Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

Rakuten Advertising Looks Past Apple Privacy Changes To Thriving Business

MediaPost.com

Apr. 26, 2021, 08:00 AM

Will more ad dollars be pushed into affiliate marketing as Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and others put limitations on third-party cookie tracking? Anthony Capano, managing director of RakutenAdvertising North America, thinks so. He runs the programmatic display, search, and affiliate businesses for the U.S, as well as media services.

markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/...-business-10059538

Previously launched in Canada and the Netherlands, the Kobo Plus digital reading subscription enhances discovery of new books and authors among its subscription base. Virtually risk free and with a low monthly price–especially when compared with the purchase of an individual print book, eBook or audiobook–users have access to unlimited reading opportunities. The platform invites subscribers to explore books they otherwise might not try or even find in a bookstore, and gives visibility to content from indie and alternative publishers, as well as other publishing institutions.

In the Netherlands, where the Kobo Plus eBooks offering was introduced in 2017, 60 per cent of the country's Kobo Plus subscribers had never before purchased an a-la-carte eBook from Kobo. Since the launch of Kobo Plus there, the company continues to experience double-digit year-over-year sales growth for a-la-carte eBooks alongside rapid subscription growth.

www.kobo.com/news/...ebook-and-audiobook-platform-in-portugal

iber Messenger is now allowing even more participants in its group video call feature. That’s based on recent reports detailing an update to the app. But the change isn’t just hitting mobile either. Now, regardless of which platform Viber is used on, as many as 30 users can all be in on a single video call.

How does this help Viber Messenger and what else is there for this video call app?

Of course, Viber also added some other features on top of increasing the participant limit for the video call feature by 10. Community admins now have a bit more control too. They’ll now be able to set a different alias They can now set an alias when they post something to their community. That includes not only a different name but also a different profile image.

Overall, these changes likely seem on the minor side of things. But this also puts the number of participants that can be in a Viber video call more in line with other top video calling apps. That, in turn, helps the company hold its position in the market and could potentially help spur growth. With the continuing Covid-19 pandemic keeping people home, users will now have one more option to turn to

www.androidheadlines.com/2021/05/...eo-call-participants.html

Unilever Sri Lanka expands uStore.lk footprint on Viber

CEYLON TODAY | Published: 2:00 AM May 1 2021

Unilever Sri Lanka has expanded coverage of its uStore.lk e-commerce service to instant messaging platform Viber. The service, which had been offered exclusively on Unilever Sri Lanka’s official e-commerce platform www.ustore.lk until now, has been extended to Viber, enabling more consumers the convenience of directly purchasing Unilever branded products from the safety, comfort, and convenience of their homes.

The www.ustore.lk service which was first launched in 2019, has gained significant acceptance by consumers since then as a preferred shopping destination of choice. This manifold increase of consumer traffic is largely attributed to the reason behind the extension of the service to Viber, for consumers to enjoy Unilever products from the comfort of their homes. Here, the uStore.lk bot takes the form of a user-friendly chatbot, inviting customers to explore the store and select from any of Unilever Sri Lanka’s array of products, be it beauty, skincare, baby care, household care, oral care, laundry and food and refreshments. Consumers can also purchase the company’s Pure it brand from this service. The bot offers attractive discounts and other types of promotions continuously, and more importantly, offers consumers access to the full Unilever Sri Lanka portfolio and selected international Unilever brands.

To avail themselves of the service, consumers need to simply access their Viber mobile application and search for uStore.lk to commence enjoying this new shopping experience. Thereafter, it is simply about selecting desired products to a virtual cart and entering a delivery address. Check-out takes place with ease and purchased items are delivered directly to a customer’s doorstep thereafter.

CEYLON TODAY | Published: 2:00 AM May 1 2021

ceylontoday.lk/news/...a-expands-ustore-lk-footprint-on-viber

Globally, Viber saw a 21% increase in the number of new businesses that started using the messaging application. The number of brands exchanging transactional messages with customers also grew by 37% last year. Viber recorded a 58% increase in the number of new business channels launched by brands.

The popularity of chatbots, which allow brands to give an automated reply to requests in real time, also increased by 48% globally, Viber noted.

“That’s because chatbots allow organizations to provide consumers with a more efficient way to respond to their needs — all without having to boost manpower,” it said.

Viber’s growing user base enticed advertisers to switch to the messaging application.

“As a result, Viber has noted a 115% increase in direct advertisers globally with top business verticals including food delivery which grew by 174%, social media by 244%, and mobile games by 122%,” it said.

www.bworldonline.com/...rtisers-shift-to-viber-amid-pandemic/

HCM CITY — Rakuten Viber is set to expand its group video calling capacity to 30 participants in response to growing demand and usage.

The update will come after the messaging app rolls out the Grid View on both desktop and mobile platforms.

The expanded group video call will soon be live both for Android and IOS devices.

"Viber is one of the most popular messaging apps in Vietnam, and we are constantly working on different upgrades to our platform so we can better serve our Vietnamese users and support their communication needs,” Anna Znamenskaya, the company’s chief growth officer, said.

The feature is especially helpful for office workers who may need to invite more participants to a virtual meeting, educators who are looking for new ways to get in touch with their students and anyone who wants to converse with their friends, families and loved ones or build their communities while staying safe at home.

When the pandemic broke out in 2020 and forced most people to stay at home, Viber responded by doubling the maximum number of group video and audio call participants to 20 in anticipation of an increase in app usage.

A recent poll it conducted found 33 per cent of Vietnamese respondents saying they use group video calls for connecting with family, 33 per cent for work and 22 per cent for catching up with friends.
Others said they use the feature for online classes and virtual fitness sessions. — VNS

vietnamnews.vn/economy/935432/...ase-video-call-capacity.html

From: Tracy Ford / March 30, 2021 / Topics: Open RAN

The arrival of Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) technology being deployed by mobile operators ultimately will lead to innovation as the equipment supplier ecosystem expands. While greenfield operators are deploying the solutions today, private networks could use the solution going forward. Nonetheless, traditional equipment suppliers continue to build out consumer-facing 5G networks.

A Connect (X): All Access Policy Summit panel discussion examined how 5G would work with ORAN. 2020 deployments were a proving ground for the technology, including Rakuten Mobile building the world’s first end-to-end virtualized cloud native mobile network, as well as DISH Networks in the United States announcing plans to incorporate the technology into its 5G standalone network, noted Sean Kinney, Editor in Chief at RCR Wireless News. Visit policysummit.connectivityexpo.com/ to watch all of the panels.
Rather than combining baseband and radio products in a proprietary solution, ORAN allows a mix-and-match solution from vendors. “The key word is innovation,” added Thierry Maupile, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Product Management at Altiostar, which provides 4G and 5G open virtualized (Open vRAN) software. The opportunity to aggregate the hardware and software in the mobile network creates an opportunity to leverage open interfaces and is bringing in new participants to the space. “Operators need more choice,” he continued.

The United States stands to gain from ORAN adoption, Maupile said. When the mobile network is more software-defined and cloud-defined, it opens the ecosystem to new companies and a wider range of companies. “The U.S. is strong in silicon, in software and in the cloud.”

Open RAN technology is an option for rural operators that have deployed Chinese telecommunications equipment and have funding available to them to install new networks, as well as private LTE networks, said RCR’s Kinney.

From a policy perspective, ORAN is an opportunity for the U.S. to lead in 5G, said Flynn Rico-Johnson, Legislative Director in the Office of Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif. “It’s about jobs and innovation that can happen. The United States was a leader in 4G technology and that meant better service for consumers, but it also opened up an entire ecosystem of jobs and innovation that has lasted for several years. We think there is an equal opportunity in 5G and the way open RAN solutions will be part of that,” according to Rico-Johnson. “The excitement and attention ORAN is receiving right now is a result of a lot of conversations taking place over time,” he added.

The Open RAN Policy Coalition is narrowly focused on educating Congress and other stakeholders on policy positions that would help ORAN gain traction, said Diane Rinaldo, its executive director. The coalition consists of 61 global technology companies to date.

While ORAN is featured as part of the Utilizing Strategic Allied (USA) Telecommunications Act, there still is not funding for the legislation, which is designed in part in reaction to Chinese vendor Huawei leading 5G global initiatives.

Beyond funding, two other pillars are public-private partnerships and working with international allies, Ronaldo said. The coalition has spoken with leadership from 26 countries to date to encourage them to adopt policies in both developed and developing countries to include ORAN technology not only for 5G networks but for 3G and 4G networks.

Developing policies that encourage investment in new technology like ORAN is important, Maupile noted, pointing out that the United States needs to be able to compete beyond its own border. 2021 is going to be an important year, Maupile said. Any time there is disruption it takes time for traditional players to adapt. Telefonica, for example, is inserting ORAN technology at scale in networks in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Brazil. ORAN is a new way of designing and managing the network as well as introduce automation into the network, he noted.

wia.org/blog/...logy-could-lead-to-innovation-in-5g-networks/

global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2021/0513_02.html

von Mobile kann sich nur ein Unternehmen leisten, das in den anderen Bereichen rentabel bzw. hoch rentabel arbeitet.

Der heutige Kursrückgang in Deutschland antizipiert das m.E. nicht - und daher habe ich noch einmal massiver nachgelegt.

Mobile sogar noch einmal höher ausfallen, da weitere Investitionen die Abschreibungen noch weiter erhöhen werden und wegen des Freijahres bei der Einführung des neuen Angebots erst nach und nach die ersten Zahlenden einrücken.

Operating Income excluding Mobile, Logistics and Investment Business was about $ 400 million in the quarter or $1.6 billion on a yearly base

Q1/20 Q1/21 YoY

Revenue 331.4 391.5 +18.1%

Non-GAAP Operating Income -18.1 -31.6 -13.4

Non-GAAP Operating Income Excluding Mobile, Logistics and Investment Business 29.0 41.9 +44.4%

IFRS Operating Income -24.1 -37.3 -13.3

global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/

Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2021
View Materials
presentation material (page 94)

sind das 32 Milliarden US-Dollar.

noch Milliarden-Verluste produzierende Mobile-Bereich hat natürlich einen positiven Wert, wobei ich mich mit einer Schätzung zurückhalten will, um nicht Größenwahnsinn nachgesagt zu bekommen.

dass der hohe Verlustausweis von Rakuten heute in Tokio zu Verlusten führen würde, hat sich offensichtlich doch auch eine Schau auf die meinen letzten beiden Postings geschilderten Zusammenhange einen gewissen Raum verschaffen.

Momentan liegen wir bei:

Market Cap 18.024B
finance.yahoo.com/quote/RKUNY?p=RKUNY

Unter Einbeziehung des Mobile-Bereichs ist daher m.E. mindestens eine Verdoppelung der Marktkapitalisierung angesagt.

Written by Mary Lennighan

11 hours ago

The cost of building out a new mobile operation from scratch was all too evident in Rakuten Mobile’s first quarter results, but the company is unconcerned.

Japan’s newest mobile operator just turned one year old and marked the occasion by reporting a 94.1 billion yen (US$860 million) operating loss for the first quarter of 2021, almost three times the loss it posted in the year-ago quarter and more than 20 yen greater than its loss in Q4. The figures refer to its core mobile business; its overall mobile loss was slightly greater.

But speaking in a pre-recorded interview with Credit Suisse, Mikitani made it clear that the problem is short term.

There are two sides to Rakuten Mobile’s business, he reminded us: the Japanese mobile operations and the company’s role as an exporter of its mobile platform. “When both of these businesses are in full swing we will be capable of driving tremendous profitability,” he said.

His sentiments were echoed by Rakuten Mobile president Yoshihisa Yamada on the firm’s results call. “Mobile business losses are expected to decline gradually after 2021,” he said. “We aim to achieve breakeven in fiscal year 2023,” aided by subscriber growth, he added.

telecoms.com/509763/...e-eyes-tremendous-profitability-ahead/

Ad Business: Q1/21 Revenue (include internal transactions)

Rakuten ad revenue growth exceeded internet ad industry standards
Revenue increased from 29.5 billion JPY in Q1/20 to 36.8 billion JPY in Q1/21 = 24.5%

global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/
Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2021

Cumulative Number of Applications: Surpassed 4.0 million

Jun/20 = 1.00 million

Sep/20 = 1.43 million

Dec/20 = 2.01 million

Mar/21 = 3.51 million

May/21 = 4.10 million
(as of May 11)

global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/

Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2021
View Materials
presentation material

Over the past decade, Rakuten TV has established itself in living rooms all around Europe. In 2019, it became the first service in Europe to offer all three of the big VODs (that’s ‘video-on-demand’) - transactional (TVOD), subscription (SVOD) and advertising (AVOD). TVOD allows users to purchase individual movies or programs; SVOD lets users sign up for unlimited access to content libraries; and AVOD allows access to free content supported by ads.

Rakuten TV recently announced the launch of 90 new linear TV channels, curating everything from blockbuster thrillers to regional news -  all for the low, low price of free.

Already in 90 million households and 43 countries, Rakuten TV isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

rakuten.today/blog/...launches-90-new-linear-tv-channels.html

Rakuten Mobile, was immer auch bestimmte Kommentatoren anders sehen:

During Rakuten’s earnings presentation, Yoshihisa Yamada, president of the mobile division, said base station related costs rose in Q1, as well as roaming costs, but both are expected to come down once coverage targets are hit this summer. Mobile business losses are expected to decline gradually starting next year, according to Yamada.

Yamada noted Rakuten Mobile users’ average data traffic increased by 42% by the ninth month of service, saying it “sets the stage for our ability to drive increases in average revenue per user.“
Rakuten aims to achieve break-even in its mobile business in fiscal year 2023, Yamada said.

Limited 5G service was available in all 47 of Japan’s prefectures by the end of Q1 and plans call for a shift to standalone (SA) 5G in the second quarter.

As part of an alliance with the Japan Post Group, Rakuten already installed 400 base stations on the roof of post offices, aiming for more than 500 in total.

The operator also is going to leverage post office locations nationwide to attract sign-ups and handle offline customer queries. According to Yamada, Rakuten will set up application counters at event spaces in post office locations and use the delivery network to support marketing efforts.  

www.fiercewireless.com/operators/...es-rise-to-887-million-q1

Even when rival operators launched value plans of their own in March, “the pace of the applications for Rakuten Mobile was not impacted,” he said.

Rakuten Mobile’s first year in operation drew to a close last month, and that is also significant from the point of view of generating revenues, with many early customers signing up to free 12-month plans. “We expect more revenues from the second quarter onwards,” Yamada said.

Outside of Japan, the future is also rosy.

telecoms.com/509763/...e-eyes-tremendous-profitability-ahead/

Rakuten Group, Inc. (RKUNY) CEO Hiroshi Mikitani on Q1 2021 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

seekingalpha.com/article/...rt=single&utm_medium=referral

HARNESSING THE EDGE WITH OPEN HYBRID CLOUD

By Pete Bartolik | MAY 12, 2021

5G Brings a New Dimension to Edge Computing

Open hybrid cloud technologies are a key enabler behind 5G technology.

Rolling out 5G is a costly proposition for carriers, though. “Traditional reliance on proprietary and closely integrated hardware and software stacks from individual vendors is beginning to look too costly for a technology that demands a huge increase in the number of base stations over previous generation wireless,” Network World’s Jon Gold points out. “A big part of how the carriers plan to keep their costs down and keep deployments moving centers on a shift away from proprietary technology and towards open standards.”

Red Hat and Intel recently announced efforts to accelerate the delivery of automated, cloud-native infrastructure for new 5G services. “Together, Red Hat and Intel will align R&D efforts to help move 5G, networking innovation and related features more quickly into upstream open source projects (e.g. Kubernetes) while also bringing these new technologies to customers as commercialized, supported offerings for production deployment more swiftly,” according to a joint statement.

Carriers including Rakuten Mobile Network and Samsung have adopted Red Hat’s open source technology in their efforts to roll out 5G edge services.

www.cio.com/article/3618439/...mension-to-edge-computing.html

Open RAN technology is expected to be deployed at nearly two thirds (65%) of all cell sites by 2026.

March 26, 2021

By Steve Canepa, IBM’s Global GM & Managing Director, Communications Sector

In Argentina today, we’ve launched a proof of concept (PoC) with Movistar, a Telefonica brand, to deploy one of the first, fully functional Open RAN networks, covering 81,000 inhabitants in the city of Puerto Madryn. This PoC is enabling us to test live, commercial traffic and serves as an important early proof point for Open RAN technology as it continues to evolve and mature.

For this PoC, IBM has led the systems integration, pre-integrating the solution and enabling its end-to-end deployment. We’ve also brought together components and systems from multiple software and hardware vendors, including Altiostar (an IBM Cloud for Telecommunications ecosystem partner), Red Hat, Quanta, Gigatera and Kontron.

Adding to the momentum of this news, IBM also recently announced the launch of an Open RAN
Center of Excellence in Spain to drive Open RAN adoption across Europe. The center leverages the IBM Cloud for Telecommunications and its ecosystem partners Altiostar and Juniper. IBM’s existing Telco Network Cloud Lab locations in Nice (France) and Dallas (USA) will serve as a network for knowledge and resource sharing with the new center. The center will focus on live implementations that are similar to the Telefonica/Movistar PoC in Argentina, but on a greater scale.

Open RAN technology is expected to be deployed at nearly two thirds (65%) of all cell sites by 2026.

www.altiostar.com/...obal-telco-transformation-with-open-ran/

Rakuten Rewards (Ebates) Operating Income is back (USD million)

Q1/19: 9.0 (excludes rebranding costs of 36.3 million)

Q2/19: 21.9 (excludes rebranding costs of 30.4 million)

Q3/19: 12.7 (excludes rebranding costs of 20.4 million)

Q4/19: 9.0 (excludes rebranding costs of 27.4 million)

Q1/20: 4.3 (excludes rebranding costs of 5.2 million)

Q2/20: - 5.1 (excludes rebranding costs of 5.1 million)

Q3/20: 2.6 (excludes rebranding costs of 6.3 million)

Q4/20: 15.2 (excludes rebranding costs of 2.5 million)

Q1/21: 14.0 (excludes rebranding costs of 0.0 million)

global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/

Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2021
May 13, 2021
Presentation Material 2 (Appendix PowerPoint)
Downloads/21Q1PPT_E.pdf