Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

Rakuten Mobile also sees the USA as a potential next step. That’s why it’s important to see how well they do in their home region. When they launch in the United States, whose service will they resell? Will it be AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile / Sprint?

As you can see, there are many questions about this new service. Being a Rakuten service and having the billionaire Mickey Mikitani heading the organization, this could be a home run in Japan and in the USA when it launches here.

So, will Rakuten Mobile be a success in Japan and in the USA? Only time will tell. Let’s keep our eyes on this because they will come to the US marketplace.

Good luck to Mickey Mikitani and to Rakuten Mobile. Now may be the right time for lightning to strike!

https://www.equities.com/news/...-launch-has-clues-for-usa-jeff-kagan
Less  

Our research shows that certain hedge funds do have great stock picking skills (and we can identify these hedge funds in advance pretty accurately), so let’s take a glance at the smart money sentiment towards Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT).

Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) investors should pay attention to an increase in hedge fund interest of late. LYFT was in 45 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the fourth quarter of 2019. There were 35 hedge funds in our database with LYFT positions at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that LYFT isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds (click for Q4 rankings and see the video below for Q3 rankings).

For example we recently identified a stock that trades 25% below the net cash on its balance sheet.

At the end of the fourth quarter, a total of 45 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of 29% from one quarter earlier.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...started-warming-lyft-001159254.html  

im Text genannten Preis noch einmal eine von der Panik erzeugte Halbierung:

https://www.fool.de/2020/03/17/...f-tiefststaenden/?rss_use_excerpt=1  

Lyft Stops Adding New Drivers in Major Cities as Demand Falls
Bloomberg•March 18, 2020

In a bid to prop up earnings for existing drivers as the coronavirus freezes normal activity, Lyft Inc. said Wednesday it will stop adding new drivers to its platform.

The temporary policy is going into effect immediately in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and other regions hardest hit by the virus and will be extended to other areas as needed, said the second-largest ride-hailing company in the U.S.

The move comes a day after both Lyft and Uber Technologies Inc. suspended shared rides, which allowed people headed in the same direction to ride together and cut costs. Drivers concerned about the virus spreading had been lobbying to remove the option, which didn’t follow social distancing guidelines from public health officials.

Spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna said Lyft was “coordinating with government officials on additional solutions,” including federal stimulus dollars for drivers to help make up the difference. Lyft is also exploring ways to have drivers boost earnings by delivering food or medical supplies.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...started-warming-lyft-001159254.html
 

Diese Cashpositionen, die ich in #4917 angeführt hatte, übersteigen die momentane Marktkapitalisierung  von ca. 4,5 Milliarden Dollar.

Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 358,319
Short-term investments 2,491,805
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 397,239
Total current assets 3,247,363
Restricted cash and cash equivalents 204,976
Restricted investments 1,361,045  

Schätzungen - obwohl es hier zeitweise m.E. noch weiter nach unten gehen wird.

„Spending on Lyft and Uber has been falling across the U.S. in the last couple weeks, mirroring slowdowns in other countries during the virus outbreak. Each company saw a decline of about 20% last week compared with the week before, according to Edison Trends, a research firm.“

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...adding-drivers-major-160000217.html  

In a bid to prop up earnings for existing drivers as the coronavirus freezes normal activity, Lyft Inc. said Wednesday it will stop adding new drivers to its platform in many cities. Uber Technologies Inc. said it slashed nearly all marketing campaigns designed to recruit drivers and is evaluating whether to follow Lyft in limiting the ability for workers to sign up.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...adding-drivers-major-160000217.html
 

Shal5 days ago
Wallstreet trading lyft ad if it's going bankrupt. Take it from a lyft driver, business is still running.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LYFT/community?p=LYFT  

likely targeting Dish

Japan's Rakuten is just weeks away from its scheduled commercial launch of a virtualized, open radio access network (RAN) mobile offering that the company has said represents a dramatic overhaul in how wireless networks are constructed and managed.

And later this year, the company plans to package its new mobile strategy into a product that it will sell to other companies worldwide.

"We are packing now all the lessons learned, all the experiences, into our new containerized, cloud platform that we call RMP," Tareq Amin, Rakuten Mobile's chief technology officer, told Light Reading. "We could deploy this as a private cloud deployment for prospective future partners in which you make deploying telco networks in the future as simple as click, purchase, deploy. This is what we envision is going to happen. We're pushing and investing really, really hard in materializing this technology."

RMP is Rakuten Mobile Platform, and it basically contains all of the elements that collectively make up the service that the e-commerce giant plans to launch commercially in Japan next month. The company's platform stretches from the software powering its 4G and 5G antennas to the OSS and BSS systems handling its customer billing and activation systems to its edge computing and autonomous network management functions.

Rakuten's Amin explained that RMP will be sold through an "app store concept" where partners, customers and vendors can pick and choose what they want to work with.

https://www.lightreading.com/ai-automation/...ting-dish/d/d-id/758282  

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/update/2020/...ategory=corp%20ec  

of the future

By Cristina Constandache-18 March 2020 09:46am

Consistently, consumers have shown that they prefer rich media messaging over plain text. The ability to send videos and images has elevated messaging apps like Rakuten Viber from a free and simple way to stay in touch to a truly immersive communications platform. And for enterprises, it has moved them past the simple one-way text alerts to true two-way communication.

This has enormous potential for the service industry. Instead of noting down your gas meter reading, downloading your energy provider’s app or logging in to their website and entering the digits there, why not just message them a photo of the meter? There’s a date and timestamp, a paper trail as to what was sent and when, photographic evidence in case of any dispute. And it’s a lot easier than downloading yet another app or logging into an online account.

https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2020/03/18/...r-experience-the-future  

Is Rakuten pioneering new ground for the telecoms industry?
18 March 2019

The company believes that the reimagined network will help them shift away from reliance on dedicated hardware and legacy infrastructure. It will consist entirely of software running on standardized low-cost hardware, rather than the expensive proprietary hardware that most cellular networks depend upon.

In a recent whitepaper from the 5G-PPP Software Networking Group, it highlighted the importance of a cloud-native approach for service providers to boost competitiveness and quickly deliver new ideas to their customers. It allows companies to build and run applications covering service architectures, infrastructure-as-code, automation, continuous integration, delivery pipelines, and monitoring tools, just to name a few.

Of course, the shift to cloud-native mindset, especially for the telecom sector, is not easy and takes a phased approach to reap full benefits. If successfully implemented, though, the transformation could bring unprecedented speed, agility, and resilience in service development and management process.

https://techhq.com/2019/03/...ile-network-the-way-forward-for-telcos/
 

Uber Says It's Begun Rebounding From Coronavirus Plunge

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says ride-hailing provider Uber is "already seeing the worst" and is seeing "recovery" in some places.

MAR 19, 2020 11:17 AM EDT

Uber Technologies UBER shares on Thursday rose after Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said the ride-hailing company was rebounding from the plunge in business it had suffered from the coronavirus pandemic.

“We believe we’re already seeing the worst of the impact and the recovery in some places,” Khosrowshahi said in a call with analysts, according to CNBC. “Once things start moving, Uber will, too.”

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/...g-company-beginning-to-rebound  

UBS’s Sheridan slashed his price target for Lyft to $30 from $64 and maintained his buy rating, The Fly reports.

The target reduction stems from his view that the industry will suffer in the first and second quarters. But he sees Lyft as attractive long term, just like Uber, as one of the two dominant players in the industry.

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/...mp;cm_ven=YAHOO&yptr=yahoo
 

Digital: Viber Doubles the Maximum Number of Group Call Participants for Work From Home Employees Amid COVID-19

adobo magazine

March 19, 2020

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Philippines is now in a state of public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. encouraged companies to consider adapting a work-from-home scheme to control the spread of the virus, and several have followed suit.
In fact, working from home has never been a more realistic option. People can work remotely with their computers and smartphones, staying as productive as ever while keeping themselves safe. With apps like Viber, for instance, you can work-from-home with maximum efficiency and punctuality. Here are just some of the ways the popular messaging app can help you get things done amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Have meetings through group call. Since COVID-19 can spread easily in large groups, it’s best to restrict your company brainstorming sessions to voice calls. Group calls are a great way to bypass the risk of meetings. Viber recently doubled the number of people who could participate in group calls to help everyone stay connected despite COVID-19. Now, Viber group calls can support up to 10 people at once—enough room for even the most important meetings.

https://www.adobomagazine.com/digital-news/...mployees-amid-covid-19/  

March 20, 2020

Rakuten TV is extending its catalogue within its Free section. The platform said it wants to accompany people at home who are looking for entertainment, by offering over 150 movies at no cost to audiences across Europe through its AVoD channel.

Additionally, viewers will also be able to access further free content in the Free section, which includes the newly launched Kids TV channel dedicated to children’s entertainment content, which contains titles such as Shaun The Sheep, Molang and Glumpers, and Rakuten Stories, the channel which compiles Rakuten TV´s exclusive and original content. Among this content Rakuten TV users will find documentaries about some of the world’s biggest sports personalities, including the official TV series of world-renowned football club FC Barcelona in Matchday – Inside FC Barcelona, Inside Kilian Jornet and MessiCirque, which blends the magic of Cirque du Soleil and the world´s best football player Messi in an extraordinary show as documented in this behind the scenes feature. Plus, the highly anticipated documentary about the football legend Iniesta, Andrés Iniesta – The Unexpected Hero, which is soon to be released for free on the platform.

https://advanced-television.com/2020/03/20/...s-over-150-free-titles/  

Viber improves capabilities for coronavirus
Nicholas Pongratz
Sunday, March 15, 2020, 09:30

Viber, the cross-platform voice over IP and instant messaging software application operated by Japanese multinational company Rakuten, says it has increased development resources to meet the growing needs of families, colleagues and schools for virtual contact.

https://bbj.hu/news/viber-improves-capabilities-for-coronavirus_179736
 

Deeper Dive—Rakuten Viki built a huge streaming service on community, rewards
by
Ben Munson |
Jan 24, 2020 9:54am

Rakuten Viki has grown into a massive streaming video service by using community building and a rewards system.

The service offers Asian dramas, comedies and other series, and draws on a community of users to help translate and subtitle the content. The name Viki is a play on words, a combination of video and wiki. It’s that community user management format that allows Rakuten Viki to translate its content into more than 200 languages.

Makoto Yasuda, chief operating officer at Rakuten Viki, said the service has 24 million registered members – the company doesn’t share subscriber totals – and is growing 40% year over year. Rakuten Viki is a hybrid ad-supported/subscription service. That means users can get free access to episodes with ads; the first two are free but then users have to wait for three weeks to get more episodes. However, if users want earlier access to episodes, they can become subscribers. Yasuda said this model has led to both subscriber and advertising revenue growing “significantly” on an annual basis.

https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/...eaming-service-community-rewards
 

JANUARY 16, 2020 / 5:36 AM /
Japan's Rakuten, Walmart's Seiyu to open logistics site as online sales jump

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese online retailer Rakuten (4755.T) and Walmart’s (WMT.N) Seiyu said they plan to open a new logistics site in Yokohama later this year to deal with growing sales from their joint online supermarket business.

Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper’s sales between late October through the end of December rose 30% from a year earlier, the companies said in a joint statement on Thursday.

Internet grocery shopping has been slow to take off in Japan, where consumers are accustomed to shopping daily for fresh produce. But Seiyu and bigger rival Aeon Co (8267.T) expect change ahead due to growing numbers of working women, and advancements in technology and logistics networks.

https://www.reuters.com/article/...as-online-sales-jump-idUSKBN1ZF0D7
 

businesses with Rakuten’s media properties, advertisers and agencies

Rakuten Advertising CEO Nick Stamos said: “Through the unification of Rakuten’s performance and data businesses and our new collaboration with our media properties, advertisers and agencies can now go to one place to access a rich combination of audiences, media, content networks and consumer insights.

The new company brings together Rakuten Marketing’s expansive affiliate network, programmatic retargeting and prospecting technology with consumer insights from Rakuten Intelligence, and a unique set of global media properties so that brands can discover rich audiences and build enduring relationships including Rakuten TV, Rakuten Viber, Rakuten Viki and Rakuten France.

Marketers will also have access to one of the largest global performance marketing networks in the industry, named “Best Affiliate Network” by the International Performance Marketing Awards (IPMAs) and, by mThink for the ninth year in a row.  This network operates today in more than 200 countries and regions around the world. Rakuten Advertising’s vast performance marketing network provides seamless access into new markets with relationships, technology and expertise to launch a program on the ground efficiently and expeditiously.

https://www.bandt.com.au/rakuten-launches-rakuten-advertising/
 

da Lyft im Gegensatz zu Uber keine Unternehmen gekauft hat wie Uber im Fall von Careem, was einen Teil der langfristigen Schulden von Uber verursacht haben dürfte.

Thursday, Uber Technologies (ticker: UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) staged a monumental turnaround after Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told investors that the company is “well positioned to weather this crisis and to emerge even stronger.” While noting that rides are down 60%-70% in markets like Seattle that have been hard hit by the virus, he pointed out that the company had $10 billion in unrestricted cash as of the end of February and an untouched $2 billion revolving credit line. None of the company’s $5.7 billion in long-term debt is due before 2023.

Khosrowshahi said on a conference call that even in a scenario where Uber’s core rides business falls 80% for the rest of the year, the company should finish the year with $4 billion in unrestricted cash, not including access to $2 billion from a revolving credit line. Uber shares rallied nearly 40% on Thursday, and Lyft rallied 29%.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/...4581?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo  

https://www.owler.com/company/codashop  

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/innovation/rnn/2020/2003_030/  

https://global.rakuten.com/corp/innovation/rnn/2020/2003_030/  

Abel Avellan wants to connect your mobile phone to space
6 days ago

In the not-so-distant future, Rakuten Mobile users could be connecting directly to space.  

To coincide with the official reveal of Rakuten Mobile launch plans for April, Rakuten also announced its investment in space cellular broadband network startup AST & Science. The company is in the process of launching a revolutionary cellular network called SpaceMobile — a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites that will bring connectivity directly to smartphones on the ground, without the need for special hardware or terrestrial base stations.

I met [Rakuten CEO] Mickey [Mikitani] and I think we both realized very quickly that this partnership is clearly worth making happen.

Right now we have raised $128 million with Rakuten leading the investment. We’re 100% focused on the technology, on building, tweaking and launching the first satellites.

At the same time, Rakuten Mobile is exceptionally well-prepared to go overseas. It has a very strong brand, very strong capability, and is actually breaking into one of the most difficult cellular markets. If they can do that in Japan, I’m sure they can do it anywhere.

https://rakuten.today/tech-innovation/...r-mobile-phone-to-space.html