Rakuten Mobile signed a deal to help U.S.-based Ligado Networks design a private 5G network that uses the Japanese operator’s customizable platform.

The deal has the companies initially working to define a strategy that uses the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP) and corresponding ecosystem to support Ligado’s L-Band spectrum holdings in the 1.6 GHz band. That work is set to begin this quarter and will target a 5G private network targeted at enterprise customers.

Rakuten unveiled its RCP plans late last year. The platform is a combination of the operator’s various technical and intellectual property that it’s using to construct its software-centric network in Japan. The RCP model is focused on mobile operators, enterprises interested in private networks, and governments.

Rakuten began demonstrating the RCP platform in August and claims it reduces capex for mobile operators by 40% and opex by 30%. Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani, at the time, said the global market for a platform like RCP, including traditional network costs for mobile operators, reaches up to $375 billion annually.

Details on the work with Ligado remain light, though that should be expected considering Ligado’s history.

Ligado currently provides mobile satellite service to government and commercial users in North America. It has been working with the federal government for years to use its spectrum assets to provide terrestrial service that can also tie into its satellite offering.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last month voted to deny a petition from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that would prevent Ligado from commencing work with its spectrum holdings. NTIA had argued that the work would impact government GPS use. That FCC vote came one day before the agency’s previous head stepped down in alignment with the presidential administration change.

Ligado’s spectrum concerns have been a long-running issue within the cellular community. Under its previous incarnation as LightSquared, it fought with the GPS community over potential interference issues in using its spectrum holdings for a terrestrial network. It eventually struck deals with a number of commercial entities in that community but also struggled through a complicated bankruptcy process and various attempts to partner with carriers and vendors to build out a cellular network.