SoftBank, a Japanese corporation, has announced the creation of an expanded evergreen fund dedicated solely to supporting Black, Latinx and Native American entrepreneurs in the United States. SoftBank’s $100 million Opportunity Growth Fund for underrepresented founders was announced in June 2020, and this pledge is a continuation of that fund. Up till now, the initiative has already benefited 70 businesses. About 55% of the first portfolio firms were formed by Black people, 40% by Latino people, and 5% by Black and Latino people. Despite this, the SoftBank Opportunity portfolio favors men, with only 13% of companies in the portfolio having been started by women of color. SoftBank Group announced a pledge to invest in underrepresented creators in the face of rising racial inequality, and the SB Opportunity Fund was formed in less than 24 hours. SoftBank is now doubling down on its first investment by making this initiative…
The SoftBank Group’s subsidiary Z Holdings has announced that after completing a merger with the popular messaging app Line, it will invest $4.7 billion into the venture and hire 5,000 artificial intelligence engineers over the next five years. The merger of the two Japanese companies has been in the works since 2019, but was delayed by issues related to Covid-19. The main business areas of the company will be communication and social media, electronic and mobile commerce, along with online search and advertising. With the launch of their new services and collaborations with companies such as for online advertising, the joint establishment aims to generate $18.7 billion in revenue and $2 billion in operating profit in the fiscal year 2023. Softbank Corp. and Naver Corp., the South Korean IT giant and major shareholder of Line, will each contribute 50 percent of capital required for the new intermediate holding…
Two Japanese telecommunications providers, SoftBank and KDDI, have drawn up a plan to invest a total of $38 billion in fifth-generation wireless networks in Japan over the next 10 years. The country is seeking to close the gap between itself and its neighbors, China and South Korea, who have taken the lead in rolling out this ultra-fast technology. The 5G technology is expected to provide a large-scale boost to the country’s economy, benefiting a variety of industries, from Internet services to the automotive industry. Currently, 5G coverage across Japan remains very limited, mainly focused on Tokyo and other major population centers. Both operators plan to invest $19 billion each. For Japan’s 5G network, SoftBank plans to build 350,00 base stations nationwide, of which 50,000 are expected to be completed by March of 2022, and 200,000 more by 2025. Meanwhile, KDDI, which currently has less than 10,000 base stations,…
Starlink has expanded its satellite backhaul services to over 100 rural base stations of Africa Mobile Networks in Nigeria, enhancing connectivity in remote areas. Since their 2023 agreement, traffic surged 45% across connected sites. Leveraging Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, AMN effectively boosts base station capacity, transforming local communities with improved mobile access.
SK Telecom is revolutionizing its AI service, “A.”, with a focus on enhancing the natural conversational experience and comprehensive daily management. The newly revamped app, featuring multi-agent support and LLM integration, allows users to manage calendars, schedules, and routines through intuitive voice commands.
Deutsche Telekom is enhancing its global IoT presence through a new agreement with the Bridge Alliance. As the first European telecom giant in this consortium, Deutsche Telekom aims to streamline IoT solutions for both Asian and European markets. Their combined expertise promises superior connectivity and simplified procurement processes.
CelcomDigi has launched its AI Experience Center, AiX, in Malaysia to drive digital solutions across various industries. Located in Subang Jaya, AiX offers interactive simulations and showcases real-world applications in sectors like healthcare and logistics. Supported by global tech giants, this initiative underscores Malaysia’s commitment to advancing 5G and AI technologies.
Korean carrier SK Telecom and Singaporean firm Singtel signed an MoU to develop next-gen telecom networks, focusing on AI and network virtualization. The collaboration aims to create foundational technologies for 6G systems, improve edge-AI infrastructure, and enhance 5G capabilities.
Deutsche Telekom, SK Telecom, e&, Singtel, and SoftBank have officially launched a joint venture to advance AI technologies tailored for the telecommunications sector. These industry leaders aim to create Large Language Models (LLMs) specifically designed to enhance customer interactions through digital assistants and chatbots.
UK-based autonomous vehicle startup Wayve has announced a significant investment of $1.05 billion aimed at advancing its development of self-driving cars powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The funding round was led by SoftBank, a Japanese multinational conglomerate, with substantial contributions from tech giants Nvidia and Microsoft.