Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

Rakuten Mobile will Rakuten Hand für 0 Yen real verkaufen

2021/01/07

Rakuten Mobile Co., Ltd. wird eine Kampagne starten, um bis zu 24.999 Rakuten Points zurückzugeben und dieses Produkt für 0 Yen real für diejenigen zu verkaufen, die rakuten UN-LIMIT V und das originalraatn Hand-Smartphone am selben Tag auf rakuten mobile, einem Mobilfunkanbieter() unterzeichnet und gekauft haben.

https://active.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/r/19/RSP602809_07012021/
 

STC Picks Altiostar to Test Open RAN Network in MENA

By Telecomdrive Bureau January 6, 2021

STC, in collaboration with its partners STC Solutions and Altiostar, became the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to run live O-RAN sessions.

O-RAN is a revolutionary technology that promises to change the landscape of wireless service offerings. O-RAN runs on virtualized and modular software cloud-based technologies, delivering solutions in a quick and efficient manner.

With O-RAN, STC will provide the foundation for next-generation wireless networks, improving the quality of many real-time services and enabling an endless number of use cases in a fully virtualized network infrastructure, aiding interoperability, diversity and open ecosystem.

O-RAN will keep STC in line with its strategic drive for a bright digital future aligning with its DARE strategy and being an essential ingredient of the Kingdom’s drive towards digitization, which is an instrumental element of the Kingdom’s 2030 vision.

Eng. Khaled Aldharrab, VP, Infrastructure, STC, said: “Open RAN is a large and crucial part of STC’s future virtualized infrastructure. This technology is promising to change the way we currently think of Network solutions, providing: Openness, disaggregation, speed, efficiency and reduced time to market. The future of Cloud-Native, modular software and Micro-services will go far in addressing the customers high expectations and delivering our future vision.”

https://telecomdrive.com/...tiostar-to-test-open-ran-network-in-mena/  

Altiostar flagged as supplier for Vodafone partner AST SpaceMobile

By Anne Morris
07 Jan 2021

Altiostar, which recently emerged as an open radio access network (RAN) supplier for VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands, could be set to play a role in the Vodafone backed satellite venture AST SpaceMobile.
Tareq Amin, Chief Technology Officer of Japan based operator Rakuten Mobile, indicated in a LinkedIn post that for Japan, Altiostar “will provide the vRAN SW [virtual RAN software] workload for AST”.

Altiostar, AST & Science — the company behind AST SpaceMobile — and Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive of AST & Science, did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.

As things stand, AST & Science has named NEC Platforms, a subsidiary of Japan based NEC Corporation, as a vendor partner for SpaceMobile with a focus on manufacturing space modules for the US based venture’s low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

Altiostar and NEC are partners of Vodafone as well as Rakuten Mobile, whose parent company Rakuten is another key backer of the SpaceMobile venture.

Indeed, NEC has emerged as an open RAN integration frontrunner for Vodafone, which is also working with Mavenir Systems and Parallel Wireless in the open RAN field and is a leading advocate of the OpenRAN Project Group within the Telecom Infra Project.

Avellan also tweeted in early January 2021 that BlueWalker 3, a prototype satellite for the SpaceMobile constellation, is on track to be launched in 2021. The satellite is being built by AST SpaceMobile at their facility in Midland, TX.

As well as being one of AST SpaceMobile’s key commercial partners, Vodafone has a stake in AST & Science.

In mid December 2020, AST SpaceMobile and the Group confirmed plans to launch the first phase of the space based mobile communications service in 2023. The aim is to connect standard mobile phones at 4G and 5G speeds using AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania have been named as among the first countries to receive the service. AST SpaceMobile said it will also apply for regulatory approval to launch the service in India.

The first tranche of the launch plan will involve the use of 20 satellites “that can be accessed by 1.6 billion people”. Vodafone indicated that it “will integrate the technology into the services provided by its Vodacom, Safaricom and Vodafone brands”.

https://www.telcotitans.com/vodafonewatch/...spacemobile/2686.article
 

New suppliers, such as Altiostar, giving us greater flexibility when rolling out our mobile network

20 Oct 2020

VodafoneZiggo, NEC Europe and Altiostar have jointly announced a successful voice call made on an open virtual Radio Access Network (Open RAN) on the Vodafone Netherlands mobile network. A press release said: ‘Open RAN technology is the foundation of next-generation wireless infrastructure driven by innovation and open standards.’ Vodafone Mobile Networks Director Ruud Koeyvoets added: ‘The introduction of the technology enables us to introduce new suppliers, such as Altiostar, giving us greater flexibility when rolling out our mobile network.

During the course of the ongoing trial, Vodafone and NEC intend to integrate solutions of leading Open RAN technology vendors, such as Altiostar and various other radio vendors, including NEC’s own 5G radio products, using commercial off the shelf (COTS) hardware from third parties, enabling Vodafone to transform its network to a software-based one suiting multiple deployment scenarios.

https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2020/10/20/...-virtual-open-ran/  

held before the IPO 5.3%

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/UPST?p=UPST&.tsrc=fin-srch

Since its inception, Upstart Holdings raised $144.10M, the latest round in April 2019 delivering $50M. The key investors include Khosla Ventures (8.40%), First Round (5.20%), Third Point Ventures (19.50%), Collaborative Fund, Rakuten (5.30%), Stone Ridge Trust V (9.10%), Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), The Progressive Corporation, and First National Bank Of Omaha.

https://en.freedom24.com/ipo/upstart-holdings-ipo  

A key product Rakuten has lately promoted heavily is RCP (short for Rakuten Communications Platform), a cloud-native platform combining “the latest technology in virtualization and automation, including containers and microservices”. Rakuten aims to bring what they have learned in Japan to the global market where it can serve CSPs in other markets to “develop open networks”. RCP’s current partners include Telefonica, STC (Saudi Telecom Company), and Tech Mahindra.

Amin believe RCP will have the capability to disrupt the enterprise and private network market too, as it would largely reduce the cost of deployment of private networks. Another offerings to be launched early next year will be the enterprise version of its Rakuten Link (which is consumer facing now), called E-Link (“E” for enterprise). This new business application will have all the features of Zoom (the platform on which this analyst call took place) in addition to carrier mail, cloud storage and other features corporate users would ask for.

RCP’s main platform is ready and will be in the shape to conduct proof of concept implementation by the beginning of next year. When answering Telecoms.com’s question on Rakuten’s investment in Altiostar and the potential conflict of interest when Altiostar is treated differently from other OpenRAN vendors as Rakuten promotes RCP, Amin claimed Altiostar’s technology capabilities are superior, which convinced him to make the investment, and the company has a time to market advantage. However, Amin said, RCP customers will be able to decide whether they want to use Altiostar or they prefer other vendors.

https://telecoms.com/507477/...-record-and-promises-more-disruptions/  

Rakuten Medical to Present at the 39th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on January 11, 2021

SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Medical, Inc. (RMI), a global biotechnology company developing precision-targeted cancer therapies based on its proprietary, anti-cancer treatment platform, Illuminox™, will present at the 39th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference being held virtually January 11-14, 2021.

Rakuten Medical's Chairman and CEO, Hiroshi "Mickey" Mikitani, is scheduled to present virtually at approximately 4:30 a.m. PST, Monday, January 11. A live audio webcast of the presentation can be accessed by following this link. Following the completion of the presentation, a full audio recording will be available in the News section of the Rakuten Medical, Inc website at www.rakuten-med.com and will be archived in this location for 30 days.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...ry-11-2021-301203211.html  

NEC accelerates commercial-ready 5G ecosystem development at its CoE Open RAN laboratory

Collaborating with partners Altiostar, Gigatera, MTI and others, the NEC Center of Excellence can demonstrate benefits of Open RAN to operators worldwide

Tokyo, December 14, 2020 — NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) announced today its establishment of an Open RAN laboratory in India as a complement to its Center of Excellence (CoE) in the U.K.

The facility will accelerate development of NEC’s 5G open ecosystem by pre-integrating partner Open RAN components to form end-to-end commercial-ready solutions according to customer-specific needs. The solutions will undergo end-to-end practical validations on functional/operational performance and quality assurance throughout all layers of the RAN, from network and cloud to service layers. The lab will also be responsible for post deployment trouble-shooting, life cycle management as well as continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) of solutions.
”Altiostar is excited to work with NEC on the CoE lab to promote and demonstrate the significance of Open RAN as operators transition their networks to 5G,” said Pierre Kahhale, Vice President of Field Operations, Altiostar. “We have a strong and growing relationship with NEC, dating to our collaboration on the first cloud-native network at scale in Japan, and continuing with current trials and operator deployment plans across the globe.”

https://www.altiostar.com/...elopment-at-its-coe-open-ran-laboratory/  

for Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP),

Saudi operator STC has teamed up with Altiostar and its in-house integrator, stc Solutions, for a live test of Open RAN technology, claiming to be the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to run live Open RAN sessions on a commercial network. “Open RAN is a large and crucial part of stc’s future virtualized infrastructure,” noted VP of Infrastructure, Khaled Aldharrab, in this company statement. In October last year, STC announced a tie-up with Open RAN pioneer Rakuten Mobile that included planned collaboration on “various technology domains,” including autonomous telco cloud platforms and, of course, all manner of Open RAN use cases and operating models. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Saudi operator is working with Rakuten-owned Altiostar, which specializes in open virtual radio access network software. Could STC become one of the first customers for the Japanese operator’s ambitious Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP), which aims to offer cloud-based Open RAN technology components for use by any network operator that’s interested? It seems a likely candidate.

https://www.telecomtv.com/content/open-ran/...cellnex-ericsson-40537/
 

BUSINESS NEWS
DECEMBER 2, 20205:14 PMUPDATED A MONTH AGO

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish start-up Glovo expects revenue to double this year from last as lockdowns boost its quick delivery service of everything from curries to contact lenses, its co-founder Sacha Michaud told Reuters.

Glovo, which clinched “unicorn” status a year ago when a cash injection led by Abu Dhabi fund Mubadala pushed its valuation past $1 billion, delivered groceries and medicines long before the coronavirus pandemic prompted rivals to expand beyond restaurant meals.

“Consumer habits were ... changing slowly over time but this has accelerated the way consumers start using on-demand,” Michaud said. “This is long-term, what has happened is the pandemic has accelerated (it).”
Each order now generates more revenue than it costs, Michaud said, and while the company has not set a firm target date for turning a net profit, “we are looking at 2022, early 2022.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/...-idUKKBN28C2JV?edition-redirect=uk  

for the business of Rakuten

https://rakuten.today/blog/...ya-hirai-japans-new-digital-agency.html
 

dessen Marktwert ich nach einem IPO auf mindestens zwei Milliarden Dollar schätze - wenn man da die letzten Fintech-IPO's in den USA als Maßstab nimmt.

As of 2020, Acorns has over 8.2 million users and over $3 billion in assets under management.
But is Acorns worth it for new investors? It’s actually a perfect entry into investing. And the company targets a younger demographic for that exact reason.

When you setup an account, Acorns will ask you about your general information and financial goals. Next, it will recommend an ideal portfolio for you that considers your risk tolerance, age and financial timeline.

And it will automatically invest your spare change into the portfolio. This is how it works: Every charge to your bank account will be rounded up to the next dollar and Acorns will invest the difference.
For example, let’s say you have a $9.50 charge to your bank account for lunch. Acorns will round it up to $10.00 and invest the $0.50 difference. There are no account minimums though it’s recommended to load the account with a little money when you sign up.

Acorns All-In-One Features

Acorns rose to stardom due to its spare change investing. However, it has grown into a fully-fledged financial app. So, is Acorns worth it to sign up and begin investing?

The company now offers you the ability to setup your own checking account or save for retirement. In addition, you can invest money for your children through a custodial brokerage account.

There are three different account types, which vary in pricing and give you access to different features. These include:

         •§Lite Account: $1 a month for access to spare change investing, bonus investments and investment education.

         •§Personal Account: $3 a month for all-in-one investing, retirement and checking. You also receive a metal debit card and more.

         •§Family Account: $5 a month for all-in-one investing, retirement, checking and investment accounts for kids. You also have access to exclusive offers and content.

Each account option is relatively cheap in comparison to most robo-advisors and online brokerages. And it’s a great way to learn more about investing and “get your foot in the door” so to speak. Many young investors use Acorns to gain a better understanding of the market while growing their portfolio in the process.

https://investmentu.com/is-acorns-worth-it/
 

Azita Arvani, GM Rakuten Mobile Americas November 2020

https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1123132614139/...w%20Nov%202020%20v3.pdf
 

Rakuten Mobile, Inc., has selected Platform Equinix® as a foundation to deliver its Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP) global

https://books.google.de/...onepage&q=rcp%2C%20rakuten&f=false  

As the first to put virtualization at the core of its business models, it’s unsurprising that all has not been completely plain sailing since the launches. Naysayers were quick to point out the negatives around the company’s 4G offering in Japan – late to launch, didn’t hit predicted subscriber numbers etc., but show me a flawless launch from any telco. The 4G service has been reported as being slow, while the 5G service is currently only available in a few cities across Japan limited to Rakuten’s own branded devices.

However, it’s worth remembering that disruptive innovation is often met by critics. Let’s wind back to 2007 and the launch of the iPhone – the device that revolutionized connectivity. Hindsight obviously is a wonderful thing, but check out these comments at the time from the sceptics. Although the original iPhone lacked many of the features we now take for granted, that single device changed the mobile industry and set the agenda for the future.

Rakuten has that Apple confidence. It is not fazed by its early obstacles and firmly states the business case for cloud. Amin says the 4G network has been built at a CAPEX level about 35% lower compared with the expected cost using ‘traditional’ network systems, while its OpenRAN 5G network is expected to save about 55% on a traditional network.

As Rakuten scales out its own dedicated network, its service will inevitably improve, and a planned upgrade to its 5G service in November is expected to increase speeds in advance of its 5G standalone core network due in 2021.

Rakuten has been completely open about the technology and the partners it is using, as well as its overall progress.

Telcos around the globe will be watching nervously as Rakuten continues on its path of cloud innovation as it heads to the international market – and some are already looking to get in on the action. In September, Rakuten signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telefónica to support and develop open RAN architecture in 5G networks. In October, it signed a similar MoU with Saudi Arabia’s STC.

CSPs around the world will be watching nervously to see if their competitors partner with Rakuten, and they should be scared. With Rakuten’s boldness and eagerness to disrupt, any CSP that gets onboard with them early will be onto a winner.

https://telecoms.com/opinion/are-you-ready-for-the-rakuten-effect/



 

In related news, Rakuten Mobile announced that it plans to acquire U.S. engineering technology solutions firm Innoeye.

Rakuten Mobile has already deployed Innoeye’s converged OSS, an end-to-end platform process automation solution, to support the 4G/5G cloud platform for its network launch in Japan.
Plans are also underway to rollout this technology and expertise as part of the new Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP) offering to be made available to telecom companies and other enterprise customers around the world, the Japanese telco said.

Rakuten Communications Platform contains all the elements of the Rakuten Mobile network, including telco applications and software from multiple vendors, OSS and BSS systems handling customer billing and activation systems, in addition to edge computing and virtual network management functions.

“Since we first envisioned the launch of Rakuten Mobile two years ago, we have also planned to bring to market our own expertise and technology stack as a unique service that will enable operators around the world to deploy fully cloud-native telco networks of the future,” said Tareq Amin, representative director, EVP and CTO of Rakuten Mobile. “With the planned acquisition of Innoeye, we are one step closer to closing the circle in bringing to market a carrier grade telco cloud product that is as simple as click, purchase and deploy.”

https://www.rcrwireless.com/20200514/asia-pacific/...dio-stations-ceo
 

AST Spacemobile ($NPA): Key Learnings from the Preliminary Proxy

3 days ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/SPACs/comments/ktg5ux/...learnings_from_the/
 

Rakuten Medical, Inc. Acquires Key Assets and Manufacturing Technology from LI-COR Biosciences

SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Medical, Inc. (Rakuten Medical) today announced the acquisition of phthalocyanine dyes, including IRDye 700DX, from LI-COR Biosciences. IRDye 700DX is a key component of the mechanism of action for products being developed by Rakuten Medical, and is currently being studied in ASP-1929 clinical trials across multiple oncology indications. This strategic acquisition ensures a consistent and flexible supply chain to further advance development and commercialization of therapies on the Illuminox platform, such as ASP-1929 and other photoimmunotherapy products.

"This important business transaction reaffirms our commitment at Rakuten Medical to advance our core, Illuminox, platform for treatment of cancer – and will ensure the consistent reliable supply of IRDye 700DX," said Hiroshi Mikitani, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Medical. "This acquisition reinforces our confidence, adds additional flexibility to our supply chain, and will enable us to further improve our product development on the Illuminox platform."

Greg Biggs, CEO, LI-COR Biosciences noted, "This agreement with Rakuten Medical supports our current long-standing supply agreement and is a forward-looking strategic and operational win for both companies. We are pleased that the innovative technology we developed will potentially produce meaningful benefit to the medical community, patients, and families battling cancer."

https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/...-cor-biosciences-9680287  

"Rakuten worker arrested for alleged SoftBank 5G secrets leak"

Da geht es immer mehr zur Sache ;)

Ist auf jeden Fall Action drin...  

Rakuten Mobile said it had conducted its own investigation, and that it did not find that the employee or the company had used any 5G trade secrets

SoftBank accuses Aiba of sharing confidential information about its 4G and 5G base station technology to help Rakuten launch its own 5G operation.

The Financial Times reported that Yoshihisa Yamada, president of Rakuten’s mobile unit, confirmed the employee had been arrested and that the company would fully cooperate with the police probe. Rakuten Mobile said it had conducted its own investigation, and that it did not find that the employee or the company had used any 5G trade secrets.

According to the FT, competition has heated up due to Rakuten’s “disruptive pricing.” In its allegations, SoftBank said the allegedly stolen trade secrets would enable Rakuten to build out its mobile network faster.

“Our trade secrets are stored on Rakuten Mobile’s corporate PC used by our former employee, and we believe there is a high possibility that Rakuten Mobile is using our trade secrets in some form,” SoftBank said. The FT reported that the company planned to file a lawsuit against Rakuten Mobile over the matter.

https://www.pymnts.com/news/security-and-risk/...ng-softbank-secrets/
 

gestrichen voll angesichts des Erfolges der OPEN RAN-Lösungen von Rakuten.  

panic about the big succes of Rakuten’s OPEN RAN

The suspect, a 45-year-old male, used his personal computer to access SoftBank’s cloud servers and email confidential files to himself, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. SoftBank issued a statement saying that 4G and 5G networking plans and technology were among the information compromised, though no client data had been exposed. Rakuten Mobile confirmed the person is an employee, but said an internal investigation found no evidence that information from his prior employer had been used.

Rakuten Mobile parent company Rakuten Inc was down 1.4% in Tokyo Tuesday while SoftBank Corp rose 0.4%.

The incident underscores intensifying competition in one of the world’s most lucrative telecom arenas. Rakuten has been the big disruptor in the space, launching the fourth major network in the country last year and pushing unlimited mobile data allowances. Its breakthrough pricing has put pressure on incumbents SoftBank, NTT Docomo Inc and KDDI Corp. That’s added to a period of unusual upheaval, with mobile carriers urged by new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to make their consumer contracts more flexible and affordable while also making the transition to fifth-generation wireless networking.

5G networks and devices are hotly contested ground, promising to open up new applications, business opportunities and, crucially for carriers, supercharge demand for bandwidth. SoftBank has been among the earliest adopters, though its coverage remains patchy, as it is across most of the globe. Rakuten, whose 5G service launched several months after SoftBank’s, aims to undercut the market with a single-price offering that’s less than half what its rivals charge and still offers all-you-can-eat data.

https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2021/01/...countable-report  

Outraged by WhatsApp’s privacy update, Viber’s CEO calls on users to seek alternatives

https://www.lankabusinessnews.com/...s-on-users-to-seek-alternatives/  

Advertising-Video-on-Demand (AVOD): Driving Success for the Automotive Industry

INTRODUCTION: Connected TV (CTV) offers a new way for advertisers to engage and reach their audience outside of linear distribution on the biggest screen in the house. The sophisticated targeting capabilities and digital tracking abilities has seen the automotive industry begin to shift media budgets from traditional linear TV to CTV. The automotive industry is the 4th largest spender across CTV in Europe. Brands in the automotive vertical are partnering with Rakuten Advertising to drive engagement on the Rakuten TV platform with qualified audiences that have a high index of auto-intenders within a premium video environment. The visibility into campaign performance and tracking capability are solidifying partnerships.

The Rakuten Advertising account management team ensured a smooth campaign delivery. Ads were shown across the top performing channels, such as movies and live channels including Euronews. Additionally, the Rakuten Advertising team tested different creatives to maximise the view-through-rate and deliver audience reach.

https://go.rakutenadvertising.com/hubfs/CTV-AVOD-Success-Story.pdf
 

noch nicht, und bei uns gibt es auch keine Cash, sondern nur Punkte, die man nur in Einkaufsgutscheine in meines Erachtens noch zu Verwendungen umwandeln kann.

Discover even more deals with Cash Back

Start earning Cash Back at over 2,500 of the biggest stores and specialty boutiques.

https://www.rakuten.com/all-brands

Aber der Start des neuen Portals in Deutschland wird für mich von überraschend vielen bekannten Partnern begleitet, wo man mit dem Einkauf Punkte erwerben kann.