TOKYO -- Japanese online shopping giant Rakuten is poised to throw down the gauntlet to its major mobile phone rivals by launching an eye-catchingly low-price offer for consumers as it prepares to make a full-scale foray into the business by the end of April.
Rakuten's flagship service, which allows large volumes of data traffic, will be priced at 2,980 yen ($27.60) per month, less than half the price of similar services offered by major Japanese mobile operators.
