The less bumpy way to ride e-commerce = Rakuten (Seite 275)

[FlankerStan]

Security has been considered in every aspect of Symworld design and functionality

June 1, 2022

This is particularly pertinent to telecom operators as they are the backbone of all digital services. Therefore, they need to stand up and look holistically over their entire domain and ask if they are doing enough to keep their companies and customers safe.

An operator cannot stand still and allow fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) to detract from its innovation and digital transformation plans. Instead, they must move forward, adapt and realize that security is an essential component in their business strategy and on an equal standing as the acquisition of a new customer.

So, as operators address new challenges and adopt new delivery models with containerization, container orchestration, open interfaces, and the latest generation of mobile standards, they should be continually asking themselves an important and valid question: Is this new world secure?

Unfortunately, you are under attack if you're an operator, and it is impossible to mitigate against everything. So how you respond, react, and what you ultimately learn will be crucial to your defense.

Symworld is the beating heart of Rakuten Symphony, a platform developed to reimagine telecom and break the shackles of the traditional approach to Telecom Networks. A modern, industrial-scale automation platform explicitly built for telecom with the ability of seamless integration to create a cloud-native marketplace.

Security has been considered in every aspect of Symworld design and functionality. Nothing has been taken to chance, with every interface and component following an extensive review to ensure security is front and center in the platform. As a result, the Symworld platform is not only thoroughly tested, but is challenged every single day as it is already deployed and successfully working in a fully functional cloud-native, software-defined 5G network in Japan.

Following a rigorous procedure of Security by Design, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to security. Rakuten Symphony understood early on that no single reference architecture or standard can address every possible vulnerability or detect every potential threat. Instead, we strongly believe in a pragmatic, dynamic, and always-on cyber security framework to help identify, respond, and recover from vulnerabilities or compromises to systems.

We follow a comprehensive zero-trust approach to security and follow a step-by-step process to ensure every attack vector, threat and eventuality has been considered.



Design with Zero Trust, Secure Coding

Immutable container images, signed container images and signature verification

Continuous monitoring and remediation of vulnerabilities

Ensure strict access control for resources as well as resource limit configurations

Securing cloud platforms with hardening best practices

Runtime observability and security based on cloud-native best practice

Symworld has been built to maximize automation and minimize the need for human intervention.

Symworld Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP)

All base stations are commissioned and brought online without the need for human configuration, including the security of all node aspects, with the generation, securing and vaulting of all interfaces and involved services. Subsequent configuration changes are handled through the Symworld Automation Studio. At no stage does a human manually write and run a configuration script and at no stage does any operational staff have any direct access to any security credentials. This is just one example of how security has been embedded into the operational model of Symworld as a first-class citizen and at birth.

Rakuten Symphony's approach has been driven by our early adoption of the "new ways of building networks" and the lack of any reference implementation of a successful nationwide Open RAN, cloud-native network deployment. As a result, we had to leverage 21st-century technologies for our 21st-century networks to achieve our objectives with the utmost resilience and privacy with user and data integrity in mind.

In the area of security, standing still is a much riskier strategy than moving forward. Actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and you must constantly evolve, as failure to evolve will sadly end with drastic consequences. Therefore, security cannot be an afterthought and needs to be designed into the fabric of the operator's business processes and procedures.

https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/security-in-symworld

[FlankerStan]

Rakuten France arbeitet weiterhin als kompletter Marktplatz

The Samsung Galaxy S21 at this price, hard not to take advantage of it

June 6, 2022

For the end of the spring season, Rakuten gives you the opportunity to get the Samsung Galaxy S21 at a reduced price. With a discount of more than 45%, the Korean giant’s smartphone goes below 455 euros.

As summer is fast approaching, the Galaxy S21 is becoming more and more affordable in terms of price. Currently, the smartphone of the Samsung brand available in its 128 GB version and its purple color is sold by Rakuten at a price of 454.42 euros instead of 859 euros; i.e. an immediate discount of more than 400 euros from the e-commerce site.

https://world-today-news.com/the-samsung-galaxy-s21-at-this-…

[FlankerStan]

Rakuten and Hulu

https://s-max.jp/archives/1816294.html

[FlankerStan]

Rakuten's quarterly service cross-use ratio 2018-2022

Published by C. Diep, Jun 1, 2022

In the first quarter of 2022, the cross-use ratio of Rakuten Members reached 74.8 percent. Rakuten operates a variety of e-commerce, financial, and mobile services, which can be connected via the cross-platform feature "Rakuten ID".

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1240294/rakuten-service-…

[FlankerStan]

interview/the-telecoms-com-podcast-rakuten-mobile-big-5g-event-and-ericsson

https://telecoms.com/interview/the-telecoms-com-podcast-raku…

[FlankerStan]

Fever valued at over $1 billion

Feb 16, 2022 8:42am PT

Global Live Entertainment Startup Fever Raises $227 Million
Proving that live entertainment continues attracting investors in a post-pandemic landscape, global discovery platform Fever has raised $227 million in a round led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

The round, which the firm claims “the largest ever for a live entertainment tech startup,” valued Fever at over $1 billion. Fever is 10% owned by Spanish media giant Atresmedia.

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/fever-goldman-sachs-1235183…

Fever secured $35 million from Rakuten Capital, Atresmedia and Accel.

15 July 2019

Fever, a Madrid, Spain and London, UK-based company operating a business based on a mobile app for social events raised $35 million.

The investment round was led by Rakuten Capital, the investment arm of Japanese internet giant Rakuten, and included Atresmedia, Accel and Michael Zeisser, the former chairman of U.S. investments for Alibaba Group. Zeisser will also join Fever’s board together with Oskar Mielczarek, partner of Rakuten.

https://nordic9.com/news/fever-secured-35-million-from-rakut…

[FlankerStan]

zu 8062: Die Zukunft des E-Commerce im Metaverse

Die Zukunft des Metaverse wird immer greifbarer: So schätzt Bloomberg das Marktvolumen der Metaverse-Economy für das Jahr 2024 auf rund 800 Milliarden US-Dollar. Eine Google-Studie aus 2021 hat zudem gezeigt, dass 66 Prozent der Konsument:innen daran interessiert sind, Augmented Reality (AR) Tools als Hilfsmittel beim Einkaufen zu nutzen. Sicher ist: Das Metaverse wird unser Leben verändern, allein indem es die Grenzen zwischen der virtuellen und der physischen Welt auflöst.

Besonders interessant für die Bereiche Handel und E-Commerce sind meiner Meinung nach hybride Angebote, die die Grenzen zwischen virtueller und analoger Welt verwischen. Boutiquen und Kaufhäuser könnten beispielsweise auch im Metaverse besucht werden, die Kleidungsstücke werden virtuell anprobiert und die reale Ware analog nach Hause geschickt. Gleichzeitig können die Händler:innen und Marken ihre Ware aber auch virtuell für den persönlichen Avatar anbieten.

https://www.deutsche-startups.de/2022/05/26/e-commerce-im-me…

[FlankerStan]

Rakuten is after the acquisition of Robin.io excellent positioned in this coming trillion-market

The metaverse could be tech’s next trillion-dollar opportunity: These are the companies making it a reality

April 13, 2022

The metaverse is one of the hottest buzzwords in tech, and this far-reaching vision of a next-gen internet will rely upon an entire ecosystem of companies to make it a reality. We cut through the noise to explain what the metaverse is, how it's being built, and who's building it.

The business world is obsessed with “the metaverse”: the concept of shared worlds driven by virtual products and digital experiences that are highly immersive and interactive.

We already have virtual worlds featuring live concerts and online games where players spend hundreds of hours — but metaverse enthusiasts see a future where entire societies thrive in an online realm inhabited by avatars of real people.

While the space is still in early days, the longer-term implications may not be trivial. Some users — especially younger ones — may eventually earn, spend, and invest most of their money in digital worlds. The metaverse could represent a $1T market by the end of the decade, according to CB Insights’ Industry Analyst Consensus.

https://www.cbinsights.com/research/metaverse-market-map/

[FlankerStan]

Rakuten is the only operator which has “taken its own medicine” first with the launch of the Rakuten Mobile network in Japan

What aspect of the telco space excites you? Are there any industry trends you find particularly interesting?

In a way, it’s the scariest industry to be in. Blink and something has changed in the technology vendor or competitive ecosystem. Unfortunately, many legacy telco players aren’t able to keep up with this change. The mindset for how to utilize technology today is the same as 20 years ago.

I am excited because this muscle memory is being completely disrupted by the software paradigm. What Symphony is trying to do is unshackle operators from various cost structures that come with building and then running a network. Once these companies start realizing the benefits this gives in terms of flexibility, speed to market and departure from traditional cost and procurement cycles, the brainpower and the innovative energy that will then be freed-up in their organizations can then be applied to actual value-added services and enhancing customer experience. This is more than a technology change; this is a mindset change.

What’s most impressive for me is that Rakuten is the only operator which has “taken its own medicine” first with the launch of the Rakuten Mobile network in Japan. I do not know of any current competitor willing to do that.

https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/we-are-symphony-a-conversa…

[FlankerStan]

Rakuten has strong acitivities in India too

At the bilateral talks with Japan held on the sidelines of WSIS forum 2022, Shri Devusinh Chauhan urged the Japanese Companies to be part of initiatives of India in telecom sector. Japanese delegation at WSIS 2022 is led by H.E. SASAKI Yuji, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination (International Affairs), MIC.

Shri Devusinh Chauhan said that India is one of the largest telecom networks in the world with one of the most affordable telecom services. Last year Government of India announced path breaking reforms in telecom sector to further boost the growth of telecom industry, promote healthy competition and enhance the penetration of broadband and telecom connectivity. These reforms will usher a new era for the sector and will encourage investment by the industry.

In view of the young engineering talent available in India, the Minister urged Japanese industry to consider establishing their R&D centres in India. This can start with small developments and scaled up to full development centre to cater to global requirements of the parent companies. We have also announced a new Semiconductor Policy. Under this we invite Japanese companies to partner with us. We are also looking to train 85,000 engineers in the field of semiconductor technology. Japan can be India's Knowledge Partner for this purpose.

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/technology/2058884-ai-r…