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/
March 11, 2025
New Zealand operator 2degrees sealed a deal with AST SpaceMobile to deliver broadband data service directly to smartphones using satellites in 2026, an agreement struck nearly two years after it forged a connectivity contract with Lynk Global.
https://www.mobileworldlive.com/ast-spacemobile/...satellite-line-up/
Eben Albertyn, a top executive at EchoStar, hinted at Boost Mobile's interest in leveraging its open RAN investments in the development of AI RAN technology.
Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies
April 17, 2025
Eben Albertyn, EVP and CTO of EchoStar and its Boost Mobile 5G network, said the operator's open radio access network (RAN) design will make it easier for Boost to embrace AI RAN technology.
"The ... thing that's important to remember about open RAN is that open RAN and what people are calling AI RAN are not competitive to each other. They're orthogonal to each other," Albertyn said during a keynote session at the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) event in Denver Wednesday.
"And because of how open RAN works and how it's been put together, it is far easier to introduce AI RAN components into open RAN than it is any other technology," Albertyn said.
https://www.lightreading.com/open-ran/...an-integration-with-open-ran
April 17, 2025
Shailesh Gupta, Rakuten Mobile, and Andrew De La Torre, Oracle Communications, discuss 5G expansion, cloud-native strategy, network automation, and policy and charging innovation at MWC 2025.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziaJYAg4qo0
April 22, 2025
In March 2025, "Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2025 A/W," of which Rakuten Group is the title sponsor, was held. This year, Rakuten supported the "Paul Smith" runway show through "by R," a Rakuten project aimed at empowering the Japanese fashion scene. Enjoy valuable footage of the glamorous show, as well as rehearsals in London and Tokyo with designer Paul Smith, and behind-the-scenes footage from the day of the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRkkw4h2h30&t=5s
From carbon neutrality to Science-Based Targets: Rakuten sets its sights on Scope 3 emissions for 2032
1 day ago
A strong position to effect change
Rakuten’s 2032 climate goals see it step outside of its corporate walls to engage external partners and potentially inspire change from Rakuten’s many customers.
“The Rakuten Group operates about 70 services, with over 2 billion users as of 2025,” Ito says. “As a company with such a massive ecosystem, we want to make it easier for people to make sustainable choices – whether that’s through our business practices or the services we develop.”
With a strong userbase and extensive network of business partners, Rakuten is uniquely positioned to make its mark on the fight against climate change. The journey may only just be beginning, but Ito and team are committed to leveraging technology, engaging Rakuten’s partners, and inspiring Rakuten’s customers to make a real difference.
https://rakuten.today/blog/...ghts-on-scope-3-emissions-for-2032.html
April 23, 2025
If you’ve been putting off trying Rakuten, the time to jump in is now. Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) is offering an enhanced sign-up bonus of USD 40 or 4,000 Membership Rewards points for new members who make a qualifying purchase through the platform.
What is Rakuten?
Rakuten is a cashback shopping portal that partners with thousands of online retailers — including Apple, Macy’s, Nike, and even travel booking platforms like Booking.com and Expedia — to offer you a percentage of your spend back in the form of cashback. But here’s the kicker: if you opt in to earn American Express Membership Rewards instead of cashback, you can supercharge your loyalty strategy (only for American members).
https://livefromalounge.com/...ffering-40-signup-bonus-its-best-ever/
April 24, 2025
Rakuten Group held the first-ever "Rakuten Ad & Marketing Day 2025", a B2B event focusing on advertising and marketing strategies leveraging AI and data. Among the highlights, Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store shared how advertisements utilizing Rakuten's AI and data led to a significant increase in store visits and purchases at their renovated store. AI products and strategies developed by the advertising business were also featured.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlwJzjmPLn8
April 18, 2025
Rakuten GORA launched a new AI golf swing analysis tool on the Rakuten Golf Score Management App. This tool was developed in cooperation with computer vision experts from Rakuten Institute of Technology (RIT), Keio University's Aoki Media Sensing Lab, and Rakuten India. It allows users to upload a video of their golf swing, which is then analyzed in nine phases from address to finish. In just a few minutes, the multiple AI models will work together to return a thorough analysis of 43 checkpoints and a provide comprehensive score, like a golf instructor that is available anytime, anywhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaVIHZvVViw
April 18, 2025
Rakuten GORA launched a new AI golf swing analysis tool on the Rakuten Golf Score Management App. This tool was developed in cooperation with computer vision experts from Rakuten Institute of Technology (RIT), Keio University's Aoki Media Sensing Lab, and Rakuten India. It allows users to upload a video of their golf swing, which is then analyzed in nine phases from address to finish. In just a few minutes, the multiple AI models will work together to return a thorough analysis of 43 checkpoints and a provide comprehensive score, like a golf instructor that is available anytime, anywhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaVIHZvVViw
20 hours ago
https://rakuten.today/blog/...mpowering-rakuten-ichiba-merchants.html
By Mark Holmes April 24, 2025
Japanese mobile network operator Rakuten Mobile and AST SpaceMobile completed what they claim is the first-ever broadband video call between unmodified smartphones in Japan using a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite. This milestone comes ahead of Rakuten’s plans to launch the Saikyo Satellite Service powered by AST SpaceMobile next year. Rakuten Mobile announced the milestone, April 23.
Rakuten Mobile aims to expand connectivity across Japan – including mountainous regions, remote islands and in emergency situations. As part of the strategic partnership launched over five years ago, Rakuten Group and AST SpaceMobile aim to provide satellite-to-mobile broadband services (voice calls, video calls and more) in Japan starting in the fourth quarter of 2026.
https://www.satellitetoday.com/connectivity/2025/...tellite-in-japan/
Samsung made history in Japan, even though its name wasn't mentioned.
It's a historic week for Rakuten Mobile and, in a way, for Samsung's mobile division. On April 22, Rakuten, Japan's newest mobile network, made the country's first-ever broadband video call through a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connection. Incidentally, the satellite video call appears to have been made using unmodified Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
Although this is not a world-first satellite video call, it is a huge milestone for the Japanese mobile industry, the carrier, and the technology providers involved. The video call brings the Rakuten Saikyo Satellite Service one giant step closer to launch.
https://www.sammobile.com/news/...ly%2520300%2520kilometers%2520away.
April 23, 2025
On April, 2025, Rakuten Mobile and AST SpaceMobile announced the successful completion of the first-ever broadband video call in Japan* between everyday unmodified smartphones using a low-Earth-orbit satellite. The video call marks a major step toward the realization of satellite-to-mobile connectivity across Japan – including mountainous regions, remote islands and in emergency situations such as areas affected by natural disasters. *Communication between mobile broadband networks transmitted from space and commercially available smartphones (AST SpaceMobile survey as of April 23, 2025)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttT8orA1ndc
The Global Open RAN Market size is expected to be worth around USD 79,379 Million By 2034, from USD 2,957 Million in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 38.9% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. North America dominated a 34.6% market share in 2024 and held USD 1,024.3 Million in revenue from the Open Ran Market.
The market for Open RAN is experiencing significant growth, propelled by its promise to reduce costs and increase system flexibility. With the backing of major telecom operators and the active involvement of a broad array of equipment vendors, the Open RAN ecosystem is rapidly expanding. This market evolution is driven by both technological advancements and strategic partnerships among key industry players, making Open RAN a viable alternative to traditional RAN solutions.
https://market.us/report/open-ran-market/
Apr. 25, 2025
Summary
My Buy rating for Rakuten Group is unchanged, as I think that investors' major concerns about the stock have eased.
RKUNF's credit health is expected to improve in the future; the company has targeted reducing its net leverage metric by half within the next 2 years.
RKUNY's wireless unit is anticipated to become EBITDA-positive in FY25 on the back of subscriber growth and ARPU expansion.
I am The Value Pendulum. I have over a decade of buy-side and sell-side experience in Asian equity markets. I lead the investing group Asia Value & Moat Stocks.
I remain bullish on Rakuten Group, Inc.
The company's loss-making MNO ("Mobile Network Operations") segment and its balance sheet weakness have become less of a concern. This is why my rating is still a Buy.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/...-risks-and-mobile-division-losses
March 18, 2025
Viber Dating is a new feature launched by Rakuten Viber around Valentine's Day 2025, designed to foster genuine connections while prioritizing user privacy and security. By ensuring profiles are verified and private, Viber Dating addresses common concerns about online dating, such as fake profiles and scams, offering a safe and comfortable platform for users to connect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj7xdKAuJG8&t=17s
Global cloud communications platform Infobip has become a Platinum Partner of Rakuten Viber. As a Platinum Partner, Infobip will be able to offer its customers early access to new products and features as well as getting priority access to a knowledge center. Infobip’s elevation to Platinum Partner marks another achievement in its ongoing mission to enhance digital communication strategies for businesses worldwide.
Over eight years, Rakuten Viber has integrated with Infobip’s platform, becoming a key OTT channel. The collaboration has enabled businesses to use Viber for direct, rich media interactions with customers, enhancing user experiences, and helping customers in their digital transformation journey.
One recent example is Metrobank, the second-largest private universal bank in the Philippines.
Metrobank partnered with Infobip to integrate Viber rich business messaging into its customer communication strategy, enhancing its operations with a trusted and secure digital platform. Utilizing Infobip’s plug-and-play solution, Metrobank seamlessly incorporated Viber business messages into its existing processes with minimal effort. In no time, the bank began delivering personalized, rich content messages, including images and videos, to millions of consenting customers. This strategic move not only created a unique customer experience but also resulted in up to 50% cost savings compared to traditional SMS messaging, as Metrobank effectively communicated its latest offerings through Viber’s rich media capabilities.
Ramon Martin Rodriguez, Performance Marketing Head at Metrobank, said: “Infobip provided a solution that enabled us to quickly start benefitting from using Viber for Business for sending marketing messages, using both a portal and an integration with our CRM system. The integration was extremely easy to set up with no disruption to our businesses processes, and no requirement to involve technical resources from other departments. We have been very satisfied with the entire process.”
https://bi-journal.com/platinum-partner-of-rakuten-viber/
April 02, 2025
As enterprises increasingly look for ways to improve efficiency and innovation, network modernization has become a key driver of transformation. Modernizing networks is not just about upgrading to the next generation of technology but about unlocking new opportunities through automation, microservices-based architectures and AI-driven decision-making. Industry leaders recently came together to discuss the role of network modernization in private enterprises, exploring how it enables greater operational efficiency and supports advanced use cases, in a panel moderated by Abe Nejad, Publisher of Network Media Group (NMG).
Speakers: Faisal Ghazaleh - Global Head of Solution Engineering-OSS, Rakuten Symphony
Ron Westfall - Research Director, Futurum Group
Rory O’ Toole - Vice President - Global Telco Sales, Druid Software
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPtFAc3ABu8
RGI's MNO segment is still in the red, and this hurts the stock in two ways. One is that its leverage stays elevated due to a high level of borrowings and operating losses. Another factor is this division's drag on the company's group-level profit.
The wireless business' EBITDA loss shrunk from -JPY 0.15 trillion for FY23 to -¥54B in FY24. My prediction is that this unit will realize EBITDA-breakeven this year in line with management guidance.
The future profitability of RKUNY's mobile operations is heavily influenced by its topline due to fixed-cost leverage effects.
Given the capital-intensive nature of telco services, RKUNF needs to spread its non-variable expenses over a bigger revenue base. I'm optimistic that it can acquire new wireless users and earn more money from them on a per-user basis.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/...-risks-and-mobile-division-losses
April 08, 2025
In this session at the Rakuten Booth in MWC Barcelona 2025, Luca Milillo, Vice President of Rakuten Link, provides a detailed look into Rakuten Link: The Super IntelliApp, and how this innovative platform showcases the combination of cutting-edge AI capabilities with the power of the Rakuten Ecosystem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaG9Q9VMCIA
The company's finance expenses, capital expenditures, and wireless operations' EBITDA losses added up to -¥0.36T in the recent fiscal year. Rakuten generated +JPY 424 billion of cash flow from its non-mobile ("securities brokerage and e-commerce") divisions and capital efficiency improvements during the same period. Rakuten can operate on internally generated funds now based on these figures.
It's reasonable to think that the company shouldn't incur additional debt going forward.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/...-risks-and-mobile-division-losses
April 02, 2025
As telecom networks become more complex, the integration of rApps (radio applications) and SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) is transforming how operators manage and optimize their networks. Watch as industry leaders join Abe Nejad, Publisher of Network Media Group (NMG), to discuss how AI and real-time data are shaping the future of network automation.
Speakers:
Dr. Tomasz Gerszberg - Group Head of Future Networks, Axiata
Rahul Atri - Chief Product Officer, Aira Technologies
Anshul Bhatt - Chief Product Officer, OSS Business Unit, Rakuten Symphony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvoRSyvneY0
In the final quarter of the prior year, Rakuten recorded net mobile subscription additions of +378k. For the same time frame, the "net adds" for SoftBank and KDDI inferior at approximately 190,000 and 6,000, respectively. Another competitor Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation even lost subscribers ("-11k") in this period.
My opinion is that RKUNY's outperformance will be sustained because of a policy tailwind.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/...-risks-and-mobile-division-losses
https://www.google.de/...4zoAexkgKyBwQzMS4zuAeoFQ&sclient=gws-wiz