Rakuten wesentlich besser als Rocket
Miro Salem is Global Head of AI and Autonomous Networks at Rakuten Symphony. A pioneer in the implementation of AI and automation in the telecom industry, Miro and his team are working to prepare operators around the world for an autonomous future.
https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/...y-a-conversation-with-miro-salem
1 day ago
As Rakuten Mobile celebrates two years since full scale commercial launch, I would like to look back over the incredible technical achievements of our team over the past two years and how we have laid the ground for our future direction.
“AT RAKUTEN, 5G IS NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT BUT A PART OF THE WAY WE HAVE DESIGNED OUR ARCHITECTURE FROM DAY ZERO.”
TAREQ AMIN, CEO, RAKUTEN MOBILE & RAKUTEN SYMPHONY
After Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications approved our 4G base station deployment plan and allocated spectrum in the 1.7GHz band to Rakuten Mobile in April 2018, we initially considered building our network with a traditional telecom vendor. But because of our culture of innovation powered by technology, we took a bold step toward a completely different approach. We decided to do something that had to date only been an idea on paper: to transform the way mobile networks are built and operated.
Virtualization technologies
We set out to build a virtualized, cloud-based mobile network. This would fully leverage the agility, speed and cost-efficiency of software-centric clouds commonly used in other industries around the globe today.
To achieve this, we introduced innovation in every aspect of the network, from the radio access network (RAN) to core to operations.
We started with the disaggregation of the hardware and software in the network. This meant we were able to realize a network design that draws on the expertise of multiple best-in-class partners, an approach that presented challenges in the traditional approach to building a mobile network. We removed all the proprietary hardware in the radio access network, including the base band unit, and instead designed the network based on software running on commercial off-the-shelf hardware.
Strategic and efficient base station deployment
In the base stations dotted around the country that are so crucial to effective network coverage, we deployed unique, customized RAN products. For 4G, we are using 160W high power radio heads with 4 transmit and 4 receive antennas (4Tx4R). By integrating the antenna and radio heads, we have been able to reduce cable losses, or the power lost over the length of a cable in the network, and achieve 30% more coverage per site in comparison to traditional deployments.
Carefully tailored to our allocated 4G spectrum, we have adopted a heterogenous deployment strategy to meet the capacity demand. Our RAN is made up of combination of macro, micro, indoor and femto cells. Through strategic deployment of these cells and a keen focus on densification, we are building both outdoor and indoor coverage, and we now have over 250,000 active radio units covering 4G and 5G.
Global recognition
Our network’s advantages are not hidden. Virtualizing the RAN enabled us to build base stations with minimal equipment at the site. This has made site acquisition easier and deployment faster. Our cells all run on the same software stack on standardized COTS hardware. Our total cost of ownership is 40% lower than that of traditional mobile networks. These advantages have enabled us to achieve 96% population coverage in Japan in February, about four years ahead of the targets set out in our original plan.
The high ranking of our network performance in third-party industry reports is a testimony to our unique achievements. In the most recent study from independent research company umlaut, our network in Tokyo scored 945 points out of 1,000. Compared to other operators, Rakuten Mobile’s network performance in Tokyo ranked highly, surpassing the top rating networks in eight global cities from Seattle to Rome, and coming in very close to the top-ranking networks of cities like New York, Sydney and Zurich.
Towards the 5G era
At Rakuten, 5G is not an afterthought but a part of the way we have designed our architecture from day zero. Our virtualized approach has enabled us to deploy 5G through a software upgrade. Our 5G RAN is completely containerized and designed based on microservices architecture. 5G technology will enable us to leverage high capacity 400 MHz in mmWave, and 100 MHz in sub-6 with low latency and high speed.
Our unique network product portfolio unleashes the real power of 5G. Our use of massive MIMO technology provides our customers with optimal coverage, capacity and 5G speed in the true sense envisioned at the outset of the 5G era. Every one of Rakuten Mobile’s 5G sites is massive MIMO capable today, ready to provide a 5G customer experience beyond parallel, at a fraction of the cost of a legacy network.
The base our technology has created for a unique and distinct network gives me the confidence in our ability to continue to provide our customers with the best possible experiences in 4G and 5G. It also gives me the confidence to say that we will continue to improve that experience, day-by-day, with every software upgrade and with the full dedication and commitment of the whole team at Rakuten Mobile.
https://rakuten.today/blog/...-technology-two-years-since-launch.html
April 15, 2022 by admin
https://behous.co.uk/...t-exists-in-the-mobile-business-keitai-watch/
"Moreover, as a concrete target for 2030, a policy of increasing the profit margin from the current 13.5% to 20% is presented."
One example supporting this profit expansion is the mobile business, where Mr. Mikitani now spends most of his work. It’s Rakuten Mobile, which develops the mobile phone business in Japan, and the other is Rakuten Symphony, which sells to operators overseas using the entire virtual Rakuten Mobile network as a solution.
Since the mobile business requires huge investments to develop a base station from scratch, the financial results of the Rakuten Group have accumulated a significant deficit so far. Places that the company cannot cover use KDDI’s mobile network for roaming, but this roaming cost is also huge. However, Rakuten Mobile, which had a population coverage rate of 96% in February of this year, is expected to reduce roaming costs from now on. Rakuten has already forecast that it will peak deficit in the first quarter (January-March 2022) and gradually reduce its losses and turn towards profitability.
Mikitani said, “If you cross the break-even point, you will get a big profit. You will invest in infrastructure with the profits you got there and promote more subscription. If you subscribe to Rakuten Mobile, you will increase the usage of services within the Rakuten group. For example, Rakuten. He said that the amount of market use will increase by 70%, and the target of “30% profit margin in 2030” can be fully achieved.
https://behous.co.uk/...t-exists-in-the-mobile-business-keitai-watch/
Moderation
Zeitpunkt: 17.04.22 17:56
Aktion: Löschung des Beitrages
Kommentar: Moderation auf Wunsch des Verfassers
Zeitpunkt: 17.04.22 17:56
Aktion: Löschung des Beitrages
Kommentar: Moderation auf Wunsch des Verfassers
Written by Stuart Thomson 1 day ago
Orange España has struck a deal with Rakuten TV to offer a selection of the latter’s content in a dedicated section of its Orange TV service, to be branded as Videoclub by Rakuten TV.
The new section would include titles that Rakuten TV makes available as part of its transactional video-on-demand offering.
Videoclub by Rakuten TV will enable Orange TV customers to have access to about 6,000 titles, including blockbuster movies shortly after their theatrical release.
For Rakuten TV, the partnership represents a first step in a strategy of collaboration with telecom operators, making a range of content including FAST/AVOD as well as TVOD available to telecom TV customers.
https://www.digitaltveurope.com/2022/04/14/...th-orange-spain-tie-up/
https://www.rakuten.com/blog/the-best-mothers-day-gifts-for-2022/
April 15, 2022 by admin
https://behous.co.uk/...3-that-atsushi-ishikawa-believes-kitai-watch/
April 11, 2022, Dallas, Texas— DerbySoft, the leading technology provider of high-performance distribution services, announces an expansion of their partnership with Rakuten Travel Xchange, the accommodation connectivity and travel technology division within the Rakuten Group.
DerbySoft and Rakuten Travel Xchange (RTX) signed a formal partnership in early 2021 to leverage DerbySoft’s strong global presence and its extensive hotel partner network. The business and technical teams at RTX and DerbySoft analyzed different connectivity models before deciding on a suitable model that allowed RTX to have real-time access to hotel rates and availability.
“Rakuten Travel Xchange plays a key role in the global expansion of Rakuten Group’s travel vertical beyond its market leading position in Japan. Rakuten Travel Xchange works with clients in over 100 countries and is always seeking partnerships to further enhance our already significant global footprint. We believe DerbySoft can help us to further expand our direct hotel relationships, and we look forward to helping our hotel partners access our extensive international network of Rakuten owned businesses and distribution partners,” states Anna Tsujihata, Head of Hotel Contracting and Connectivity.
“DerbySoft has a long relationship with the Rakuten Group, having worked with them in Japan since 2011, and we are excited to expand on this relationship by connecting Rakuten Travel Xchange with hotels and resorts globally,” states Duane Overgaard, President of Connectivity at DerbySoft and Senior Vice-President for DerbySoft. “As travel opens up in the Asia-Pacific region, travelers are looking for different options, and DerbySoft has strong partnerships with hotels and resorts globally to help expand Rakuten Travel Xchange’s global reach.
DerbySoft recently hit a major milestone by processing 12-million room nights per month while continuing to support current connections and expanding great partnerships like this with Rakuten Travel Xchange.
About DerbySoft
DerbySoft’s mission is to make the travel business easier through industry-leading technology that empowers travel industry services. The company supports technology for Connectivity Services at the CRS and PMS levels, Marketing Services which uses machine learning and rich data to drive high-performing marketing campaigns and a Content platform that collects, manages and distributes quality hotel content.
DerbySoft’s technology empowers the travel industry around the globe. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA, DerbySoft serves partners in 197 countries around the world.
About Rakuten Travel Xchange
Rakuten Travel Xchange is the accommodation connectivity and travel technology division within the Rakuten Group – a global group of e-commerce, fintech, digital, and communications service companies operating 70+ businesses in over 30 countries and regions. Rakuten Travel Xchange acts as the bridge between accommodation partners and customers worldwide, by distributing its global inventory and the directly negotiated rates of Rakuten Travel and Rakuten LIFULL STAY, enabling its clients globally to send their guests anywhere in the world.
https://www.derbysoft.com/...partnership-with-rakuten-travel-xchange/
Aktienkurse bilden sich nun einmal aufgrund der Meinungen, die Investoren aufgrund ihrer Informationen über Aktien haben. Und da sind die Aussagen von Mikitani nur ein vielleicht sogar weniger bekannter Aspekt, der noch nicht auf den Bloomberg News Tickern gelandet ist.
Was dort massenhaft landet, sind Chaosberichte von interessierten Stellen, die hoffen Rakuten Mobile in Japan und Rakuten Symphony ein Bein zu stellen.
Nach meinen Beobachtung ist das in Japan bei Rakuten Mobile ein hoffnungsloses Unterfangen, denn Rakuten Mobile läuft wie am Schnürchen. Bei Rakuten Symphony läuft sicher auch einiges, wie 1&1 in Deutschland oder Dish in den USA zeigen, aber die Dimensionen sind noch unklar.
At the Rakuten Symphony Telco Transformation Lab at MWC Barcelona 2022, Anshul Bhatt, Head of Intelligent Ops Product Strategy, demonstrated how he has full visibility into Rakuten Mobile’s network performance in any location across Japan with just a few intuitive taps on his trackpad. That software is now available to other telcos through Symworld – a new telco platform and app marketplace established by Rakuten Symphony. Bhatt explained that Symworld encompasses a set of “loosely-coupled and highly-aligned” apps, which can be used individually or in tandem to plan, deploy and operate a network, as well as handle customer care and marketing analytics.
“These interconnected apps are a game changer in how we manage and operate the networks of tomorrow,” Rakuten Symphony CEO Tareq Amin told the audience at the same event. “Our big objective is a flawless experience.” For example, Symworld’s RAN Commander app is “the only tool on the planet,” noted Amin, that integrates configuration management, prediction and optimization to identity and fill gaps in mobile coverage. “The tool will assign a coverage hole…an ID. The ID has a digital workflow, and it goes to the engineer who can then do something about it.”
AT&T ventures into Symworld
AT&T, which has the largest mobile network in North America,* is currently deploying Symworld’s Site Manager app to simplify the design and construction of both its fiber and wireless networks. “This collaboration will help us create velocity in our deployments, both from a fiber and mobility perspective, which is crucial at the pace that we need to move today,” said Gordon Mansfield, VP Mobility Access & Architecture at AT&T.
AT&T is also integrating some of its own intellectual property into Symworld in the form of an advanced capacity planning tool. “We’ve got to streamline operations as we move to 5G and a cloud-native architecture,” Mansfield said in Barcelona.
During his demonstration, Bhatt showed how he can use the Symworld apps to easily configure any element in Rakuten Mobile’s network. But most of the time that won’t be necessary: the apps use artificial intelligence to autonomously monitor the performance of the network and address any incidents.
The Symworld suite draws on a vast amount of data, including live customer feedback, to help inform and make decisions about where to deploy additional network capacity and coverage, for example. “We embedded the real measured samples from the handsets of our customers and our engineering teams into the mix in order to create something that we call a smart network layer,” which then uses algorithms to recommend network settings that will optimize coverage, Bhatt explained.
The Symworld suite also enables Rakuten Mobile to operate its physical inventory completely digitally. “That's where the magic starts,” Bhatt said. As new equipment is installed, an app triggers an “automated zero trust provisioning workflow… to instantiate and create the clusters and then subsequently create the software that works on top of it.” In other words, an app automatically performs all the steps required to integrate the new equipment into the mobile network.
Indeed, automation pervades Symworld. Rather than tracking IP addresses manually in emails and spread sheets, Symworld includes a system that generates, allocates and tracks IP addresses automatically in line with pre-defined business rules.
“Hyperscale is about running your network at extreme efficiency,” Amin told the event. “By adopting digital workflows, Rakuten Mobile is able to activate almost 350 to 500 sites every day,” he added. “Yet the organization doesn't have the traditional business units. I don't send drive testing to these sites and send out RF (radio frequency) engineers. They autonomously come on air, plug and play: Like what you would see with Wi-Fi.”
As well as being slick and straightforward, the Symworld suite is a key plank of Rakuten’s broader drive to reduce the cost of connectivity and bring online many more people around the globe. Back in 2017, when Rakuten Group Chairman & CEO Mickey Mikitani was first contemplating deploying a mobile network, he explained that “what I really wanted to do is democratize wireless connectivity... because in Japan, the three incumbents were providing almost the same services at almost the same price, which is very, very expensive.… So, I thought it was our mission to disrupt – and to disrupt, we have to do it differently.”
https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/...-your-mobile-network-with-an-app
veröffentlicht: 2. märz 2022
Rakuten Symphony, eine hundertprozentige Tochtergesellschaft von Rakuten Mobile, gab bekannt, dass sie sich bereit erklärt hat, mit AT&T Communications, einer hundertprozentigen Tochtergesellschaft von AT&T in den USA (USA), zusammenzuarbeiten.
Rakuten Symphony und AT&T Communications haben vereinbart, zusammenzuarbeiten, um die Lösungen zu verbessern, die sie auf Symworld, der Carrier-Plattform von Rakuten Symphony, anbieten.
Die Zusammenarbeit zielt darauf ab, über die Plattform als Lösung auf den Markt zu expandieren, indem die Technologie und das Know-how genutzt werden, die für das von Rakuten Mobile in Japan und AT & T Communications in den Vereinigten Staaten aufgebaute Großnetzwerk verwendet werden.
AT&t Communications hat bereits den Site Manager von Rakuten Symphony eingesetzt.
Site Manager ist eine Suite symmetrischer Lösungen, die die für die Bereitstellung eines Netzwerks erforderlichen Entwurfs- und Konstruktionsabläufe vereinfachen und die Zeit für die Bereitstellung drahtloser und kabelgebundener Netzwerke erheblich verkürzen.
Darüber hinaus integriert AT&T Communications auf der Grundlage der Vereinbarung zwischen den beiden Parteien RANFT, eine Kerntechnologie der Kapazitätsplanung (Kapazitätsplanung), und RAN Commander, ein Management-Tool für das Wireless Access Network (RAN) von Rakuten Symphony, um die Kapazitätsplanung durchzuführen. Commander wird RANFT als neues Feature integrieren.
Da sich die Telekommunikationsbranche verändert, einschließlich Cloud, offener Architektur, groß angelegter Softwarebereitstellungen und Diversifizierung der Lieferanten, plant Site Manager, die Innovationen im Bereich at & t-Kommunikation weiter zu verbessern, um Carrier bei der Planung, Bereitstellung und dem Betrieb ihrer Netzwerke zu unterstützen.
http://blogofmobile.com/article/146339
Published by L. Kettenhofen, Apr 8, 2022
As of March 2022, the number of bank accounts at Rakuten Bank, Ltd. reached 12.31 million. Rakuten Bank was the first online bank in Japan to surpass 10 million accounts.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1230750/...mber-of-bank-accounts/
(volle Anzeige nur beim ersten Mal)
Uber rival Go-Jek confirms $550M raise and hints at Southeast Asia expansion
Jon Russell@jonrussell / 4:22 PM GMT+2•August 4, 2016
Indonesia-based Go-Jek, the motorbike taxis on-demand company that competes with Uber and Grab, has confirmed that it has raised upwards of $550 million in new funding. It also hinted that it may expand to other parts of Southeast Asia for the first time.
The company’s valuation was not disclosed, but we reported earlier than it values Go-Jek at $1.3 billion post-money.
The money was provided by new investors KKR, Warburg Pincus, Farallon Capital and Capital Group Private Markets. Existing investors Sequoia India, Northstar Group, DST Global, NSI Ventures, Rakuten Ventures and Formation Group also took part.
https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/04/...OKMQqmCNk6vvu0i55BLyXit_1T1PVmjw
Mar 11, 2022
Symphony also announced a collaboration agreement with AT&T to “enhance solutions within the Symworld platform to accelerate network planning and deployment in both greenfield and brownfield environments.”
The relationship is quite broad and open but, importantly, includes the use by AT&T of Symphony’s Site Manager suite that “simplifies the design and build workflows for network rollouts.”
Amin said that the deployment of that suite, which will accelerate network planning and deployment in greenfield and brownfield environments, is already in progress, and covers wireless and wireline network planning.
“We already have started… on deployment today and our team have a level of agility that you won’t find in a lot of organisations,” boasted Amin, adding that deployments are happening “much faster than you would expect” at AT&T but also in engagements with other operators too, including Telefónica.
Such deals not only drive revenue for Symphony but also provide it with useful knowledge and experience. IN the work with AT&T, “we are learning a lot – how to manage our way through a brownfield deployment and integration points,” noted Amin.
https://www.telecomtv.com/content/open-ran/...-groove-at-mwc22-43895/
- Rakuten and Uber Eats Japan aim to deliver greater convenience to customers through new service integration.
Tokyo, April 18, 2022 – Rakuten Group, Inc. and Uber Eats Japan Inc. today announced the launch of a new collaboration integrating Uber Eats with Rakuten Pay’s online payment service, which utilizes the Rakuten ID system. Rakuten Pay will be available as an official payment method when ordering food and groceries on Uber Eats for all users by late April.
This collaboration allows users to select the Rakuten Pay online payment service as their payment option when placing orders through Uber Eats, enabling easy and intuitive payment using the credit card information linked to the user’s Rakuten ID. Users will also be able to earn Rakuten Points when ordering through Uber Eats and pay for orders using earned points. In addition, current users of both services will be able to log in to Uber Eats using their Rakuten ID, while new Uber Eats users will have the convenient option of creating an account through a simplified registration system using their Rakuten ID.
To commemorate this collaboration, both companies will hold a limited-time Rakuten Pay Introductory Campaign on Uber Eats, starting on April 27. During the campaign, new Uber Eats users will receive a coupon for 3,000 yen off on their first order, a coupon for up to 50% off any number of subsequent orders placed during the campaign period, and special benefits including receiving Rakuten Points worth up to 20% of order amounts after the corresponding discount has been applied. Additionally, existing Uber Eats users will receive Rakuten Points worth up to 3% of the order amount after the corresponding discount has been applied on all orders placed during the campaign period.
Both companies are also planning special sale events on Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten’s online marketplace, as well as ID and payment integration on Uber, the mobility service operated by Uber Japan. Users can expect more seamless and convenient collaborative services going forward.
https://global.rakuten.com/corp/news/press/2022/0418_02.html
https://fintechwithoutborders.org/company/coda-payments/
Rakuten was one of the owners of Coda - Question: Exist a lasten ownership of Rakuten today?
https://elius-books.com/...order-payments-and-alternative-app-stores/
By mid-2021, 73 operators from 38 countries were either already working on or committed to Open RAN deployments. And research from Telecoms.com, VMWare and Accenture suggests two-thirds of companies plan to deploy commercial Open RAN solutions within five years.
The opening up of RAN infrastructure will be increasingly relevant to large enterprises, too. Private cellular networks are becoming an ever more practical option for large organizations. These networks offer a more customized and scalable way to achieve wide-area connectivity in offices, manufacturing plants and other facilities. As the control and coordination architecture of the RAN is opened, it allows enterprises to adapt to unique local conditions or use cases.
The introduction of private 5G networks opens even more industrial and commercial use cases. For instance, in remote locations and other sites where Wi-Fi or public cellular connectivity is challenging. So, I believe it’s important that enterprises as well as carriers understand how Open RAN is changing the underlying infrastructure.
https://www.accenture.com/us-en/blogs/...an-solution-for-your-network
Edging closer to 5G content delivery in the cloud
April 13, 2022
5G edge networks will drive cloud video revenues from $5bn in 2019 to $67.5bn by 2024, a CAGR of 67%, according to insights from ABI research.
https://www.robin.io/featured-news/...-content-delivery-in-the-cloud/
Technology/OEM/SI
Industry Organizations
NFs and Applications
Cloud and Resell Partners
Enterprise/SW
https://www.robin.io/robin-partners/
https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/...tions/compare/robin-vs-teem
Matt Kapko | Senior Editor 2 hours ago
“There is a conflation of what open means,” Hollingworth wrote in a recent post on LinkedIn. “In our context, open RAN means open interfaces, not open software. … Open RAN is about defining open interfaces for software interoperability.”
Rakuten Symphony is undoubtedly more flexible and dynamic than if an operator picked a traditional RAN vendor as its exclusive equipment and software provider, but it only meets that mark insofar as specific software stacks are approved and included in its marketplace.
Hollingworth contends there will always, regardless of the industry or architecture involved, be some authority that decides if another piece of software can work successfully in tandem with an existing system.
“The approach that we are taking in Rakuten is now we are working really at a software delivery level,” he explained. “On the software level, we are pulling the software in and then making sure it works, and then automating it, and then making it available to everyone else. That is a much more effective supply chain that opens up much more optionality for the customers to choose from.”
https://www.sdxcentral.com/articles/analysis/...n-ran-limits/2022/04/
https://rakuten.today/blog/uber-eats-rakuten-pay.html
1 Nutzer wurde vom Verfasser von der Diskussion ausgeschlossen: Scansoft