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• Vodafone Idea Fundraise Talks With Foreign Lenders’ Consortium to Continue Till February 28
• OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro Likely to Have 4500mAh Battery, Company to Bundle Charger Inside Retail Box
• 5G Commercial Networks Live in More Than 60 Countries Now, India Still Missing
• Excitel Broadband Set to Connect Over 50 Cities, Targeting Users Spending Rs 500
• Poco M3 1,50,000+ Units Sold in the First Sale Via Flipkart
• Nokia Power Earbuds Lite Launched in India With IPX7 Rating, Check Price
• Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4 Launched in India, Check Price and Specifications
• Indian Users Prefer Multiple Texting Applications for Different Purposes: Report
• Vi GIGAnet Fastest 4G Network Nationwide in October to December 2020: Ookla
• Jio, Vi and Airtel Submit Applications for Upcoming Spectrum Auction
• Poco X3 Pro India Launch Tipped, Likely to Feature Snapdragon 855 SoC
• Samsung Galaxy A32 5G Goes Official With MediaTek Dimensity 720 SoC and Lighter Price Tag
• Bharti Airtel Customer Protection Policies for International Roaming Users Detailed

Vodafone Idea Fundraise Talks With Foreign Lenders’ Consortium to Continue Till February 28 Posted: 10 Feb 2021 08:36 AM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/vodafone-idea-funding-talks-february/334942/, Vodafone Idea Fundraise Talks With Foreign Lenders' Consortium to Continue Till February 28 Struggling telecom operator Vodafone Idea will continue extensive fundraising talks with foreign lenders' consortium till February 28. The consortium is led by Oak Hill Advisors and the telco is looking to raise $2 billion via credit line. The earlier deadline for the fundraising talks was January 31, however, it has now been extended till the end of this month. This news is reported by ET Telecom citing three people aware of the matter. The deadline extension happened because the lenders are looking for some ‘safeguards and business milestones’ to protect their investments. This makes complete sense as Vodafone Idea lost more than 100 million subscribers in less than two years and it is increasingly becoming a worry for the telco as well. Vi Looking to Raise $2 Billion via Credit Line It is reported that the lenders were looking to close the deal, but they were looking for some safeguards and business milestones to proceed with the funding. Vodafone Idea continues to lose subscribers, as a result, the telco’ subscriber base was down to 295 million at the end of November 2020. Vi is looking to raise Rs 14,600 crore or $2 billion through equity funding and the US-based firm Oak Hill is leading the consortium. The consortium also includes GoldenTree Asset Management, Pacific Investment Management Co, Sixth Street, Twin Point Capital and Varde Partners. “An investment banker, who works closely with the telco, said raising debt would be a more realistic option for Vi in the near term as equity financing would hinge on fresh capital infusion by its co-promoters, Vodafone Group Plc and the Aditya Birla Group,” the ET Telecom report added. To attract equity funding, a company should have improved balance sheet and competitive position as the key factors. The best approach for Vodafone Idea to raise funds will be the combination of debt and equity. Still, the banker believes Vi should tap equity markets once profitability returns and focus on debt-raising that could happen immediately.

OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro Likely to Have 4500mAh Battery, Company to Bundle Charger Inside Retail Box Posted: 10 Feb 2021 07:12 AM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/oneplus-9-phones-battery-capacity/334924/, OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro Likely to Have 4500mAh Battery, Company to Bundle Charger Inside Retail Box OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro smartphones will likely launch next month along with an affordable device called OnePlus 9 Lite powered by Snapdragon 870 chipset. Tipster Max Jambor now claims that both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro smartphones will have a 4500mAh battery. It is disappointing to see the OnePlus 9 Pro also having a 4500mAh cell as the OnePlus 8 Pro featured a 4510mAh battery. The OnePlus 9, however, seems to be retaining the same battery capacity as the OnePlus 8T. Furthermore, Max also claimed that OnePlus would bundle chargers inside the retail box, unlike Samsung and Apple. The phones are also tipped to come with 65W wired charging and also fast wireless charging. OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro Battery Capacity Tipped The OnePlus 9 series is rumoured to have three smartphones- the OnePlus 9, the OnePlus 9 Pro and the OnePlus 9 Lite. Both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will have Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G SoC, whereas the OnePlus 9 Lite is said to have Snapdragon 870 5G chipset. As per the new leak, OnePlus is adding a 4500mAh battery to the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro smartphones. The battery capacity is identical to the OnePlus 8T. Since OnePlus 9 Pro will be the company’s top-of-the-line smartphone, we expected it to have a 5000mAh unit tackling the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The OnePlus 8 Pro also had a 4510mAh battery and it delivered decent battery life. With 65W fast charging support, the phones will likely go from 0% to 100% in just over 40 minutes (42 minutes on OnePlus 8T). The best part of this leak is the in-box charger confirmation. Replying to a tweet, Max Jambor stated the Chinese company would not follow the footsteps of Apple and Samsung in ditching the in-box charger. This will come as a relief to several users as users can save some money. As for wireless charging, the OnePlus 9 Pro will likely have 45W fast wireless charging support, whereas the OnePlus 9 seems to settle with just 30W wireless charging. The OnePlus 9 series launch is not so far away. The company might start teasing the launch event in the next two weeks.

5G Commercial Networks Live in More Than 60 Countries Now, India Still Missing Posted: 10 Feb 2021 05:00 AM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/5g-networks-live-in-60-countries-india/334890/, 5G Commercial Networks Live in More Than 60 Countries Now, India Still Missing The next-generation connectivity technology, 5G is being adopted at a rapid pace throughout the world. It is a robust technology which will enhance the role of the internet of things (IoT) products globally. As per a report from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), more than 61 countries now have live 5G networks. This list is for the month ending January 2021. It mentions that 144 commercial 5G networks are already present worldwide and more are about to come. The list reveals that around 413 telecom operators globally (in 131 countries/territories) are investing in 5G in different forms (pilots/tests/planned/actual deployments). Operators Worldwide Showing Interest in 4×4 MIMO Technology The latest NTS Update Status report suggests that operators globally are interested in investing in 4×4 MIMO technology. 152 operators have already started investing in the technology out of which 94 operators have launched their 5G network commercially. The report also focuses on LTE. Around 806 operators globally have launched their LTE networks commercially out of which 421 operators have also launched LTE fixed wireless access services. This report doesn't include India since the operators haven't even started testing 5G in its full capacity. This is because of the slow actions of the government. Indian operators don't even know when the 5G spectrum will be made available to them via auctions. Airtel recently tested its 5G live in Hyderabad using the airwaves in the 1800 MHz band. This, however, doesn't show the true potential of 5G since the airwaves in the 3300-3600 MHz band are still out of the reach of Indian operators. The world is adopting to 5G standards quite fast, and the Indian government needs to understand that quick decisions are required to stay ahead of the world. Airtel and Jio have claimed that they have 5G ready networks and all they are waiting for is the government’s nod to start testing it in full capacity and rolling it out as soon as possible.

Excitel Broadband Set to Connect Over 50 Cities, Targeting Users Spending Rs 500 Posted: 10 Feb 2021 03:40 AM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/excitel-connect-50-cities-users-spending-rs500/334887/, Excitel Broadband Set to Connect Over 50 Cities, Targeting Users Spending Rs 500 Excitel, one of the largest wired broadband providers in India is "looking forward to expanding" to over 50 cities by the end of 2021. The development was shared by Vivek Raina, chief executive officer of Excitel in an email interview with TelecomTalk. Raina said that the company "aims on connecting the Bharat" including the Tier II and the Tier III cities across the country. Excitel is currently said to be operational in 19 cities across India including Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam. Raina said that the company believes the "wireline broadband is a service that should be available uniformly" in the urban and semi-urban areas of the country "irrespective of social or financial profile of specific areas." Excitel to Reach Users Across 50 Cities by End of 2021 In early December 2020, Excitel revamped its broadband plans with Raina highlighting that the "response has been amazing" from its users. "Unlike the big telecom players that have their presence in Tier I cities, we want to serve the Bharat which includes the clustered Tier II and Tier III cities," Raina said in an email interview. Raina highlights that the company aims to reach users in Tier II and Tier III cities with the "affordable" broadband plans. The revamped broadband plans unveiled by the company in December 2020, enables users to multiply their internet speeds at an "additional cost" of Rs 50 per month on annual plans. Excitel currently offers broadband plans with 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps and 300 Mbps speeds with the monthly plans priced at Rs 699, Rs 799 and Rs 899 respectively. The CEO of Excitel said that there was a "boom" in the demand for wired broadband service during the COVID-19 lockdown. "Pandemic has made people realise that wireline broadband is a basic utility like electricity, water and gas, every household that has entertainment, communication, education or work from home needs a broadband connection," Raina said. "There was quite a big surge in demand post lockdown as well." Further, Raina said that the demand has now "gone down" as compared to the lockdown days but the demand is "still higher than the pre COVID Days." In late January 2021, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in a report highlighted that Excitel Broadband has 460,000 users as of September 30, 2020. However, Raina said that the company witnessed a 55% growth in 2020, with Excitel achieving the 500,000 user mark "before the end of 2020." The CEO of Excitel also said that the company has fixed the optical line termination (OLT) supply chain issues. "This situation arose mostly during the pandemic, when the country was in the state of lockdowns," Raina said. "Most of the OLT devices are being imported from China, which lead to the delays in installation. But since the unlock-down happened and all our stocks have been refilled and the issue has been resolved." Excitel ARPU Between Rs 450 to Rs 500 Raina said that the "price should not be a limitation" for its users to "enjoy better technology" and that the average revenue per user (ARPU) "hovers" between Rs 450 to Rs 500. "The ballpark figure we are operating right now is Rs 500," Raina said. "At this price we offer 100Mbps speed which is more than enough for all kinds of needs that a household of three for concurrent users would have." Crucially, the CEO of Excitel said that the "biggest challenge" faced by the wired broadband service providers include the regulatory hurdles, lack of fibre infrastructure and right-of-way (RoW) issues. "The regulatory authority in India missed several opportunities to formulate a proactive broadband strategy that could help address the digital divide and boost the country's economic growth," Raina said. "The fact that less than 20% of the towers in India are backhauled compared with an average of 80% in countries like the US, China, and Korea emphasizes the need for an effective policy that gives due importance to fibre deployments." Raina said that the "RoW charges vary from a few lakhs to Rs 1.5 crore per km across different states" in India. "With different states having different RoW policies, telcos are losing a significant amount of their infrastructure investment to municipal bodies across different states," Raina said. In late January, the Trai released its Telecom Subscription Data as on November 30, 2020, with the data highlighting that the wired broadband subscribers hit 21.89 million. Motilal Oswal Financial Services in a report said that Reliance Jio along with "smaller regional peers" added 170,000 users each. In late November, the firm engaged in the financial services said that the broadband market "despite having huge market potential" faces challenges and "remains weak, with limited reach." "The biggest reason for this is the capital-intensive and time-consuming nature of the business," Motilal Oswal Financial Services said in a report in November. "Additionally, the lengthy process of acquiring approvals and permissions from the government increases the challenges faced by operators to increase their wired network reach."

Poco M3 1,50,000+ Units Sold in the First Sale Via Flipkart Posted: 10 Feb 2021 02:36 AM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/poco-m3-150000-units-sold-in-first-sale-flipkart/334867/, Poco M3 1,50,000+ Units Sold in the First Sale Via Flipkart According to a release from Poco, the Poco M3 saw more than 1,50,000 units selling via Flipkart on the day of its first sale. To recall, the device was launched on February 2, 2021, in India and its first sale via Flipkart was slated to take place on February 9, 2021. Over 30 lakh or 3 million people have expressed their interest in purchasing the Poco M3. The company has assured that the device will come back in stock on Flipkart at 12 PM, February 16, for the consumers who couldn't get their hands on the device during the first sale. Poco M3 Specifications The Poco M3 comes with a 6.53-inch FHD+ display and is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC coupled with up to 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage. The device runs on MIUI 12 based on Android 10 out of the box. The device also comes with the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top of the screen. There is a triple-camera setup at the rear with a 48MP primary sensor, 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor in the camera department. For selfies and video calling, there is an 8MP sensor at the front. For additional security, the device comes with a fingerprint sensor mounted at the side of the device and also support AI face unlock. There is a 6,000mAh battery inside the device which supports 18W fast-charging as well. It is a 4G LTE supportive device which also comes with basic connectivity options such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a USB Type-C port. Poco M3 Price Poco M3 has been launched in two different variants for the Indian market. The first variant is 6GB+64GB priced at Rs 10,999 and the second is 6GB+128GB priced at Rs 11,999. As mentioned above, the device will be back in stock at 12 PM, February 16, 2021, on Flipkart. It is available in three different colours – Poco Yellow, Cool Blue, and Power Black.

Nokia Power Earbuds Lite Launched in India With IPX7 Rating, Check Price Posted: 10 Feb 2021 01:45 AM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/nokia-power-earbuds-lite-launched-in-india/334854/, Nokia Power Earbuds Lite Launched in India With IPX7 Rating, Check Price After launching two new smartphones, namely Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4, Nokia has launched a true wireless stereo (TWS) earphone called 'Nokia Power Earbuds Lite' for the Indian market. It is a toned-down version of the Nokia Power Earbuds Lite. A special feature of this TWS earphone is that it can support music playback of up to 35 hours (with the case) in a single charge. It also comes with the IPX7 rating, which makes it water-proof. Read ahead to find out more about the price and specifications of the Nokia Power Earbuds Lite. Nokia Power Earbuds Lite Specifications The Nokia Power Earbuds Lite comes with 6mm audio-drivers and supports Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. These earbuds also have the IPX7 rating meaning it can withstand being in water up to 1-metre deep for 30 minutes. The Nokia Power Earbuds Lite come with an ergonomic design and adjustable ear tips for superior comfort. The case of the earbuds have a 600mAh battery which can provide a backup of up to 30 hours in a single charge and the earbuds alone can perform up to 5 hours in a single charge. Thus the total battery backup of the earphones is 35 hours. The Nokia Earbuds Lite measure 25×23.8x23mm and the bundled charging case measures 68x36x31mm. Nokia Power Earbuds Lite Price The Nokia Power Earbuds Lite has launched for a price tag of Rs 3,599 in India. It is worth noting that for the global market the launch price was EUR 59.9 (approximately Rs 5,300), so it is comparatively priced cheaper for India. The earbuds will be available in two different colours – Charcoal and Snow and will go on sale from February 17, 2021, via Flipkart and Nokia's website. People who pre-book the Nokia 3.4 can avail a discount of Rs 1,600 on the earbuds making its effective price to be Rs 1,999. This offer stands until February 19 only as the Nokia 3.4 will go on sale from February 20, 2021.

Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4 Launched in India, Check Price and Specifications Posted: 10 Feb 2021 12:59 AM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/nokia-5-4-nokia-3-4-launched-india/334850/, Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4 Launched in India, Check Price and Specifications Nokia has just launched two new devices for the Indian market, namely Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4. These two devices come under the budget category and almost have the same build and design. There is a quad-camera setup at the rear of Nokia 5.4 and a triple-camera setup at the rear of Nokia 3.4. Both devices will run on Android 10 out of the box. Take a look at the complete specifications and price of Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4. Nokia 5.4 Specifications The Nokia 5.4 comes with a 6.39-inch HD+ display and will run on Android 10 out of the box. However, the device is Android 11 ready and will receive the update soon. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC coupled with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage (expandable up to 512GB). There is a quad-camera setup at the rear housing a 48MP primary sensor paired with a 5MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. At the front, there is a 16MP sensor for selfies. The device comes with a 4,000mAh battery and supports 10W standard charging. Nokia 3.4 Specifications The Nokia 3.4 comes with a 6.39-inch HD+ display as well. It is also Android 11 ready but will run on Android 10 out of the box. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage (expandable up to 512GB). The triple-camera setup at the rear houses a 13MP primary sensor, 5MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. There is an 8MP sensor at the front for clicking selfies. The device comes with a 4,000mAh battery as well but only supports slow 5W charging. Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4 Price Nokia 5.4 has launched in two different configurations. The 4GB+64GB variant is priced Rs 13,999 and the 6GB+64GB variant is priced Rs 15,499. The device will be available in two colours – Dusk and Polar Night and will go on sale from February 17, 2021, via Flipkart and Nokia's website. The Nokia 3.4 has launched in a single variant with 4GB+64GB for Rs 13,999. It will be available in Dusk, Charcoal, and Fjord colour options. It will go on sale from February 20, 2021, via Amazon, Flipkart, and Nokia's website.

Indian Users Prefer Multiple Texting Applications for Different Purposes: Report Posted: 09 Feb 2021 11:51 PM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/users-prefer-multiple-texting-applications/334838/, Indian Users Prefer Multiple Texting Applications for Different Purposes: Report Gone are the days when one texting app (WhatsApp) ruled and dominated the Indian market. Indian users are picking up and using several texting applications with different purposes in mind and uprooting the market’s old trend. According to a report from techARC, users keep multiple texting applications on their smartphones for chatting and sharing stuff. The founder and chief analyst of techARC, Faisal Kawoosa, said that the future of texting apps in India would be pluralistic in India — more details on the story ahead. WhatsApp Remains the Most Used Texting Application Kawoosa noted that WhatsApp got the first-mover advantage and has more than 53% users amongst all the major texting applications for over three years. In the same period, Telegram has gained most of its users. While in the last year, Signal gained more than 47% of its users. The way the users are engaging with several texting applications regularly signifies that there is no primary app for most of them. Most users download and install their texting applications from the stores that come with the operating system (OS). According to the study, more than 85% of users clearly know why they use each of the texting applications on their device. This further signifies that users don't use a single application for all the purposes. Interestingly, after all the noise relating to the WhatsApp privacy and security policies, over 81% of people in the study said they were confident about using WhatsApp as they still found it to be as secure as it was before the policy change. 70% of the users said they would continue using other apps with WhatsApp even if it loses its competitive edge. The reason why a lot of users shifted to Telegram is because of its maximum group capacity feature. Another reason for the shift to Telegram was being able to share large files easily.

Vi GIGAnet Fastest 4G Network Nationwide in October to December 2020: Ookla Posted: 09 Feb 2021 11:13 PM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/vi-giganet-fastest-4g-network-october-december-ookla/334835/, Vi GIGAnet Fastest 4G Network Nationwide in October to December 2020: Ookla For the second consecutive quarter, GIGAnet by Vodafone Idea (Vi) has been recognised as the fastest 4G network all over India by Ookla. Vi managed to deliver the fastest 4G speeds amongst all the operators in the October to December 2020 quarter. It further made Vi the only operator in the country to consistently deliver the fastest 4G speeds straight for six months on a pan-India basis. For the unaware, Ookla is one of the largest broadband speed testing companies globally. It has said that Vi remained ahead of all the operators in terms of providing the fastest 4G speeds in the last quarter of 2020 — more details on the story ahead. GIGAnet By Vi Found to be Fastest in 16 Different States of India In terms of providing average download speeds, GIGAnet by Vi was found to be fastest in 16 different states of the country. These states included Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Sikkim, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and more. Adding to this, the 4G network of Vi provided the fastest average downloading speeds in over 142 cities of India. In the previous quarter (July-September 2020), it was around 120 cities where Vi provided the fastest 4G speed, but that number increased by 22 cities in the last quarter. This shows that Vi is investing a lot on its 4G network and is determined to provide the fastest speeds to its users. It is worth noting that according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) report, Vi delivered the highest call quality for three straight months from November 2020 to January 2021. Ravinder Takkar, MD & CEO of Vodafone Idea Limited said that the telco's robust network is built on 5G architecture principles, which will help people and businesses stay ahead and thrive. Vi has been refarming spectrum for 4G across India slowly and is expected to continue delivering fast 4G speeds with GIGAnet.

Jio, Vi and Airtel Submit Applications for Upcoming Spectrum Auction Posted: 09 Feb 2021 10:29 PM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/jio-vi-airtel-applications-upcoming-spectrum-auction/334823/, Jio, Vi and Airtel Submit Applications for Upcoming Spectrum Auction Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and Bharti Airtel have submitted applications for the upcoming spectrum auctions. The spectrum auction will start from March 1, 2021, but will only be for airwaves primarily used for providing 4G services. Telcos will get to purchase from a total of 2,251.25 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz bands. The base price of all the spectrum put in the auction is Rs 3.92 lakh crore. According to a PTI report, the country’s top three telcos have submitted applications for participating in the auctions. Spectrum in Multiple Frequency Bands Available at a Lower Cost At the upcoming auctions, telcos can get airwaves in the 900 MHz band at less than half the price in several circles than the amount they paid in the previous auction. Airwaves in the 800 MHz band have also been made available at a lower base price because it went unsold in 15 out of the 19 circles in the last round of auctions in 2016. ICICI Securities have also pointed out that the final reserve price of the airwaves in the 800 MHz band has been reduced by 18.5% compared to the previous auction. On the other hand, the 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz bands’ base price has been fixed at a 14.5% and 17.5% higher-rate than their cost in the October 2016 auction. The government has decided to avail all the airwaves in the 700 MHz band, but its base price has been increased due to which analysts believe that telcos won't bid for it too much or at all. Reliance Jio will see 44 MHz of airwaves in the 800 MHz band up for renewal; Airtel will see 12.4 MHz of spectrum in the 900 MHz band along with 47 MHz of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band up for renewal. Vi will have to renew 6.2 MHz of spectrum in the 900 MHz band and 38.2 MHz in the 1800 MHz band.

Poco X3 Pro India Launch Tipped, Likely to Feature Snapdragon 855 SoC Posted: 09 Feb 2021 09:12 PM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/poco-x3-pro-launch-imminent/334808/, Poco X3 Pro India Launch Tipped, Likely to Feature Snapdragon 855 SoC Poco X3 Pro could be the next smartphone from the Xiaomi spin-off company. The handset with model number- M2102J20SI has bagged various certifications, including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The Poco X3 Pro will arrive as a successor to the Poco X3 that runs on Snapdragon 732G Mobile Platform. XDA Developers reports the Poco X3 Pro could be powered by Snapdragon 855 chipset which was the top-of-the-line chipset from Qualcomm in 2019. It is an interesting strategy from Poco, but do make a note that these are just rumours around the phone and the official specifications will be different. In addition, Poco is yet to confirm the existence of the Poco X3 Pro, so take this news with a grain of salt. Poco X3 Pro With Snapdragon 855 SoC: Does It Make Any Sense? The XDA report says the Poco X3 Pro will have multiple variants with codenames- "Vayu" and "Bhima." The publication highlights the presence of Snapdragon 855 SoC. To recall, Poco’s first phone- the Poco F1 was introduced in 2018 with Snapdragon 845 chipset. The next flagship phone from Poco was the Poco F2 Pro with Snapdragon 865 chipset. So the use of Snapdragon 855 chipset will surely raise a lot of eyebrows. In 2021, there are very limited phones on sale with Snapdragon 855 SoC. The Realme X3, X3 Super Zoom and OnePlus 7T are the only phones with Snapdragon 855+ SoC available for purchase in India. Even the Redmi K20 Pro seems to be phased out. It all depends on how Poco prices the X3 Pro in India if at all it plans to launch the phone in the country. As we all know, Poco is an aggressive brand and probably has the best devices in almost every segment it is present. If the company manages to pull a price of below Rs 20,000 for the Poco X3 Pro, it will surely gain consumer interest. The Poco X3 Pro may share a lot of similarities to the Poco X3 like the 6000mAh battery, 33W fast charging, up to 8GB of RAM and a high refresh rate screen.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G Goes Official With MediaTek Dimensity 720 SoC and Lighter Price Tag Posted: 09 Feb 2021 07:31 PM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/samsung-galaxy-a32-5g-specs-price/334792/, Samsung Galaxy A32 5G Goes Official With MediaTek Dimensity 720 SoC and Lighter Price Tag Samsung Galaxy A32 5G is the South Korean smartphone company’s affordable 5G smartphone till date. Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset, the Galaxy A32 5G will retail at a price of €279 in Spain. Samsung did not reveal any plans of launching the A32 5G in other countries including India. Key specifications of the Galaxy A32 5G include 5000mAh battery, 48MP quad-camera setup and runs Android 11 out of the box. It is good to see Samsung also joining the list of brands launching affordable 5G smartphones. In recent times, we have seen Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo and Vivo betting big on affordable, budget and mid-range 5G smartphones. Samsung already has decent mid-range 5G phones like the Galaxy A71 5G and the Galaxy A51 5G. Continue reading to know more about the Galaxy A32 5G in detail. Samsung Galaxy A32 5G: Specifications and Features Samsung has launched the Galaxy A32 5G in four colour options- Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue and Awesome Violet. The phone flaunts a 6.5-inch HD+ TFT display with a teardrop notch (Infinity-V). Under the hood, there’s the MediaTek Dimensity 720 SoC with octa-core CPU (two cores clocked at 2.0GHz and six cores clocked at 2.0GHz). The phone comes in two variants- 4GB+64GB and 4GB+128GB, with both of them featuring a microSD card slot for storage expansion up to 1TB. It rocks a quad-camera setup on the rear with 48MP main lens, 8MP ultra-wide-angle shooter, 5MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. Towards the front, there’s a 13MP snapper with f/2.2 aperture. Samsung has added a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and it is backed by a 5000mAh battery with 15W fast charging. Connectivity options on the Galaxy A32 5G include 5G, 4G LTE, VoLTE, VoWi-Fi, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS. The device comes laden with Android 11-based OneUI 3.0 out of the box. As for the pricing, Samsung says the 4GB+64GB model will retail at €279 (approx. Rs 24,500). The company did not reveal the pricing of 4GB+128GB variant. The phone will go on sale in Spain very soon.

Bharti Airtel Customer Protection Policies for International Roaming Users Detailed Posted: 09 Feb 2021 05:32 PM PST This post first appeared on TelecomTalk Read more at: https://telecomtalk.info/bharti-airtel-customer-protection-policies/334767/, Bharti Airtel Customer Protection Policies for International Roaming Users Detailed Bharti Airtel is probably the most preferred telecom operator when it comes to International Roaming (IR) services. The telco has international roaming plans at a starting price of Rs 496 for prepaid customers. A lot of customers complain about unexpected charges on their mobile number when they travel to another country, and both prepaid and postpaid customers of telecom operators face this issue. To tackle this problem, Bharti Airtel introduced six ‘Customer Protection Policies.’ These policies include roam-without-fear, default off-mode, safe packs, data blocking and so on. Continue reading to know more about these policies in detail. Bharti Airtel Roam-without-fear Policy for IR Users Detailed Imagine this situation- you are travelling to another country and recharges an IR pack. For some reason, the pack wasn’t activated on time; In such a situation or in the event a customer does not activate any of the IR packs by travels to a pack-covered country with Airtel International Roaming service active and generates usage, then the telco’s ‘Roam-without-fear’ policy comes into the picture. Under this policy, Airtel protects the customer from excessive charges. The telco says the initial charging will happen as per the standard international roaming charges, and once the usage exceeds the one-day pack value (probably the base one-day pack) for that country, the telco will automatically apply one-day pack with all its benefits to protect the customer from any further charges for the day. And if the customer fails to activate the IR pack the next day, then the same principle applies again. This pack basically avoids excessive charges on the customer’s account. Airtel advises this option if the duration of the stay is very short. Bharti Airtel Default Off-mode for IR Users Detailed Another policy is default-off mode. As you might be aware of already, International Roaming (IR) service for all the Airtel prepaid and postpaid customers is disabled by default. Any customer who buys and international roaming pack would get the IR service enabled automatically. Besides, customers can also enable the IR service through Airtel Thanks app or by calling the customer centre. Bharti Airtel Safe Packs for IR Users Detailed Then we have the ‘Safe Packs’ for international roaming users. If a customer exhausts the data quota available in the chosen pack, then the data usage will be blocked immediately to avoid further charges. If the customer wishes to use data for the rest of the validity, data top-up packs can be purchased. International roaming charges are usually on the pricier side. Bharti Airtel Data Blocking Policy for IR Users Detailed Fourth on the list is the Data Blocking policy that is applicable in the countries where IR packs are unavailable. For countries where Airtel roaming packs are not available, the data services are blocked by default to avoid accidental charges. However, customers will be able to make calls and send SMS and will be charged for the same as per standard rates. As a pro-tip, Bharti Airtel advises its customers to track data, calling and SMS usage via the Airtel Thanks app. Data usage will be available on a real-time basis, whereas voice/SMS usage may have a delay of up to 24-48 hours. Also, the telco will send consumption alerts to the postpaid users and the same feature will be rolled out to prepaid users in the coming days.

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