Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

Hiroshi Mikitani Gains $760 Million After Rakuten’s First Mobile Network Deal In Europe

By Forbes Journal 23 hours ago

Rakuten founder and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani added $760 million to his net worth on Thursday as shares of his Japanese e-commerce giant soared on the back of its first mobile network deal in Europe.
The Tokyo-based company announced that it would provide its low-cost virtual 5G telecoms technology to German wireless carrier 1&1. Rakuten will receive between $2.29 billion and $2.74 billion over the next 10 years through the deal, reported Nikkei Asia.

Shares of Rakuten jumped about 8% to 1,358 yen ($12.4) on Thursday. Mikitani’s fortune now stands at $7.7 billion on the Real-Time Billionaires List, making him the sixth-richest person in Japan.
In 2019, Mikitani invested $5.5 billion to launch a new telecom network and disrupt Japan’s three-way mobile phone oligopoly: KKDI, NTT Docomo and Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank by providing a cheaper and more flexible network called radio access network (RAN).

Contrary to traditional networks, which are often provided overall by one network supplier, RAN’s network functions are in the cloud and are run by software. RAN can slash operating and maintenance costs by at least 30% and can provide operators with the flexibility to work with different manufacturers, since it is free from hardware-vendor lock-in.

https://theforbesjournal.com/...-first-mobile-network-deal-in-europe/

 

https://www.heise.de/news/...tz-mit-Rakuten-und-Open-RAN-6155499.html  

THE TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS OF THE RISING NETWORK Rakuten and Accenture Fireside Chat with Tareq Amin, Francesco Venturini and Tunc Yorulmaz

VIDEOTRANSCRIPT

https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-159/...ranscript-Final-SB.pdf  

https://www.4g.de/news/11-mobilfunk-netz-rakuten-12292/  

https://www.telcotitans.com/telefonicawatch/...nvestment/3589.article  

“RCP is it is not only a set of cloud native network building blocks, but access to a knowledge base of what Rakuten have already achieved in Japan, that aspect of the proposition can’t be underestimated. 1&1 Drillisch has been an MVNO, which is where Rakuten started in consumer mobile, but the transition to being a network operator is a big leap, so it makes perfect sense for 1&1 to take this route and avoid the costly trial and error themselves,” says Ramsay.

Nevertheless, 1&1’s new partnership raises fresh questions about how vendors should approach their relationship with Rakuten.

“On the software side, Rakuten has been building a partner base of OSS/BSS/network vendors to deploy cloud native microservice architected solutions as part of their new deployments. So new deals like this certainly strengthen the value proposition for vendors to enter into partner arrangements with Rakuten rather than see the RCP as just an outright competitor,” says Ramsay."

https://inform.tmforum.org/...n-for-german-5g-open-ran-network-build/
 

Viber ranked second, used by over one-half of Russians who had it installed on their devices
Social media messengers usage index in Russia 2020

Published by A. Melkadze, Jul 19, 2021

In 2020, WhatsApp was the most popular social media messenger in Russia, with a usage index of 84 percent. Viber ranked second, used by over one-half of Russians who had it installed on their devices. The usage index of one of WhatsApp's main competitors in the region - Telegram, was at 41 percent.


https://www.statista.com/statistics/1110818/...ngers-on-social-media/
 

1&1 will mit Rakuten schnelles Mobilfunknetz aufbauen

04.08.2021 - 21:17 Uhr
Die United-Internet-Tochter will zusammen mit dem japanischen Technologiekonzern ihr 5G-Netz in Deutschland spannen. Und auch sonst gibt sich das Unternehmen optimistisch.
Maintal (dpa) - Der Telekommunikationsanbieter 1&1 macht Ernst mit dem Aufbau seines 5G-Mobilfunknetzes.

Gemeinsam mit dem japanischen Internetunternehmen Rakuten solle das europaweit erste vollständig virtualisierte Mobilfunknetz auf Basis des offenen Standards "Open RAN" geschaffen werden, teilte die United-Internet-Tochter in Maintal mit.

Konkret solle Rakuten die aktiven Netzbestandteile installieren und für die Gesamtperformance des Netzes verantwortlich sein. 1&1 bekomme Zugriff auf die Steuerungsplattform. Der Bau des 1&1-Netzes solle im kommenden Quartal beginnen.

"Open RAN" (Radio Access Network) verspricht den Abbau technologischer Barrieren, die bisher den Markt abgeschottet haben. Durch den neuen offenen Standard sollen Komponenten der Mobilfunknetze herstellerübergreifend kompatibel werden. "Open RAN" ist also eine Art Architektur, die Betreibern erlaubt, Zubehör von verschiedenen Anbietern zu nutzen. Bisher gibt es hier nur geschlossene Systeme.

https://www.freenet.de/digitalewelt/news/...auen_8465860_4735998.html

 

Your estimate of value of Cabify after yo had read the following story about Didi?

https://min.news/en/tech/9f62f0e8e796da946746afa99185acc4.html  

Bells and whistles: Rakuten CEO sees massive upside for Symphony, software and services

News AnalysisPHIL HARVEY, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading 8/5/2021

Rakuten Group CEO Mickey (Hiroshi) Mikitani said on Wednesday that he sees the entire addressable market for its new Rakuten Symphony business as exceeding $100 billion a year, worldwide, as the company aims to offer its network and software as a service to telecom operators, enterprises and governments.

That's a tall order for a company that has yet to break even on its own network yet, but the company believes in its ability to turn its network and e-commerce smarts into products that would benefit telecom carriers and businesses of all kinds.

Mikitani, speaking on a conference call with journalists and analysts, reiterated that Rakuten Symphony, announced Wednesday, brings together all of the software and services that made up the company's 4G and 5G infrastructure and platform solutions, including its Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP).

The promise of dominance

Rakuten's Global CTO, Tareq Amin, said the Symphony business unit included its unified cloud (cloud infrastructure and orchestration), network functions (the RAN, the core and the edge), intelligent operations (OSS and network orchestration), digital experience (the BSS and digital marketplace), as well as "the larger ecosystem of Rakuten itself," referring to its e-commerce properties, Internet services, gaming platforms and payment and finance consumer businesses.

Rakuten's vast collection of network operations and consumer-facing Internet services is now available as individual software subscriptions or as part of a larger network-as-a-service offering, the executives said.

"I think when you look at the potential opportunity, we think it's substantial. And we are certainly not entering this platform business to be a secondary supplier," Amin said to Light Reading on the call. "We want to really compete, and do a good job for our future customers to dominate this market."

https://www.lightreading.com/ossbsscx/...e-and-services/d/d-id/771302  

Rakuten plays a hybrid tune with its Symphony, spies $100B+ market

By Ray Le Maistre

Aug 5, 2021

Symphony heralds the introduction of what, in effect, is a new hybrid company for the telco cloud era: By combining all of its “telco products, services and solutions under a single global banner to offer 4G and 5G infrastructure and platform solutions to customers worldwide,” Rakuten is now a network operator, retail mobile service provider, international systems integrator (it currently has operations across Japan, the US, Singapore, India, Europe and the Middle East & Africa region) and technology vendor, all rolled into one.

Those telco products and services include: The functionality on offer via its Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP), the cloud native communications networking platform that includes Open RAN and core software – some of it Rakuten’s own, including the Altiostar vRAN software, and some of it from third parties such as Airspan, NEC, Fujitsu, RADCOMand more – network automation and orchestration tools, OSS capabilities from Rakuten-owned Innoeye and Rakuten’s cloud infrastructure; and Rakuten’s existing R&D, sales, marketing and delivery resources that are focused on the global telco segment. Rakuten Symphony CEO Tareq Amin, well known to date as Rakuten’s CTO, has stated previously that a key principle of Rakuten’s pitch to other operators will be pricing transparency, something he says is lacking in the current telecom industry.

Talking to Bloomberg TV, Mikitani stated that there is plenty of international demand for new mobile network options including the kind of package deal Symphony is offering. “Now, because of tension between China and US, the demand for new solutions for 5G mobile networks is significant. The existing approach is too expensive for carriers... even the large global telcos are looking for Open RAN solutions and we are definitely the frontrunner in this field... I think we have a couple of years of headstart advantage at least, so this is going to be really significant.:

And what is the market worth? “In terms of addressable market, it will be US$100-150 billion in two or three years.”

Woah. Big number, Mickey! But it’s worth noting that Rakuten has stated previously that at least 16 companies have been engaging with Rakuten about RCP, including major telecom industry names such as Etisalat.

https://www.telecomtv.com/content/open-ran/...pies-100b-market-42136/  

Rakuten’s Disruption-as-a-Service business tunes up for global domination.

Even Tareq Amin struggled (momentarily) to explain the category that the newly revealed Rakuten Symphony entity fits into. Part SI, part ISV, with both telcos and non-telcos as customers, selling its own technology as well as reselling the products of third parties in its ecosystem, it’s like nothing the telecom industry has seen before.

As a new distinct company – because that’s what it is – Rakuten Symphony emerges with:
• A private cloud platform (its unified cloud)
• Network functions
• Intelligent Operations (OSS, more or less)
• Billing (BSS, more or less)
• An ecosystem of well-known, well-regarded third parties, from silicon to software, signed-up as partners

More than that, it is the only vendor who can claim first-hand, operational knowledge of running a large-scale network for telecom based entirely on open principles. They really did write the book on this. As CEO Micky Mikitani put it: “Everyone is talking about open RAN. But the only ORAN running in the world is Rakuten. We will be the front runner and the major player for this new standard – and profitable.”

https://appledoreresearch.com/2021/08/05/...-disruption-as-a-service/  

Pinterest partners with Rakuten Advertising to monetize Idea Pins

As content creators continue to influence brand and product discovery, Pinterest has partnered with Rakuten Advertising on new ways to monetize the platform.

On July 27th, Pinterest launched shoppable Idea Pins to allow creators to earn commissions through affiliate programs across networks including Rakuten Advertising and ShopStyle Collective. This partnership creates seamless opportunities for brands to reach, engage and convert consumers throughout their entire shopping journey.

While the new feature helps content creators build and grow their audience, it also allows brands to reach consumers early in their shopping experience, when they first seek out inspiration. Our deep-linking capabilities create a smooth conversion experience for shoppers, and track app installs, leads and conversions, so brands can see success across the consumer journey. Brands can also deliver personalized offers to our network of over 150,000 active publishers in real-time through our proprietary API.

https://blog.rakutenadvertising.com/news/...sing-pinterest-affiliate/  

Virtual network deal with 1&1 seen worth more than $2bn

5G NETWORKS

Rakuten to export low-cost 5G tech to German telecom

TOKYO -- Rakuten Group has agreed to export its low-cost virtual 5G telecommunications technology to German wireless carrier 1&1, the Japanese tech conglomerate said Wednesday, in a deal believed to be worth more than $2 billion.

1&1, a relative newcomer in the telecom industry, represents the first client to fully adopt Rakuten's virtual network tech, which will support 5G communication. Rakuten won contracts to design, maintain and operate the network.

Rakuten will receive between 250 billion yen and 300 billion yen ($2.29 billion and $2.74 billion) over the next 10 years through the deal, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Subsidiary Rakuten Mobile has been researching and developing virtualized network technology, which is expected to reduce maintenance and operation costs by approximately 40%. The carrier views the technology as its trump card for succeeding in the wireless business that launched last year.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/5G-networks/...ch-to-German-telecom  

05 August 2020

Member Guest Blog – Rakuten Advertising’s AVOD: The Time is Now Report

Author: Chris Edwards, Director, Business Development EMEA, Rakuten Advertising

AVOD is a free-to-view video-on-demand service funded by ads. It is distinguished from other VOD services that involve a monthly subscription (subscription-based video-on-demand: SVOD) or offer content on a pay-per-view basis (transaction-based video-on-demand: TVOD).
The time is now for AVOD. Research from Digital TV Research predicts the market will more than double globally by 2024 to reach $56bn*. The outbreak of coronavirus also means people have been spending more time indoors which could prompt even more people to consume AVOD content.

This Rakuten Advertising study uncovers the AVOD opportunity for advertisers and agencies. The research examines awareness of AVOD and favourability towards the service by surveying almost 5,000 consumers in six countries across Europe: the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. It reveals how brands can use the channel to reach audiences, both during lockdown and beyond.

Key findings

AVOD provides an opportunity for brands

There is a clear opportunity for brands to reach audiences via AVOD services – 60% of consumers in the UK said they are very likely or somewhat likely to sign up for an AVOD service; 51% in France; 62% in Germany; 71% in Spain; 66% in Italy and 48% in the Netherlands.

AVOD builds on the popularity of VOD
VOD services are second only to traditional TV as the most popular channel to view video content. 30% of people use VOD, placing these services well ahead of video sites (11%) and social media (10%). With consumer appetite for AVOD clear, the VOD audience could be converted to viewing AVOD services specifically.

The impact of coronavirus is set to drive more people to use AVOD services
Once coronavirus is brought under control, 78% of people across Europe believe their use of AVOD will increase or remain the same.

Effective advertising can play a role in growing the scale of AVOD
49% of people say ads that are funny, engaging or entertaining would increase their likeliness of viewing an AVOD service

AVOD can help fill consumers’ content gap
Currently, 64% of people across Europe believe they are missing out on content. This is particularly the case in Spain, where 76% of people feel they are missing out on content. Ad-supported video on demand gives consumers the opportunity to explore what they’re missing out on without having to commit to any additional spend. For those consumers that watch major sporting events, 26% said they would be interested in streaming them on an AVOD service when this was described to them, placing this ahead of all other streaming options, including pay-per-view and monthly subscription services.

https://iabeurope.eu/blog/...dvertisings-avod-the-time-is-now-report/  

Rakuten äußert sich am 11.08.2021 zu den Geschäftsergebnissen des am 30.06.2021 abgelaufenen Quartals.











1 Analyst erwartet beim EPS einen Verlust von -31,000 JPY je Aktie. Ein Jahr zuvor waren 5,79 JPY je Aktie erzielt worden.

Im Vergleich zum Vorjahreszeitraum soll Rakuten in dem im Juni abgelaufenen Quartal eine Umsatzsteigerung von 13,42 Prozent verbucht haben. Den Umsatz sehen 4 Analysten durchschnittlich bei 393,94 Milliarden JPY im Vergleich zu 347,33 Milliarden JPY im Vorjahresquartal.

Auf das gesamte laufende Fiskaljahr blickend, rechnen 13 Analysten im Schnitt mit einem Verlust von -96,695 JPY je Aktie. Im Vorjahr war hier ein Verlust von -84,000 JPY je Aktie vermeldet worden. Den Umsatz taxieren 11 Analysten durchschnittlich auf 1.650,05 Milliarden JPY, gegenüber 1.455,54 Milliarden JPY im Vorjahr.

Redaktion finanzen.net

https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/...rtalsergebnisse-10423625  

Wann wird diese Krücke mal auch nur 1 YEN Gewinn schreiben ?????

Ob wir das noch erleben werden ?????

Vor allem wenn man schon etwas über 40 Jahre alt ist.  

https://www.onlinekosten.de/news/...asierte-infrastruktur_225533.html
 

Most mobile operators looking for help with open RAN adoption

Heavy Lifting Analyst Notes SIMON STANLEY 7/14/2021

„At Light Reading's "Accelerating Open RAN Platforms Operator Survey" webinar (view the archive here), Paul Rhodes, OpenRAN and 5G principal consultant at WWT EMEA, said, "If you round it up, you have got 98% saying, in one form or another, they will be looking for external guidance." Rhodes continued, "For some it is looking for a reference architecture, for some it's looking for an off-the-shelf solution, and for some it's very much a case of okay, well we kind of think we got this, but we would really appreciate 'lab as a service' to accelerate our plans."

https://www.lightreading.com/open-ran/...n-ran-adoption/a/d-id/770861  

With its Altiostar Ownership, Rakuten Group Sets the Beginning of a New CSP Era

Abstract

With its Altiostar Ownership, Rakuten Group Sets the Beginning of a New CSP Era: the Cost-efficient Vertically Integrated Cloud Connectivity Provider for All

With the August 4, 2021 announcement titled “Rakuten Group to Acquire Mobile Industry Innovator Altiostar,” Rakuten is taking full ownership of the open virtualized RAN (vRAN) pure-play market leader Altiostar. This deal does not come as a surprise because it is just a logical step forward to deliver on Rakuten Group’s vision of becoming the world’s first cost-efficient vertically integrated cloud connectivity provider for all, including communications service providers (CSPs), enterprises, governments, and consumers. In addition, Rakuten was already a lead investor in Altiostar along with Cisco, Excelestar Ventures, and Tech Mahindra; other investors included Qualcomm, Fidelity, and Telefónica. Now, technically Altiostar is set to come under the larger Rakuten Group umbrella as a wholly owned subsidiary with the purchase of the remaining Altiostar shares by Rakuten Americas—the North American division of Rakuten Group. Let’s look at the birth of the Cost-efficient Vertically Integrated Cloud Connectivity Provider. After all, Altiostar is Rakuten’s biggest innovative technologies asset to start with and with open vRAN shaping up as a big opportunity, they have decided that it is better to bring it in house and capitalize.

COST-EFFICIENT IS STRAIGHT FORWARD

Since Day 1, Rakuten Mobile made it clear it had no appetite to build a mobile network the old traditional way and truly embraced the concepts of virtualization, cloudification, and openness in a multi-vendor approach that chooses from and mixes the best of breed specialists available in the marketplace. As the RAN piece typically accounts for more than 70% of the total cost of building a mobile network, Altiostar’s open vRAN approach was a the obvious choice. In our July 2021 White Paper produced in association with Altiostar (https://www.altiostar.com/news-events/blog/), we found that Rakuten Mobile’s total open vRAN network build-out capex was 40% lower than that of a traditional RAN, and its opex is 30% lower.

LightCounting subscribers can access the full text of this research note by logging into their accounts.

https://www.lightcounting.com/research-note/...g-of-a-new-csp-era-166  

My estimates for Q2/2021 (JPY bn)

Core Business (Includes Ichiba, Travel, Rakuten Rewards (Ebates), Card, Bank, Life Insurance, etc)
Revenue 295
Operating Income 45

Non-recurring / Investments ( Includes Securities, General Insurance and Investment Business)
Revenue 37
Operating Income 60

Future Growth Investments (Includes Logistics-related investments, Mobile, Payment, NBA broadcasting rights, Rakuten Rewards (Ebates) rebranding costs, etc)
Revenue 120
Operating Income -110

Consolidated
Revenue 400
Operating Income - 5  

dabei ist, könnte es letztendlich auch so aussehen:

My estimates for Q2/2021 (JPY bn)

Core Business (Includes Ichiba, Travel, Rakuten Rewards (Ebates), Card, Bank, Life Insurance, etc)
Revenue 295
Operating Income 45

Non-recurring / Investments ( Includes Securities, General Insurance and Investment Business)
Revenue 37
Operating Income 5

Future Growth Investments (Includes Logistics-related investments, Mobile, Payment, NBA broadcasting rights, Rakuten Rewards (Ebates) rebranding costs, etc)
Revenue 120
Operating Income -110

Consolidated
Revenue 400
Operating Income - 60  

Rakuten “Rakuma” starts smartphone purchase service, purchase of junk items is also OK

Rakuten announced on January 25 that it will start a used smartphone purchase service on the flea market app “Rakuma”.

Smartphone purchase service

In the popular flea market app “Rakuma” operated by Rakuten, the smartphone purchase service “Rakuma used smartphone purchase” has started.

According to Rakuten, the procedure from application to smartphone assessment and payment after purchase is completed within the Rakuma app, and the purchase price is paid with Rakuten’s online electronic money “Rakuten Cash”.

You can check the estimated purchase price of your smartphone in advance from the dedicated page in the app, and after entering the application information, if you perform the identity verification procedure, the “purchase kit” will be delivered to your home.

When the applicant sends the smartphone using the purchase kit, a specialist company checks the condition and assesses the actual purchase amount.

After the appraisal, the app will notify you of the purchase amount, and if you approve the purchase, Rakuten cash equivalent to the appraisal amount will be given to the applicant’s Rakuten ID.

In addition, Rakuten says that if data remains on the target smartphone, a specialist company will delete it.
Junk items can also be purchased

In Lakuma’s smartphone purchase service, “junk items” that have problems such as screen cracking and not starting are also targeted for purchase.

Rakuma has announced that it will buy the junk iPhone 8 for 900 yen and the iPhone X for 2,000 yen for a limited time from January 25th. The end time is undecided.

Rakuten has stated that it will promote the reuse of handsets through Rakuma’s smartphone purchase service and contribute to the formation of a recycling-oriented society.

Globally, the market for used smartphones that have been maintained in 2020 was sluggish, while the market for used smartphones is said to expand to 65 billion yen in 2024. May expand further.

Source: Rakuten / PR Times

https://iphonewired.com/news/60392/  

DISH continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G broadband network

DISH Network reports second quarter 2021 financial results

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) reported revenue totaling $4.49 billion for the quarter ending June 30, 2021, compared to $3.19 billion for the corresponding period in 2020.

Net income attributable to DISH Network totaled $671 million for the second quarter 2021, compared to $452 million from the year-ago quarter.

DISH continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G broadband network.

https://www.finanzen.ch/nachrichten/aktien/...cial-results-1030707815
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Rakuten CEO on 1&1 Partnership, Chip Shortage, Olympics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dADrkHjOwRI