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/
•§AI Chat Summary: The feature condenses up to 100 unread messages in a group chat into a concise summary.
•§Efficient Communication: It extracts crucial parts of conversations, enhancing decision-making and productivity.
•§Privacy: Summaries are visible only to users who request them, ensuring confidentiality.
•§Data Security: Viber doesn’t save summaries on its servers, ensuring a secure user experience.
This innovation reflects Rakuten Viber’s commitment to smarter, more efficient communication2. The feature is gradually rolling out to users in the U.S., the Philippines, Ukraine, Japan, Bulgaria, and Poland1. With over 1 billion registered users and 820 million monthly active users, Rakuten Viber continues to evolve3. Exciting times ahead!
https://www.bing.com/...p;adppc=EDGEDSP&PC=EDGEDSP&showconv=1
Rakuten Mobile chief hails network quality gains
On its Q1 earnings call, Mikitani claimed “smooth progress” in turning around the group’s loss-making mobile unit, noting profitability is just around the corner, with a target of EBITDA turning positive by December 2024.
He noted it is now in the third phase of its launch, which is telling customers about its improved network quality. It is working to a target of 10 million subscribers by end-2025.
The operator’s revenue grew 7.1 per cent year-on-year to JPY62 billion ($396.3 million), with mobile service sales expanding 36 per cent to JPY36.1 billion. Its operating loss was JPY66 billion compared to JPY92 billion a year earlier.
Rakuten Symphony’s revenue jumped 55.3 per cent to $118 million.
In early April the operator said it added 1.5 million subscribers within a year, taking its total to 6.5 million at end-March.
Capex in the first quarter dropped 47 per cent to JPY33 billion from a year earlier.
The operator is targeting commercial launch of service on the 700MHz band in June, which will help take population coverage to 99.9 per cent.
https://www.mobileworldlive.com/rakuten/...ils-network-quality-gains/
Refinance risk for 2024 has already been resolved. In addition, by issuing US dollar-denominated senior bonds and JPY-denominated private placement notes in April 2024, the liquidity gap for corporate bonds that mature in 2025 has largely been addressed
Continued efforts to increase intra-group cash flow, including optimization of working capital, and reduce interest bearing debt through various capital procurement activities
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/
Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2024
Consolidated revenue: JPY 513.6bn Record high for Q1
Internet Services: Rakuten Ichiba and Rakuten Travel plus overseas businesses performed well
FinTech: Growth in all services from expansion of customer base and transaction value
Mobile: Growth in Rakuten Mobile subscribers boosted MNO service revenue by JPY 9.6bn YoY
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/
Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2024
Consolidated Non-GAAP OI +JPY 43.5bn YoY
On track to achieve annual profitability
Internet Services: significant profit improvement in growth investment businesses and overseas businesses
Rakuten Card: profitability improved
Rakuten Payment: turned profitable
Rakuten Securities: profit back to pre-zero commission level
Rakuten Mobile: continued loss reduction thanks to revenue growth and cost optimization
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/
Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2024
Revenue Growth: The group recorded year-on-year revenue growth in all three segments: Internet Services, FinTech, and Mobile. Consolidated revenue reached 513.6 billion yen, a record high for the first quarter, up 8.0% compared to the previous year.
Operating Losses Improvement: Non-GAAP operating losses in Q1 FY2024 were 25.4 billion yen, a significant improvement of 43.5 billion yen YoY. This improvement was due to increased revenue, better profitability in domestic e-commerce growth investment businesses, strong performance in various FinTech businesses, and reduced losses at Rakuten Mobile.
Cash Flow: The consolidated EBITDA (an indicator used to assess cash flow generation) for the quarter was profitable, recording 52.8 billion yen, an increase of 49.3 billion yen YoY.
The total number of MNO subscriptions (both individual and business) saw acceleration, reaching 6.8 million as of May 13, 2024.
https://rakuten.today/blog/q1-fy2024-results.html
That are against the 6.32 million at the end of Q1/2024 a strong increase of 0.48 million in only six weeks. If this pace will continue in the next 30 weeks – and I am sure after the excellent quality reports of the last weeks – Rakuten Mobile will add additional 2.4 million subscribers to the 6.8 million as of May 13, 2024 = 9.2 million subscribers at the end of 2024.
MAY 16, 2024
US operator AT&T struck a deal with AST SpaceMobile to provide what they claim will be the first full space-based broadband service direct to common mobile phones, although a launch date was not specified.
The six-year agreement replaces the pair’s previous memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2020.
AT&T is also a strategic investor in the direct-to-device satellite player (a “$20 million revenue commitment”, according to an AST SpaceMobile investor presentation last month) alongside Google and Vodafone Group. The trio have invested a total of $110 million of ten-year subordinated convertible notes.
In addition to AT&T, AST SpaceMobile is collaborating with Rakuten Mobile, Rogers Communications, Orange, Vodafone and American Tower to address internet connectivity gaps, but the US operator is the only commercial agreement to date.
https://www.mobileworldlive.com/att/...closer-to-sat-to-phone-launch/
In domestic e-commerce services, the mainstay of Internet services, the growth rate of total transaction value slowed down compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023, due to the impact of changes in marketing strategies aimed at improving profitability. However, operating profit increased. In the internet shopping mall "Rakuten Ichiba" and the travel reservation service "Rakuten Travel", customer retention continued due to various measures aimed at improving customer convenience and satisfaction.
In other Internet Services including overseas internet services, strong sales growth continued in the US cashback service "Rakuten Rewards", in the mobile messaging and VoIP services "Viber", the e-book service "Kobo", and the video streaming service "Viki" within the overseas content business, the number of users increased, resulting in steady performance improvement and contributing to the expansion of segment profit.
As a result, revenue for the Internet Services segment rose to ¥285,703 million, a 5.4% year-on-year increase, while segment profit stood at ¥13,600 million, a 14.8% year-on-year increase.
(Millions of Yen)
Three months ended March 31, 2023 Three months ended March 31, 2024
Amount Change YoY % Change YoY
Segment revenue 271,138 285,703 14,565 5.4%
Segment profit 11,851 13,600 1,749 14.8%
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/
Latest IR Materials
First Quarter 2024
Anshul Bhatt
Chief Product Officer, BU Intelligent Operations Rakuten Symphony
May 13, 2024
https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/...ons-for-immediate-impact-in-mnos
May 08, 2024
By Paul Lipscombe
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/...nding-pot-for-open-ran/
Key Takeaways
North America contributed 45% of market share in 2023.
Asia-Pacific is estimated to expand the fastest CAGR between 2024 and 2033.
By component, the hardware segment has held the largest market share of 49% in 2023.
By component, the services segment is anticipated to grow at a remarkable CAGR of 35.3% between 2024 and 2033.
By unit, the radio unit segment generated over 39% of the market share in 2023.
By unit, the distributed unit segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR over the projected period.
By deployment, the hybrid cloud segment generated 50% of the market share in 2023.
By deployment, the private cloud segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR over the projected period.
Open RAN Market in the U.S. 2024 to 2033
The U.S. open RAN market size was estimated at USD 0.56 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach around USD 10.16 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 33.50% from 2024 to 2033.
https://www.precedenceresearch.com/open-ran-market
By Geoff Hollingworth
Chief Marketing Officer Rakuten Symphony
https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/...and-information-society-day-2024
https://patents.justia.com/assignee/rakuten-symphony-singapore-pte-ltd
2024-05-17
Rakuten Group (TYO:4755) Inc. (RKUNY) reported a robust start to FY 2024, with its Q1 earnings call revealing an 8% year-on-year revenue increase to ¥513.6 billion. The company's strategic project, Rakuten Mobile, is on the verge of profitability and saw a substantial rise in subscribers, contributing to a ¥9.6 billion increase in M&O service revenue. Rakuten's non-GAAP operating income saw a significant jump, with a ¥43.5 billion year-on-year improvement.
The successful issuance of US$2 billion and ¥50 billion in senior notes has alleviated liquidity concerns. Growth was noted across Internet, Fintech, and Mobile segments, with the Fintech segment, including Rakuten Bank and Rakuten Securities, showing notable revenue and profit increases. The company's ecosystem is beginning to enhance both profitability and revenue, with further plans to expand cashless payment services and integrate various financial services.
https://za.investing.com/news/...obile-unit-nears-profit-93CH-3154004
Mariia Martyrosian Global PR & Marketing Innovations Director at Rakuten Viber
May 13, 2024
https://stage.forbusiness.viber.com/en/blog/post/...on-rakuten-viber/
Breakeven in sight for Open Ran operator in long campaign against established carriers NTT Docomo, KDDI and Softbank
By SCOTT FOSTER MARCH 30, 2024
Rakuten Mobile, Japan’s upstart mobile telecom network operator, sees light at the end of the financial tunnel as subscriber growth heads toward breakeven on an operating cash flow basis in 2024.
Breakeven will be a milestone for the Open RAN (Radio Access Network) standard that allows for various companies to supply different parts of a telecommunications network.
Open RAN gives telecom service providers more flexibility and independence from large suppliers of complete proprietary systems such as China’s Huawei, Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia, and smaller national champions like South Korea’s Samsung and Japan’s NEC and Fujitsu.
https://asiatimes.com/2024/03/...n-mobile-making-gains-with-open-ran/
Mariia Martyrosian Global PR & Marketing Innovations Director at Rakuten Viber
May 9, 2024
Rakuten Viber, a global leader in private and secure messaging and voice-based communication and a leading chat app in the Philippines, has partnered with Korean online-to-offline casual mobile commerce company Share Treats to introduce the first-of-its-kind gifting experience in South East Asia with Treats on Rakuten Viber. Filipinos can now greet and treat the special people in their lives directly in the Rakuten Viber app, as well as request gifts for any occasion, be it a birthday, a regular fine day, or an upcoming holiday like Mother’s Day.
Thanks to their partnership with Rakuten Viber, Share Treats has become the first company to introduce the gifticon technology (a combination of ‘gift’ and ‘icon’) in the Philippines. With this technology, which originated in South Korea, online gift-giving is as easy as sending a message — and comes with a plethora of options to suit every taste and budget.
With Treats on Rakuten Viber, users can now send online gift cards to their friends and family: from beloved food chains like Jollibee, Dunkin’, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Auntie Anne’s, The Bistro Group and McDonald’s — to essential staples like the convenience store giant 7-Eleven and trusted pharmacy Mercury Drug. They can also share online gift passes for shopping destinations, such as The SM Store and Lazada, or services, like the FoodPanda food delivery and motorcycle taxi app Angkas. They can even give vouchers for e-wallets such as GCash and Maya or gift codes for GrabGifts.
https://stage.forbusiness.viber.com/en/blog/post/...-the-philippines/