance services, which increases man-hours and incurs significant costs. There are issues such as (Note 3). ●Support by Rakuten Mobile 1. Establishment of dedicated consultation desk for boards of education 2. Support for school network diagnosis and problem identification ●What you can do with Rakuten Mobile Corporate Service At Rakuten Mobile Corporate Services, we work alongside our customers to strengthen their network environments. For problems such as “When students connect to the Internet at the same time, it stops working, but I don’t know the cause or what to do.” We are always available for consultation at a dedicated point of contact, and we also provide solutions to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. We will suggest solutions through network diagnosis. No need for staff to respond to emergencies and Reduce workload By doing so, we will be able to focus more on creating a curriculum for class content, and We aim for a future that provides higher quality learning to children. Providing classes in a comfortable network environment – Improve understanding through learning tailored to each child – ●Challenges As ICT education progresses, the issue of negative effects on online learning due to network delays has become an issue. In educational settings, weak internet connections are making it difficult to conduct classes in which all children can access the internet at the same time, which is an issue occurring in various regions. ●Support by Rakuten Mobile 3.Providing ultra-high-speed internet connection services with guaranteed bandwidth ●What you can do with Rakuten Mobile Corporate Service Rakuten Mobile Corporate Services provides a “bandwidth-secured ultra-high-speed Internet connection service.” The guaranteed bandwidth type makes it possible to supply data at a stable speed, making it possible to conduct more comfortable and in-depth lessons. Therefore, if a student has any questions during class, You can quickly search and answer your questions It will look like this. By providing learning tailored to each individual’s progress, This contributes to creating a class environment with a higher level of understanding. Providing high-speed communication services and off-campus router terminals – Supporting the creation of an
environment where all children can learn “anytime” and “anywhere” – ●Challenges In classes where the use of ICT in school education has not progressed, it has been difficult to provide instruction tailored to each student’s level of understanding. Another issue was considered to be that children’s desire to learn was not fulfilled because families were unable to provide a learning environment outside of school classes. ●Support by Rakuten Mobile 4.Providing mobile services that promote learning outside of school ●What you can do with Rakuten Mobile Corporate Service Rakuten Mobile Corporate Services provides “mobile services that promote learning outside of school.” For example, by providing easy-to-carry router devices, students can study at home or outside of school. You can take classes anywhere This will allow you to freely learn about things you didn’t understand or things you would like to learn more about. Also, even if it is difficult to attend classes at school, Can create an environment for learning outside of school Therefore, in any situation Providing learning tailored to individuality, expanding the range of learning
opportunities I aim to do that.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5889/2270/5889-2270-b73826224a5621197d64e60d0dd8b68c-1851×435.png ■The future that Rakuten Mobile aims for in providing “NEXT GIGA” support services Rakuten Mobile has participated in “NEXT GIGA” to support the future educational environment. Our goal is to improve the quality of education by utilizing ICT in all elementary, middle, and high schools across Japan. We provide a high-speed and stable network infrastructure to enable a hybrid educational environment that includes online learning. We are committed to creating an environment where all students have equal access to advanced learning. Our mission is not just to provide infrastructure, but to evolve the entire educational field. We will create an environment where all classrooms can use the network without any problems, and allow families and schools to work together to support student learning by allowing students to take their devices home. Through this, we aim to create a deeper “future of education” rather than just “digitization.” In order to contribute to the dramatic evolution of education in Japan, Rakuten Mobile will continue to provide advanced technology and know-how and co-create the future of the education industry. ■“Rakuten Mobile” (corporate customers) official website
https://business.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/ ■“Network Service” Inquiry Form https://business.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/solution/network/inquiry/ ■“NEXT GIGA” support service consultation counter
rm-GIGA_hotline@mail.rakuten.com ■Notice: “Start providing services to support the realization of “NEXT GIGA” for boards of education
nationwide” https://business.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/information/details/2024/0902/001/?l-id=top_update_information_240902 (Note 1) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology “Current status of school networks”
https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20240426-mxt_jogai01-000035663_1.pdf (2024/6) Quoted from data (Note 2) NPO School Voice Project “ICT environment survey for updating GIGA terminals”
https://megaphone.school-voice-pj.org/2024/03/post-4475/ (2024/03/16) Quoted from data (Note 3) Toshiyuki Kanai “Chapter 9 Voices of individual urban local government employees regarding DX, Section 227” https://www.toshi.or.jp/app-def/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/report205_09.pdf (2024/02/27) Quoted from data *Product names and service names listed in this document are generally trademarks or registered trademarks of each company. *When describing the trademarks of each company in this document, trademark indications such as (TM) and (R) may be omitted.