Unleash the Power of SMS
SoftBank and Toyota want driverless cars to change the world
SoftBank and Toyota want to change the world of transportation through autonomous vehicles and other technologies.
The high-profile Japanese companies are forming a joint venture called Monet to develop businesses that will use driverless-car technology to offer new services, such as mobile convenience stores and delivery vehicles in which food is prepared en route.
SoftBank (SFTBF) will own just over half of Monet, while Toyota (TM) will hold the rest.
The new company’s name isn’t a reference to Claude Monet, the famous French painter, but rather a shortened version of the words “mobility network.”
Toyota President Akio Toyoda and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son attended the announcement of the project Thursday in Tokyo, a rare joint appearance by the heads of two of Japan’s biggest global companies.
Toyota first approached SoftBank with the idea of creating a Japanese alliance to try to catch up with global rivals that are developing autonomous driving tech.
Around the world, top carmakers and tech companies like Google’s parent, Alphabet (GOOGL), and China’s Baidu (BIDU) are pouring resources into self-driving vehicles.
Driverless vehicles have the potential to cause huge disruption in the auto industry and are also likely to transform the ride-hailing business.
Son, SoftBank’s billionaire founder, presides over a sprawling empire of artificial intelligence companies, internet businesses and ride-hailing startups, which can collect huge amounts of data on traffic patterns, passengers’ requests and other transportation trends.
The new venture taps into SoftBank’s advantages in tech and data, and Toyota’s vehicle-manufacturing expertise. Its aims include developing ways to tackle problems created by Japan’s rapidly aging society and shrinking workforce.
Over the next decade, Monet plans to roll out services like self-driving buses that can drive the elderly to grocery stores, hospital shuttles where medical exams can be done on board, and mobile offices. It will focus initially on Japan with a view to expanding globally.
SoftBank has already put money into autonomous driving. Its $100 billion tech-focused Vision Fund committed $2.3 billion to General Motors’ self-driving car unit GM Cruise earlier this year.
On Wednesday, another top Japanese company, Honda (HMC), said it would also invest $2.8 billion in GM Cruise.
Toyota has started pumping resources into driverless cars.
It set up a new company in March dedicated to the research and development of self-driving vehicles, with plans to invest $2.8 billion to develop a commercially viable autonomous car.
Both SoftBank and Toyota have invested in or partnered with some of the world’s biggest ride-hailing startups including Uber, China’s Didi Chuxing and Singapore-based Grab.
The new SoftBank-Toyota venture shows how relations between automakers and tech companies have shifted.
Twenty years ago, Son approached Toyota with the idea of connecting the company’s Japanese dealerships on the internet. But Toyoda turned him down.
Back then, Son said, SoftBank was a small company reaching out to the “giant rock” of Toyota. Today, it’s the carmaker that’s asking him for help.
— CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.
CNNMoney (Hong Kong) First published October 4, 2018: 1:32 AM ET
Unleash the Power of SMS
The first text messages (SMS) were sent in 1992, when Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old software programmer, sent the first one from a PC to his friend Richard Jarvis. A year later, Nokia introduced SMS functionality with a distinctive sound to signal its arrival. From then until today, they continue to be an elementary resource as a quick and effective means of communication and as components to consider in a marketing strategy.
Next, we will explain what bulk SMS, transactional SMS and new versions of SMS such as conversational SMS, verified SMS with logo, and RC S is. We will also explain how to implement them in your company as a means of communication and how to choose the best provider for your next mobile mass communication campaign.
What does the acronym SMS mean?
This phrase describes text messages quickly sent to someone from one mobile phone to another.
With this service, you can send 160–224 character short messages to any mobile device—including smartphones and regular cell phones. Also, they can be sent in other ways, such as:
- From one digital phone to another.
- From applications within a web browser.
- From instant messaging clients.
Why use bulk SMS?
Bulk SMS, or mass SMS, are text messages swiftly and effectively sent to thousands of clients or any phone via an online platform.
These shipments are perfect for various purposes, such as SMS marketing, notifications, loyalty programs, and other omnichannel tactics to attract and keep more customers. Several factors have contributed to their increased usage in recent times, including:
- Economic cost. Regarding calls, their cost has been low since before the digital era. Even now, sending SMS through the Internet for non-commercial purposes costs users and businesses nothing, and it’s still less expensive than using other conventional channels to reach their target audience, like Internet or television advertising.
- Success rate. If viewed as a component of an omnichannel campaign, its open rates may be high because SMS has a 47% higher conversion rate.
How to send a mass SMS?
Although it depends on the type of provider and the technological platform available, generally, these are the steps you will need to take:
Enter destination numbers
The list of telephone numbers for sending text messages is sent or captured. This can be in CSV format, through a database, CRM, or contact list within your company’s system.
Write the message
You either write the message or use a template based on what your service provider says. When sending, remember that the character limit varies depending on the message type. You can include an image or a link to your website, address, or call to action to encourage recipients to contact you.
Review and schedule schedules
Once the message is written, it is displayed, and its cost is reviewed. The shipment is then scheduled according to dates, times and lists.
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