How to Officially Request Better Rakuten Mobile Signal: When to Use the Signal Improvement Request Form

No signal at work.

Downtown, but only two bars, and calls are hard to make.

You see comments like this on social media. I can’t verify each post, so this is just an introduction of a tendency: “there are people saying this.”

Did you know there is an official channel for requesting improvement in such cases?

Conclusion: Narrow it down yourself first, then use the request form if it’s still bad

The order is as follows.

1. Rule out problems with your device or settings
2. Check the signal at your location using the official area map and simulation
3. If it still doesn’t improve, tell them through the Signal Improvement Request Form

Before writing in the form, narrowing down the cause with steps 1 and 2 makes things go faster.

1. Rule out device and setting problems

The steps, from the easiest, such as toggling airplane mode, restarting, and reinserting the SIM, are collected in a separate article (Phone signal weak troubleshooting).

Whether your device supports the frequency bands also affects signal reception. How to check is in another article (Phone band compatibility check).

2. Check the signal at your location yourself

The official area map has notes. These are what the official page says.

• Areas are created from calculated numerical judgments. They may differ from the actual signal conditions, and may change without notice
• Even in the “high-speed unlimited data area,” speed may vary underground, indoors, inside large commercial buildings, and depending on signal conditions
• 5G is provided only in very limited areas. Even inside a 5G area, communication may be over 4G
• The area map’s update date is stated as June 1, 2026 (data as of May 18, 2026)

In other words, even if the map says “in area,” the signal can be weak inside a building.

The official site also has a simulation that lets you check signal conditions by address or location. It is a tool for checking by yourself, not a channel for making requests.

A note on roaming

The official area page also has a section on roaming over the partner network (au network). However, the previous au roaming framework ends at the end of September 2026, and from October the area is to be checked on the map published by KDDI. See another article for details (Rakuten au roaming end: what changes).

Near the border between the Rakuten network area and the partner network area, the official page also states that communication and calls may be cut off.

3. Signal Improvement Request Form

On the official area page, in the section “Inquiries and Requests About the Service Area,” there is information about the Signal Improvement Request Form.

This is what the official page says.

• A form for receiving signal improvement requests, such as when you feel you can’t connect or speeds are slow
• For Rakuten Mobile users
• For use in Japan only. It does not handle inquiries about use overseas
• Accepted in Japanese only
• Corporate plan subscribers make requests through a different channel (the inquiry form of my Rakuten Mobile Office)

What the form can do, and what is unknown

I want to be clear about what is not stated, too.

• Fields to fill in: the official page does not state them
• What happens after you submit, a guide to when you will get a reply, and how long the investigation takes: not stated

Even if you submit a request, it is not known by when the signal will be improved. It seems best not to expect too much, and to use it with the attitude of “letting them know.”

Tips for how to tell them (my general advice)

This is my opinion, not official guidance.

• Be specific about where (address, building name, floor), when (time of day), and what symptom (no signal, slow, calls dropping)
• Write what you tried (restarting, reinserting the SIM, checking with another device, etc.)
• Write the difference between places where the symptom occurs and places where it doesn’t

What to do when the signal is weak at home

The official area page introduces Rakuten Casa, a small indoor base station, as a measure for weak signal at home and similar places.

However, there are these notes.

• Does not support 5G
• Depending on the structure of the building and other factors, it may not be usable

If you have signal trouble at home, check the conditions on the official page.

Summary

• When the signal is bad, the order is: rule out device problems, then check with the official map and simulation, then the Signal Improvement Request Form if it is still bad
• The map is a calculated judgment and may differ from reality. Signal may be especially weak inside buildings
• The request form is for use in Japan only and in Japanese only. The fields to fill in and a guide to reply times are not stated on the official page
• For home, there is an option called Rakuten Casa, a small indoor base station (does not support 5G, may not be usable depending on the building)

If you don’t speak up about signal problems, nobody knows. But how you tell them can speed up narrowing down the cause.

Source: Rakuten Mobile official site

• Area / Inquiries About the Service Area (in Japanese)

This article contains affiliate advertising. If you apply for a product or service through links on this site, we may receive compensation from partner companies. Additionally, the operator is an employee of Rakuten Group and may receive compensation through an employee referral program. Article content and evaluations are based on the operator's actual experience and research, regardless of advertising. For details, see the Disclaimer & Affiliate Disclosure. Disclaimer & Affiliate Disclosure

This article contains machine translation. For official terms, please refer to the multilingual pages on the official Rakuten Mobile website.

If you have concerns about Rakuten Mobile's coverage area or signal conditions, you can inquire through the official signal improvement survey request form .