Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket
Look Out Amazon, Here Comes...Rakuten?
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten announced on Tuesday it is acquiring Ebates for $1 billion.
The acquisition, which Rakuten hinted at last week, is part of the Japanese company’s push to grow its base beyond its domestic market and hopefully, become a global player. Having made some $1.2 billion acquisitions to date along these lines, this is Rakuten’s most ambitious move to date.
However, investors are dubious that the company can absorb yet another foreign acquisition, much less one the size of Ebates, despite Rakuten’s strong cash position.
Then there is the ever-present Amazon, which dominates the e-commerce market in the U.S. Few believe it will falter in the face of Chinese giant Alibaba, much less a Rakuten-Ebates combo.
Rakuten Goes Forth
Not surprisingly, Rakuten says it is undaunted. For starters, it has assembled a very interesting mix of acquisitions. There is messaging app Viber, which it purchased for $900 million in February, the Canadian ebook offering Kobo, Spanish video service Wuaki.tv, Viki, a digital content platform and Buy.com.
Now it has picked up Ebates.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikamorphy/2014/09/...ere-comes-rakuten/
by Viktor Hendelmann
https://productmint.com/how-does-rakuten-make-money/
9 hours ago
In the world of AI, 12 months is an eternity – so much was clear from the exciting new tech on display at the recent 2024 Rakuten Optimism conference.
One panel discussion titled AI Accelerates Innovation: The New Frontier of Creativity kicked off with a video introduction from two hyper-real AI avatars, who gave the Optimism audience an effortless welcome in 10 different languages.
The avatars then relinquished the stage to their flesh-and-blood counterparts – Rakuten Group Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Naho Kono and Samurai Inc. Creative Director Kashiwa Sato, the creative director and graphic designer behind many iconic Japanese brands such as Seven-Eleven, Uniqlo and Rakuten.
The session served as a follow-up to a discussion from Rakuten Optimism 2023, when Kono and Sato were joined by Kyoto University physicist Professor Koji Hashimoto to discuss the potential of AI tools. This year, Kono and Sato welcomed Professor Jun Suzuki, director of the Center for Language AI Research at Tohoku University.
From potential to reality
“It’s been barely two years since generative AI really started taking off,” Suzuki told the panel. “We can do so much more now. And I think you can all imagine that it will continue to improve drastically.”
The previous year’s discussion saw the panelists marvel at the text generation capabilities of AI, revealing that they had used a large language model to come up with the title of the conference session.
This year, Kono took the opportunity to show off a range of areas in which Rakuten has already begun effectively applying AI tools for business. These included advertising campaigns for Rakuten Beauty and Rakuten Fashion Week, an AI character to promote Rakuten Card, and a simplified ID verification process for Rakuten Mobile.
“This time last year, we were talking about potential applications. Now we’re actually here, applying AI,” Sato commented. “In this case, it’s not that the output has changed drastically, but rather the tools. So it doesn’t look like anything has changed from the customer’s perspective. But going forward, as the tools change, so will the output and ideas. I’m looking forward to that future.”
Suzuki researches artificial intelligence, natural language processing, machine learning and how computers are able to gain understanding of human language. He expressed a belief that in the near future AI will impress us even further.
“In the future, AI could become more interactive. We could make things in a dynamic way,” he predicted. “When you generate things in advance like we’re doing now, you have the chance to fix them up. But if you have to make it on the fly, you’ve just got that one chance. So we’re not quite there yet. In the future, I think we will be able to do this.”
Can we trust AI?
“What surprises me the most is that we know if we input something into an AI, we get a certain output,” Sato remarked. “But when it comes to the operating principles of how it gets to that answer, we don’t yet have a good understanding.”
“Even as we’re able to do dramatically more with AI, it’s becoming clear that there are a lot of potential problems,” Suzuki agreed. “One of those problems is that the generative AI we use now is often described as a black box. Even if we know that a certain action causes a certain result, we still don’t know very well what kind of logic it’s following. And as long as we don’t understand that, we won’t really be able to take full advantage of AI.”
Much of Suzuki’s research focuses on how well AI aligns with human sensibilities, looking at metrics such as whether AI chooses the same words to describe certain things.
“In actual fact, AI isn’t processing these things in the same way as a human. Of course, what’s happening in a computer is different from what’s happening in a human brain, so there’s a difference there, even if we’re seeing similar things come out.”
Suzuki says that even the biggest models aren’t quite there yet, but the path forward is clear.
“When there is a difference between how humans and AI feel about something, we aren’t able to fully trust our use of AI,” he added. “Only by making AI that aligns as much as possible with human sensibilities will the world be able to use it to its full potential.”
Staying optimistic in the AI age
In a world flooded with AI-generated content, what will become of human creators?
“Young creators and students often ask me what they should do going forward,” Sato told the panel. “It’s not a question of skill, but of morals, of philosophy – what does it mean to be human? It’s important that we face this question head-on.”
The flipside of this, Suzuki highlighted, is that AI tools can empower regular people to become creative.
“People who weren’t necessarily creators are now able to ‘make’ things,” he noted. “Now that the playing field has been leveled somewhat, you should be thinking about how to infuse your own personality into your creations to add a unique flavor.”
Sato concluded the session on an optimistic note.
“I’m mainly excited about AI. I want to see new things. I want to make new things. How we make things is going to keep changing – we could see creations that humankind has never seen before. And that’s something I want to witness,” Sato concluded. “If we do this session again, I’ll be excited to see what awaits us in the future.”
https://rakuten.today/blog/creativity-and-humanity-in-the-ai-age.html
https://www.similarweb.com/de/top-apps/google/ukraine/communication/
Rank 6 for Viber in Algeria
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Rank 3 for Viber in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Rank 2 for Viber in Bulgaria
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Rank 3 for Viber in Greece
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Rank 4 for Viber in Croatia
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Rank 4 for Viber in Lithuania
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Rank 3 for Viber in Macedonia
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Rank 2 for Viber in Moldavia
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Rank 10 for Viber in Nepal
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Rank 5 for Viber in Philippines
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Rank 10 for Viber in Czech Republic
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Rank 4 for Viber in Hungary
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Rank 9 for Viber in Vietnam
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Rank 2 for Viber In Belarus
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The new offering allows Viber Plus users to quickly and quietly undo their digital chat print.
By Team Orange September 1, 2024
Rakuten Viber, a global leader in private and secure messaging and calls, announces Delete Without a Trace, a highly anticipated feature allowing Viber Plus premium users to inconspicuously unsend their messages — regardless of whether recipients have already read them.
“Viber Plus is our commitment to providing users with a user experience that’s not just functional, but also fun and secure,” says Ofir Eyal, CEO of Rakuten Viber. “We will continue to incorporate user feedback to build out fan-favorite features — as we have with Invisible Mode — to maintain customer satisfaction and easy chatting.”
Since January of this year, Rakuten Viber has noted a 170% increase in Viber Plus subscribers. Its exclusive features and content are available in 100 countries to Viber’s millions of users.
https://orangemagazine.ph/2024/...-a-trace-feature-for-premium-users/
By arminderkaur192 6th September 2024
Rakuten Mobile’s 5G network is notable for its innovative approach, leveraging a fully virtualized, cloud-native architecture. Here’s a detailed technical breakdown:
https://telcomatraining.com/what-is-rakuten-5g-network/
September 11, 2024 by Robert Wyrzykowski
In this new analysis, we examine our smartphone users’ mobile experience on Japan’s expressways and highways, across all of the four Japanese operators. This analysis is a follow-up to our earlier insights on the quality of mobile experience around Japan’s major transportation areas, e.g. the Yamanote line, the Tokaido Shinkansen line, and the Japanese airports.
Rakuten Mobile comes first for Upload Speed Experience and 5G Upload Speed.
https://www.opensignal.com/2024/09/11/...ese-expressways-and-highways
NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Advertising, the leading global affiliate marketing network, announced the launch of its AI-driven Partnership Discovery solution for advertisers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market. This innovative solution, which has already transformed how advertisers find new partners in the US and UK, will empower advertisers in the Rakuten Advertising APAC network to identify the most effective publisher partners for high-performance affiliate campaigns.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...g-expands-ai-powered-230000211.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...2520January%252023,%25202024%2520--
The Rakuten Drive x Rakuten Mobile program is a special benefit exclusively for Rakuten Mobile subscribers, designed primarily for use with the Rakuten Drive mobile app. As announced on the Rakuten Mobile campaign page, to ensure fair service for all customers, we had temporarily restricted the file upload function from web browsers for all Rakuten Mobile subscribers. However, starting from Tuesday, September 24, 2024, this restriction will be lifted for all plans.
https://support.rakuten-drive.com/hc/en-us/...Mobile-Users-2024-09-10
By Simon Dux 9 September 2024
https://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/...ecomes-an-operator-opex-imperative/
September 12, 2024
Rakuten TV’s FAST channels and on-demand movies are now available through the set-top boxes of the Norwegian ISP and television service provider Altibox TV.
Customers can choose from a selection of 600 AVOD titles without subscription and over 130 FAST channels.
Rakuten TV channels including Top Movies Channel, Action Channel, Comedy Channel and Drama Channel are all available.
Jorge del Puerto, European Head of Partnerships and Business Development at Rakuten TV said:“Rakuten TV fits perfectly into Altibox’s content strategy. In their continuous efforts to provide the best service, they are not only looking to provide more content to their customers but also clearly aim to secure high quality content, which is undoubtedly the cornerstone of Rakuten TV. There is a vast amount of FAST/AVOD content currently available in the market, but very little of it is truly high quality, that’s why Rakuten TV is becoming extremely popular across Nordic countries.”
https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2024/09/12/...vailable-on-altibox-tv/
30/06/23
Rakuten TV has announced the launch of its first owned and operated channel in Poland, Top Movies Polska.
The new FAST channel will be available to households in Poland from mid-July and marks a significant milestone in Rakuten TV’s expansion in Europe, becoming the first pure FAST film channel in the Polish market.
Top Movies Polska will be available for streaming on the Rakuten TV app across all devices, providing convenient access to a wide range of movie content, from both Hollywood and European distributors.
In February, Rakuten TV enhanced its AVOD catalog in Poland by adding nearly 100 localised films, and the platform said the new FAST channel reflects innovation and meeting the evolving demands of viewers in the country.
Top Movie Polska, is the latest FAST channel to be added to the Rakuten TV portfolio, after the recent announcements of the additions of CNN Now, Real Series and the Series Crime channels. Rakuten TV now has over 100 owned and operated channels in Europe across multiple genres, including Film, Documentary, Series, Kids, Reality, Crime and News.
https://www.csimagazine.com/csi/...n-launches-Polish-FAST-channel.php
September 12, 2024
The satellites will provide the basis for initial commercial NTN services for carriers including AT&T and Verizon
Satellite direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has confirmed the successful — and right-on-schedule — launch of its first five BlueBird satellites. The satellites are destined for low Earth orbit, providing the basis for initial commercial non-terrestrial network (NTN) services for carriers including AT&T and Verizon.
A press statement from the company featured a comment from Mickey Mikitani, Rakuten group chairman and CEO, who said: “Today’s historic launch from Kennedy Space Center marks the next step in our shared mission of democratizing telecommunications. Mobile connectivity is a necessity no matter where you are. We are proud to be working with a trailblazer like AST SpaceMobile to create a more connected world.” Rakuten is an investor in AST SpaceMobile.
in addition to investments from Rakuten and U.S. carrier partners AT&T and Verizon, AST SpaceMobile has also secured strategic investments from Google and Vodafone, as well as contracts with the United States Government through prime contractors. Further, more than 45 mobile operators around the world have signed agreements with the satellite company. These include Bell Canada, Orange, Telefonica, TIM, Saudi Telecom Company, MTN, Zain KSA, Etisalat, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Globe Telecom.
https://www.rcrwireless.com/20240912/...st-five-commercial-satellites
A new report from analyst firm SNS Telecom & IT suggests that global spending on Open RAN automation software and services will reach nearly $700 Million by the end of 2027.
Automation of the Radio Access Network (RAN) – the most expensive, technically complex and power-intensive part of cellular infrastructure – is a key aspect of mobile operators’ digital transformation strategies aimed at reducing their TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), improving network quality and achieving revenue generation targets. In conjunction with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), RAN automation has the potential to significantly transform mobile network economics by reducing the OpEx (Operating Expenditure)-to-revenue ratio, minimising energy consumption, lowering CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions, deferring avoidable CapEx (Captial Expenditure), optimising performance, improving user experience and enabling new services.
https://www.iot-now.com/2024/09/12/...s-revenue-to-reach-700-million/
Robert Soni VP – RAN Technology, AT&T
The best way to assess integration across the industry is to go big – which is why AT&T and Verizon came together to assemble a broad consortium that includes not only other major network operators like Jio and Docomo but also a wide range of vendors. Beyond traditional suppliers like Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung, this consortium will include alternative vendors like Fujitsu, Mavenir, Dell Technologies, Intel, Radisys, Rakuten, Red Hat, VMWare by Broadcom, and Wind River Systems – all potential additions to an open and interoperable radio access network.
https://about.att.com/blogs/2024/open-ran.html
8x8 Viber for Business API
Choon Khee Koh September 6, 2024
In an era where effective communication can make or break a business, Rakuten Viber Business Messaging stands out as a powerful platform to connect with customers worldwide.
New Rakuten Viber Business Messaging Rates
Starting from October 1st, 2024, Rakuten Viber will be charging different rates for international and domestic business messages.
International rate type: There will be one international rate per country, irrespective of the type of message. Starting October 1st, 2024, new international enterprises* onboarded will be charged the new international rate if messages are sent to a country different from where the business is headquartered.
Domestic rates will remain the same: defined per country and per specific message type (transactional, promotional, conversational sessions).
Existing businesses will not be impacted by this change; their messaging traffic will continue to be considered domestic.
https://cpaas.8x8.com/en/blog/...ng-rates-8x8-viber-for-business-api/
Eric Van Vliet, Director of Telecom Market Development EMEA, Dell Technologies, talks about the close collaboration between Dell and Rakuten Symphony, highlighted by the private analytics solution aimed to address the evolving needs of customers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ZEuHLXIAE
3 days ago
Japan is experiencing an unprecedented tourism boom: 35 million people are projected to visit in 2024, and the government has set an ambitious target of 60 million by 2030.
What’s fueling this boom? And what role does Rakuten Travel have to play? Jeremy Bek, Rakuten Travel’s General Manager and Global Head of Travel, gives some expert insights.
Pent-up demand and the weak yen
“I think it boils down to a couple of reasons,” Bek explains. “The first is this sort of pent-up demand that Japan as a destination has held for potential tourists. The reason for that is it was one of the last countries to open after the pandemic. So, when the floodgates opened in October 2022, we saw lots of booking spikes.”
“2024 is here, and we’re already seeing inbound tourism surpass pre-pandemic numbers.”
Jeremy Bek, Rakuten Travel’s General Manager and Global Head of Travel
This is working in tandem with another crucial factor: Japan’s historically weak yen.
“The weak yen makes it very attractive and accessible for many tourists who perhaps before saw Japan as a relatively expensive tourist destination. It’s now conversely become one of the most affordable tourist destinations – yet with a high quality of products and services, as well as being very rich in culture and experiences.”
From local leader to global player
“Rakuten Travel is one of the largest online travel agencies in Japan, and most of its business is the Japanese domestic business – so Japanese travelers traveling within Japan. Over 90% of our business is based on that.”
Originally from Singapore, Jeremy Bek joined Rakuten Travel in 2018, and is leading the platform’s global push.
“Overseas, Rakuten Travel is not at all well-known,” Bek says. “However, we do have the offering of travel from around the world into Japan. My job is to market, or rather bring to the market our service and product offerings.”
“I’ve helped many companies in my past life to gain a foothold or to expand their business throughout Asia,” Bek shares. “All of my experience helped prime me for this role, and I think it’s a huge opportunity to take a local giant global.”
To achieve this ambitious goal, Bek and his team launched a comprehensive initiative to rebuild Rakuten Travel’s global platform from the ground up. The result is a sleek, user-friendly website that supports 9 languages and 15 different currencies, catering to visitors from across the globe.
Bek reveals that one of the key challenges in this transformation was adapting the website design for international tastes. “If you take a look at our Japan website and our global website, they look vastly different.”
Selling Japan quality
In a crowded global market of online travel agencies, Rakuten Travel is carving out its niche by focusing on what Japan does best: quality and service.
“Honestly we’re a little bit late in the game of globalization, so we can’t fight head-to-head – we have to outsmart the competition,” Bek admits. “So what we’ve decided that we’ll focus on, being a Japanese company, is that Japan is very well known for high quality products and high quality service. That’s our unique selling point.”
This emphasis on quality over quantity is deeply rooted in the Japanese principle of omotenashi, or heartfelt hospitality.
“We ensure that we curate the best, authentic experiences and services such that the customer, who has put aside so much money and time to enjoy their holiday, would be promised the most authentic, enjoyable, and smooth experience.”
This commitment to quality isn’t just a marketing slogan; it’s built into the platform itself. Rakuten Travel has implemented a ‘Japan quality’ badge system.
“On the platform, you’re able to filter hotels that have the Japan quality badge,” Bek explains. “That badge is only given to a percentage of hotels who meet the criteria that we accredit, so that customers can be sure that the hotels they choose are of a high standard.”
Diverse experiences and hidden gems
Rakuten Travel also stands out for its offerings that extend beyond regular hotel stays. The platform showcases a wide array of authentic Japanese experiences, from traditional ryokans and hot springs to unique culinary adventures.
“That’s something that’s not available on any other global online travel agent,” Bek explains. “The details that we have in there, with rich content and images… I think that’s one very unique access that we give to global travelers who never had the opportunity before.”
Meanwhile, as concerns about overtourism in popular destinations like Kyoto grow, Rakuten Travel is actively promoting lesser-known locales.
“We are providing a lot of access and information and content to secondary cities that are now also becoming popular,” Bek explains. “This helps the demand to disperse to other hidden gems as we could say, in other parts of Japan, which are just as beautiful, or arguably more beautiful in various aspects.”
Leveraging tech to enhance the experience
Rakuten Travel is harnessing cutting-edge technology to address the challenges posed by the tourism boom and enhance the overall travel experience. This includes the use of AI tools to help hotels increase efficiency and productivity, from faster plan creation to automated query translation.
In addition, the company has invested heavily in building robust global customer service systems.
“We have customer service in local languages in most of our key markets, with local call numbers so that it’s convenient and accessible for people overseas,” Bek explains. This multilingual support works in tandem with a Japanese service desk: “This service desk is able to ensure smooth communication in Japanese with the hotel.”
Next step: Anywhere to anywhere
“2024 is here, and we’re already seeing inbound tourism surpass pre-pandemic numbers,” Bek remarks. “Regardless of whether it’s pent-up demand from the pandemic or not, it’s always been a continuous upward trajectory.”
As Rakuten Travel continues to ride the wave of Japan’s tourism boom, Jeremy Bek and his team are already looking ahead to even greater ambitions.
“At this moment, Rakuten Travel is only offered to inbound and domestic tourists. In the near future, we will also expand the destinations to the rest of the world – so not only to Japan, but anywhere to anywhere.”
This vision of Rakuten Travel as a truly global online travel agency, facilitating journeys between any two points on the globe, represents the next frontier for the company. “That would truly make us a formidable, global online travel agency.”
https://rakuten.today/blog/...-rakuten-travel-is-riding-the-wave.html
The Supreme Court has once again ruled in favour of Maxi Mobility, a subsidiary of Cabify. This ruling reproduces a similar one published a week ago, which ruled in the same way on another 1,000 licences, so these court rulings open the door for Cabify to add another 2,000 VTC licences in the Madrid region.
https://gigpedia.org/resources/news/2024/...he%2520Madrid%2520region.
Operating much like Uber, Cabify is one of the most commonly used alternatives to Uber in Spain.
Cabify is available in Alicante, A Coruña, Barcelona, Benidorm, Madrid, Málaga, Marbella, Murcia, Santander, Seville, Valencia, and Zaragoza.
Founded in 2011, this Spanish-born ride-hailing app has since spread to Latin America. It operates much like Uber, with a similar interface and pick-up system that displays the upfront cost prior to booking.
In addition to the Cabify Classic, you can hail luxury and tailored rides including Cabify ASAP, Cabify Plus, Cabify Group, and Cabify Kids.
Safety is paramount, with all drivers being geo-tracked and identifiable by the company headquarters. As well as being the most popular, Cabify is the greenest alternative to Uber in Spain. They offset the CO₂ of every single trip while motorcycles and scooters are 100% electric.
https://thespaintravelguru.com/uber-in-spain
- Die Margin-Handelsgebühren für US-Aktien betragen 0 USD, und die Margin-Zinssätze und Aktienleihgebühren werden erheblich reduziert! Doppelte Anzahl an vergebenen Punkten
18. September
https://www.rakuten-sec.co.jp/web/company/newsrelease/fy2024.html
https://digital-hessen.de/...iliate-netzwerk-rakuten-weiterentwickelt
1 Nutzer wurde vom Verfasser von der Diskussion ausgeschlossen: Scansoft