Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket

Rakuten Mobile and Yokosuka Telecom Research Park Open RIC Research Facility for Further Advancement of Open RAN

Tokyo, July 31, 2023 - Rakuten Mobile, Inc. and Yokosuka Telecom Research Park Co., Ltd. today opened a new RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller)*¹ research facility at the Yokosuka Research Park in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, with the aim of contributing to the further advancement of Open RAN (Radio Access Network) development.

Rakuten Mobile will conduct research and development (R&D) on RIC at the research facility, while Yokosuka Telecom Research Park will provide the research location, as the two companies aim to accelerate the advancement of Open RAN technologies. The research facility will be used to verify improvements in network efficiency, power saving and security enhancements by deploying emulators for RIC development, and using RICs to manage Rakuten Mobile's test RAN environment according to network usage conditions.

Furthermore, the two companies will contribute to the international standardization of Open RAN, by sharing the insights gained at the research facility with the O-RAN ALLIANCE, an organization that promotes the formulation of Open RAN specifications, and Japan OTIC*², an organization that tests and certifies equipment based on O-RAN specifications.

corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/...20230731_01_lang_en

Open RAN is a direction of travel for operators, rather than a single jump

Open RAN deployments in public 5G networks will accelerate after 2025, as many mobile operators enter new contracts, and interface standards become mature enough for rigorous interoperability testing.

By 2030 there will be 1.3 million Open RAN cells deployed, worth $19.2 billion, finds the latest report from Rethink Technology Research’s wireless forecasting service – RAN Research.

Such headline numbers mask varying rates of progression towards full blown Open RAN among operators, both in terms of which interfaces have been deployed and whether multiple vendors are involved. Migration to Open RAN will not occur as a single decisive step for many operators, but through a series of iterations with only the end game being to deploy the whole stack and open it up to multiple vendors. The great majority of early Open RAN deployments are or will be single vendor and only embrace some of the interfaces.

By the end of the forecast period, a big majority of Open RAN cells will only have deployed some of the possible interfaces. This underlines Open RAN as being a direction of travel for operators, rather than a single jump, whether it is being deployed in a greenfield situation for a new network, as part of the 5G build out for legacy operators, or during migration of existing cells.

www.electronicspecifier.com/news/analysis/...recast-2023-2030

Rakuten Mobile and NEDO Complete Successful Development and Testing of 5G Stand-Alone Wireless Access Equipment Using Virtualization Technology

- Accelerating Japan’s contribution to the global development of 5G mobile network platforms.

Tokyo, August 1, 2023 – Rakuten Mobile, Inc. and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) today announced the completion of a research and development project aimed at the commercial deployment of fully virtualized 5G stand-alone (SA) mobile network radio access network equipment using general-purpose hardware and cloud technology, as part of NEDO’s “Research and Development Project of Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems.”

As part of the research and development project, Rakuten Mobile utilized virtualization technology to deploy 5G SA and radio access network (RAN) slicing, as well as performance improvement and extension of network functionality. Results of the research and development project also confirmed that CAPEX and OPEX could be reduced by 30% or more compared to conventional mobile networks requiring dedicated hardware and software. These efforts will contribute to significant acceleration of the deployment of economically efficient, 5G stand-alone mobile networks using general-purpose hardware.

Rakuten Mobile plans to introduce this technology for commercial stand-alone 5G mobile networks in the future, and through its subsidiary company Rakuten Symphony, the company aims to further accelerate the global deployment of advanced, fully virtualized 5G stand-alone mobile network platforms developed in Japan.

corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/...20230801_01_lang_en

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) surges 10.0%; retail investors who own 69% shares profited along with institutions

Published August 01, 2023

Hedge funds don't have many shares in AST SpaceMobile. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 3.2% of shares outstanding. The second and third largest shareholders are American Tower Corporation and Rakuten Group, Inc., with an equal amount of shares to their name at 2.8%.

simplywall.st/stocks/us/telecom/...ges-100-retail-investors-w

appllio.com/rakuten-ichiba-deals-day

Rakuten Mobile Completes Project for Virtualized 5G SA Mobile Network

AUGUST 1, 2023 BY SIMON SMITH

The project’s results also showed that managing overheads caused by cloud platforms and software processing enabled support for more than three times the number of connected devices compared to LTE networks. Rakuten Mobile stated that introducing these research results into commercial 5G SA mobile networks will reduce development and operating costs. It will also enable flexible responses to diverse network quality requirements across various services utilizing 5G networks. Rakuten Mobile pledged to continue developing 5G networks using fully virtualized general-purpose hardware.

Additionally, the company announced plans to conduct research and development on RAN intelligent controllers (RICs) at the Yokosuka Telecom Research Park in Japan. The facility will be used to verify improvements in network efficiency, power saving, and security enhancements.

isp.page/news/...o-test-5g-sa-equipment-using-virtualization/

VEON and Rakuten to Cooperate in Open RAN and Digital Services to Rebuild Ukraine’s Infrastructure

Amsterdam, 2 August 2023 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rakuten Symphony, a subsidiary of the leading technology conglomerate, Rakuten Group. The two companies will start exploring cooperation in Ukraine, with the goal of accelerating the reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure, through collaboration on open radio access networks (Open RAN) and digital services.

Under the terms of the MoU, the two companies commit to creating “a robust and future-proof telecommunications infrastructure” that can seamlessly deliver high-speed connectivity enhanced with 5G, enabling the next generation of digital services in Ukraine. With this collaboration, VEON and Rakuten demonstrate their support for the ‘We Build Ukraine’ initiative of the Ukrainian State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure. The two companies will also explore partnerships in other VEON markets.

About VEON
VEON is a global digital operator that currently provides converged connectivity and online services to nearly 160 million customers in six dynamic markets. We are transforming people’s lives, empowering individuals, creating opportunities for greater digital inclusion and driving economic growth across countries that are home to more than 7% of the world’s population. Headquartered in Amsterdam, VEON is listed on NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam.

www.veon.com/newsroom/press-releases/...raines-infrastructure

Veon branded Rakuten Symphony’s Open RAN technologies as a “compelling choice” for its future 5G roll out, pointing to the Japanese company’s cloud-native mobile network.

It further explained Rakuten’s focus on the digital and apps ecosystem aligns with Kyivstar, which has a portfolio of services spanning digital health, entertainment to education.

There is also a plan for the companies to explore business opportunities in Veon’s other markets.

www.mobileworldlive.com/featured-content/...telecoms-rebuild/

Rakuten signs MoU with OpenAI to develop services

TOKYO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Japan's Rakuten Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with OpenAI to explore commercial opportunities together.

Rakuten said on Wednesday the companies will collaborate on the use of OpenAI apps in Rakuten's products and services.

www.reuters.com/technology/...ervices-with-openai-2023-08-02/

This collaboration has the potential to pave the way for future advancements in AI technology and its integration into commercial operations.

Rakuten Group, a prominent Japanese company, aims to leverage OpenAI’s cutting-edge technologies to enhance their own services and products. By integrating OpenAI applications, Rakuten hopes to offer its customers innovative and advanced solutions.

This collaboration between Rakuten Group and OpenAI highlights the growing importance of artificial intelligence in various industries. Both companies recognize the potential of AI technologies and are actively exploring ways to harness them for business growth.

As more details about this partnership emerge, it will be interesting to see how Rakuten Group incorporates OpenAI’s applications into their existing ecosystem, and how it benefits their customers. This collaboration has the potential to pave the way for future advancements in AI technology and its integration into commercial operations.

fagenwasanni.com/news/...for-joint-business-prospects/105689/

Rakuten Mobile, NEDO Successfully Test 5G SA Wireless Access Equipment With Virtualization Tech

Reported By SRIKAPARDHI AUGUST 2ND, 2023 AT 09:16 PM

Japan's Rakuten Mobile and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) have announced the completion of their Research and Development (R&D) project focused on deploying fully virtualized 5G Standalone (SA) mobile network radio access network equipment, utilizing general-purpose hardware and cloud technology, according to the official release.

As a part of the project, Rakuten Mobile harnessed virtualization technology to deploy 5G SA and radio access network (RAN) slicing and improve and extend network functionality. The project's findings have revealed that the adoption of this virtualised approach could potentially lead to a remarkable reduction of 30 percent or more in capital costs (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX) compared to conventional mobile networks that rely on dedicated hardware and software.

Rakuten Mobile said it has plans to introduce this technology into future commercial standalone 5G mobile networks. Through its subsidiary Rakuten Symphony, the company aims to drive the global deployment of cutting-edge, fully virtualized 5G standalone mobile network platforms developed in Japan.

Looking ahead, integrating these research findings into commercial 5G standalone mobile networks is expected to reduce development and operational costs and enable greater flexibility in addressing the diverse network quality requirements for various services relying on 5G networks.

telecomtalk.info/...st-5gsa-wireless-access-equipment/841501/

AUGUST 1, 2023 12.13 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

With the addition of the Rakuten TV app for PS5, users can access a wide range of content directly from their gaming console. This includes options such as AVOD (Ad-Supported Video on Demand), TVOD (Transactional Video on Demand), and Live Channels. Viewers can buy or rent the latest Hollywood titles straight from the cinema, watch top Hollywood movies for free with ads, or explore various genres such as News, Movies, Kids, Sports, and entertainment through free TV channels.

The Rakuten TV app is now available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Poland, and Romania.

www.broadbandtvnews.com/2023/08/01/...ches-playstation-5-app/

Rakuten to Collaborate with OpenAI to Develop State-of-the-Art AI Experiences for Consumers and Businesses

- The two companies aim to revolutionize the way consumers shop and engage with businesses online

Tokyo, August 2, 2023 - Rakuten Group, Inc. today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OpenAI to deliver state-of-the-art conversational artificial intelligence (AI) experiences to consumers and businesses in Japan and worldwide. The two companies will actively explore use cases together in an effort to revolutionize the way consumers shop and engage with businesses while concurrently enhancing productivity for merchants and business partners in Japan and on the global stage.

A global innovation company with more than 70 services and 1.7 billion members worldwide, Rakuten operates Japan’s largest online shopping mall and offers a diverse portfolio of services spanning e-commerce, fintech, digital content and telecommunications. OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company whose mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.

Leveraging its high-quality data and extensive domain knowledge, Rakuten will integrate AI services into their products and services. OpenAI will provide Rakuten with priority access and support to its APIs and explore mutually beneficial commercial opportunities.

Additionally, the Rakuten Group will bring Rakuten AI experiences into ChatGPT products by leveraging the OpenAI plugin architecture, enabling businesses to use natural language for interacting with AI agents that conduct research, analyze data, optimize inventory, pricing, automate business processes and more.

With Rakuten’s diverse ecosystem of services and 100 million members in Japan, this collaboration presents an opportunity for elevating the online services landscape and delivering new breakthroughs for business customers in combination with OpenAI’s pioneering AI capabilities. By leveraging Rakuten’s unique data, channels and operations with the cutting-edge technology, the two companies hope to bring value to millions of people in Japan and even more worldwide.

global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2023/0802_01.html

VEON, operating in six markets with a total population of 510 million, is the parent company of Ukraine’s leading operator Kyivstar and has recently committed to investing USD 600 million to rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure. Announcing its investment commitment, the company referred to the future 5G roll-out in Ukraine, for which Open RAN technologies are a compelling choice. Rakuten Symphony is a leading provider of Open RAN solutions, and has vast experience derived from successfully building the world’s first*1 end-to-end fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile network with its parent company Rakuten Mobile.

The two companies also share a focus on digital ecosystems: VEON’s Kyivstar owns and operates Ukraine’s leading digital services in health, entertainment, information and education, while Rakuten has deep international experience in messaging and financial services. Rakuten’s instant messaging app Rakuten Viber is a leading digital communication app in Ukraine, with near-ubiquitous mobile penetration rates in the country as well as very high adoption and engagement rates among Ukrainian nationals abroad. It also provides services to Ukrainian businesses including via an existing partnership with Kyivstar.

“Rakuten is honored to support the ‘We Build Ukraine’ initiative through potential collaboration with VEON to boost Ukraine’s critical national telecommunications infrastructure,” commented Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group, and Chairman of Rakuten Symphony. “We look forward to bringing our technological expertise from Open RAN telecom solutions and a broad range of digital services including Rakuten Viber to support Ukraine in transforming its digital landscape, as well as exploring further joint opportunities in other VEON markets.”

“VEON and Rakuten share a similar vision: we are both highly customer-focused, digital experience-oriented companies which redefine communications in our respective markets,” states Kaan Terzioğlu, Group CEO, VEON. “We are very excited to partner with Rakuten to explore the opportunities in VEON’s markets, with a combined population of 510 million. I am also delighted that we will start this work in Ukraine, where the country’s reconstruction is also a shared priority, as recently demonstrated by our USD 600 million investment commitment."

About VEON
VEON is a global digital operator that currently provides converged connectivity and online services to nearly 160 million customers in six dynamic markets. We are transforming people’s lives, empowering individuals, creating opportunities for greater digital inclusion and driving economic growth across countries that are home to more than 7% of the world’s population. Headquartered in Amsterdam, VEON is listed on NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam.

About Rakuten
Rakuten Group, Inc. is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to approximately 1.7 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has nearly 32,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions.

About Rakuten Symphony
Rakuten Symphony is reimagining telecom, changing supply chain norms and disrupting outmoded thinking that threatens the industry’s pursuit of rapid innovation and growth. Based on proven modern infrastructure practices, its open interface platforms make it possible to launch and operate advanced mobile services in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional approaches, with no compromise to network quality or security. Rakuten Symphony has operations in Japan, the United States, Singapore, India, Europe and the Middle East Africa region.

global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2023/0802_02.html

August 08, 2023

Embedding insurance in the purchasing journey of customers is becoming more common in e-commerce and the Commerce & Marketing Company and Insurance Business are working together to integrate this into Rakuten’s businesses. Watch to learn more and see use cases from Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Travel, and Rakuten GORA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h6r2cOh6UQ

Aug 2 2023 · 14:03 UTC by Mayowa Adebajo

www.coinspeaker.com/rakuten-mou-openai/

Rakuten Mobile Highly Evaluated in Opensignal’s Japan Mobile Operator Network Experience Report

Tokyo, August 1, 2023 – Rakuten Mobile, Inc. was evaluated highly in a report published by Opensignal Limited, a global analytics company, comparing the experience of Rakuten Mobile’s network with three other mobile carriers in Japan. The report, titled Network Quality Comparison Between Rakuten Mobile and Three Mobile Carriers, states that “Rakuten’s improving experience is increasing competitive pressure in Japan.” This conclusion was based on data from the Japan Mobile Network User Experience Report, published in April 2023 and additional Opensignal analysis conducted between April 1 and June 29, 2023.

corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/...20230801_02_lang_en

Cabify Sees Uptick In Revenue As Rides Volume Returns

Jonathan Keane
Aug 1, 2023,05:00am EDT

The Madrid-headquartered company, which is active throughout Latin America, said it booked $688 million in gross revenue with gross profits of $79 million in 2022.

Revenue for the year marks a 32% increase on 2021 when much of the company’s operations were still dogged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cabify said that in 2022, it saw 91 million rides on the platform, up 28% year-on-year, indicating a return to normality among consumers.

The company did not publish net income figures but stated that it maintains a "path of profitability."

www.forbes.com/sites/jonathankeane/2023/...s/?sh=f0845d8199da

Madrid-based Cabify grew 32% globally in 2022, aims to have a fully decarbonized fleet by 2025 in Spain

By  Stefano De Marzo August 2, 2023

Cabify, an international multi-mobility company, ended 2022 with results 32% higher than in 2021 globally, reaching €626 million in terms of gross revenue. Despite the last throes of the pandemic during the year, the company ended 2022 with a gross profit of €72 million (+32% vs. previous year) and reached breakeven levels, proving its ability to make its business profitable globally.
Juan de Antonio, CEO and founder of Cabify, explained these numbers:  “To continue improving our cities, we are committed to sustainable growth. We are able to generate our own resources that we invest in new services and products with high-added value for our users, corporate mobility clients, and collaborating drivers. And we have also attracted additional investment to accelerate our goals. If we want millions of people to decide not to use their private cars in the city, we must offer them safe, sustainable, and accessible alternatives that meet their different needs. We have a clear growth path ahead of us and expect our turnover to increase threefold in the next three years. On this path, we will continue to take steps to drive technological, business, and social change towards the multi-mobility of the future”.

www.eu-startups.com/2023/08/...onized-fleet-by-2025-in-spain/

Rakuten Mobile Launches Beta Version of Rakuten Link Desktop
- Enables domestic calls and SMS messaging while working on a personal computer.

August 2, 2023, Tokyo, Japan – Rakuten Mobile, Inc. today announced the launch of a public beta version of Rakuten Link Desktop, a desktop version of the mobile communications app Rakuten Link, available exclusively to subscribers of the Rakuten SAIKYO Plan (translation: Rakuten Strongest Plan), allowing users to enjoy multiple Rakuten Link Smartphone version features on their personal computer from August 2, 2023.

corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/...20230802_01_lang_en

www.wamda.com/2023/08/...al-takes-airalos-60-million-series-b

sempre.comercioyaduanas.com.mx/jpx/...AB-%E4%B8%80-%E5%86%86/

BIZ PICKS: Analyst: Rakuten needs synergy across its business units

Japanese IT giant Rakuten Group is set to announce its second quarter earnings report which could signal a new outlook for its struggling mobile phone business.

19 hours ago

3m 20s

www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20230804173450003/

SoftBank considering US listing for its PayPay business, sources say

By Sam Nussey and Miho Uranaka

July 12, 20238:44 AM GMT+2Updated 24 days ago

SoftBank has previously set a PayPay listing as a goal, with one executive saying in November it was worth just under 1 trillion yen ($7.17 billion). That the conglomerate is considering a U.S. listing has not been previously reported.

www.reuters.com/markets/deals/...business-sources-2023-07-12/

According to a survey conducted in April 2023, PayPay was the most used cashless payment service in Japan. While around 49 percent of consumers reported using the the QR code payment app, 46 percent stated that they used the credit card Rakuten Card.

26.06.2023

www.google.de/...FhgeGB3CAgoQIRgWGB4YDxgd&sclient=gws-wiz

My one-year price target for Rakuten Group is higher than $ 5.80

The average one-year price target for Rakuten Group Inc. - ADR (OTC:RKUNY) has been revised to 5.80 / share. This is an decrease of 7.84% from the prior estimate of 6.29 dated June 1, 2023.

The price target is an average of many targets provided by analysts. The latest targets range from a low of 3.59 to a high of 14.94 / share. The average price target represents an increase of 44.90% from the latest reported closing price of 4.00 / share.

www.nasdaq.com/articles/...e-target-decreased-by-7.84-to-5.80