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Huawei Gets a Respite in India from Bharti Airtel, Details
Will You Miss 5G on Redmi Note 10 Series? Let’s Talk
Airtel and Jio 5G Duopoly a Strong Possibility After Spectrum Auctions
Ookla 5G Map: Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Already Have 5G Towers Set Up in 2 Locations
ACT Fibernet Has the Cheapest 300 Mbps Plan Compared to JioFiber and Airtel Broadband

Huawei Gets a Respite in India from Bharti Airtel, Details

Posted: 06 Mar 2021 08:13 AM PST

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Huawei has just bagged a new contract from Bharti Airtel, and it comes as a respite for the Chinese gear maker, which doesn't see a very bright future in the Indian telecom space. The company, along with other Chinese gear makers such as ZTE, have been ignored by the Indian telcos and the government to award new work contracts to European vendors. The government is wary about including Chinese companies in its projects for rolling out new networks because of cyber-security concerns. According to an ET Telecom report, Huawei has recently bagged a Rs 300 crore contract from Bharti Airtel.

Airtel Awards Rs 300 Crore Project to Huawei

A senior executive working for Huawei has confirmed that Airtel has already issued a procurement order (PO) to the company. He further said that the value of the deal in concern is a big part of Airtel's complete capex budget when it comes to the non-radio network.

For the unaware, Huawei is running Airtel's National Long Distance (NLD) network, and this deal is also a part of the same thing. NLD optical transport network is vital since it carries international traffic and inter-circle traffic and also contributes to managing network capacity.

This deal is a big respite for the Chinese gear maker since it has been losing out on contracts from Indian telcos for a considerable time now. Airtel, along with other Indian telcos, is focusing more on the 'Make in India' initiative of the government or are opting for European vendors.

It is important to note that the Indian government is still in the process of making a list of all the trusted companies/vendors that can provide gear/equipment for a network's core. Both the UK and the US have already taken steps to bar Chinese companies from becoming a part of their country's core network infrastructure. India is expected to go along the same path, and the government might announce that very soon.

Will You Miss 5G on Redmi Note 10 Series? Let’s Talk

Posted: 06 Mar 2021 03:30 AM PST

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Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 10 series in India, but it doesn't come with 5G support. The series features three 4G devices, two of which (Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and Redmi Note 10 Pro) are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G SoC and one (Redmi Note 10) is powered by the Snapdragon 678 SoC. All the devices will come running on MIUI 12 based on Android 11 out of the box and are slated to receive the MIUI 12.5 update very soon. Many smartphone users believe there should have been 5G support on the device; let's talk about this some more.

Would 5G Support Have Mattered on the Redmi Note 10 Series?

While many believe that Redmi Note 10 series is a little less attractive because of the lack of 5G support, it wouldn't have made a difference even if 5G was there.

Commercial 5G network rollout has still not happened. Looking at the speculations, the spectrum auction of 5G airwaves might not take place for another next 6 months at least. Even the telcos have not tested 5G with airwaves in the 3300 MHz – 3600 MHz bands.

Overall, it might take more than a year at least for 5G to be deployed commercially throughout India. On top of that, the telcos might go for a soft launch of 5G in select metro cities, so it wouldn't be unfair to assume that a pan-India rollout of 5G will take at least two years.

Looking at this time frame, the Redmi Note 10 series missing out on 5G isn't really that bad. Since it is a mid-range device and a majority of users switch to another mid-range device in 18 months or 24 months ( 2-years), it wouldn't have mattered even if it was a 5G device.

Users can buy another mid-range 5G device in the next two to three years, and then keeping a 5G device would actually matter.

Airtel and Jio 5G Duopoly a Strong Possibility After Spectrum Auctions

Posted: 06 Mar 2021 12:34 AM PST

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The 4G spectrum auctions recently concluded for India. As expected, Jio spent the most money buying 488.35 MHz of spectrum by spending Rs 57,123 crores. Airtel spent Rs 18,699 crores and acquired 355.45 MHz of spectrum, followed by Vodafone Idea (Vi), spending Rs 1,993 crores to acquire 11.80 MHz of spectrum. Do you have any idea about how the spectrum auctions affect you and India? If not, three major things are expected to happen, and one of them is Airtel and Jio's duopoly in the 5G market.

How Are the Spectrum Auctions Going to Affect You?

The first most likely thing that you will experience is a better network experience. With the additional spectrum in bags, telcos can deploy them in the areas they need to enhance their network quality. Call drops and slow data might become a thing of the past for many users across the country, especially for Jio customers.

With tariff prices close to the same, it will come down to the operator who provides the best quality network to its users. This is already evident with Airtel outperforming Jio in the last two quarters.

The second thing that might happen post spectrum auctions is Vi and Airtel asking users to switch to 4G. Both the telcos provide older generation 2G and 3G networks to their users. Airtel and Vi might start offering lucrative offers to motivate users to switch to 4G. This would help the telcos in bringing down their network costs since they won't have to spend on keeping up 4G as well as 2G and 3G networks.

Telcos still have a lot of room in increasing their average revenue per user (ARPU) since 4G penetration in India is still around 50% to 55% currently.

Lastly, there is a strong possibility that Jio and Airtel might create a 5G duopoly in India. There is no way Vi would be able to invest in 5G the way Jio and Airtel can. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is so far behind even Vi in terms of rolling out new networks that it would take years for it to roll out 5G.

Thus, Jio and Airtel might emerge as a duopoly for the 5G market in India. The telcos have said that their networks are 5G ready and have invested in the sub-GHz bands, which will be essential for providing 5G services.

The 5G spectrum auctions might happen in the next six months or so. A solid date for the same is yet to come from the government.

Ookla 5G Map: Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Already Have 5G Towers Set Up in 2 Locations

Posted: 05 Mar 2021 09:22 PM PST

Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio 5G Towers Listed

5G launch is right around the corner, according to Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. While we are not expecting 5G to go official in India at least by mid-2022, telcos are testing their indigenous technology internally. Last year, Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio said it would launch 5G by mid-2021, whereas Bharti Airtel in January said its network is 5G ready. Both the telcos will launch 5G as soon as the government brings the spectrum for auction. Ookla, the global network measuring service, in its ‘Ookla 5G Map‘ displays that both Airtel and Jio have set up 5G towers. While Jio’s 5G tower is located in Mumbai, Airtel’s tower is located in Hyderabad. These towers are listed under the ‘Pre-Release’ category. Overall, there a total of 5G 21,996 towers across the globe.

Ookla Displays 5G Towers of Jio and Airtel Under Pre-Release Category

Ookla says the towers listed under the pre-release category will have the 5G network hardware in place but is currently in testing and/or not yet accessible to customers. At the end of January, Bharti Airtel officially said that it had completed a commercial test of 5G in the city of Hyderabad. The Ookla 5G Map must be showing the same tower of Bharti Airtel. On the other hand, we have Reliance Jio, whose 5G tower is set up in Mumbai, where the company could be testing its in-house 5G equipment.

Both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel said they are capable of rolling out 5G services immediately in the country, subject to the 5G spectrum auction from the government. The DoT just hosted the Spectrum Auction 2021, during which the spectrum in the premium 700 MHz band went unsold yet again. It is unknown when the 5G spectrum auction will be held in India.

At the moment, we are sure that 5G is at least eight months away from commercial launch in India. Airtel demonstrated the commercial 5G trial using the spectrum in the 1800 MHz band via the NSA network technology. It seems like Srilankan telecom operators are also gearing up for the 5G launch as Ookla 5G Map shows three towers in the pre-release category.

Ookla’s 5G Map also suggests that there are a total of 21,996 towers set up around the world right now. 5G is present in more than 35 countries at the moment. It is safe to say India missed the 5G bus, similar to 4G.

ACT Fibernet Has the Cheapest 300 Mbps Plan Compared to JioFiber and Airtel Broadband

Posted: 05 Mar 2021 05:38 PM PST

ACT Fibernet recently revised its broadband plans across multiple cities and started offering unlimited data to match JioFiber and Airtel Xstream Fiber (Airtel Broadband). After the revision, ACT Fibernet has the cheapest 300 Mbps broadband plan compared to the top private Internet Service Providers (ISP). ACT Fibernet has been in the industry for a while and it is currently the fourth largest wireline service provider in India after the likes of BSNL, Airtel and JioFiber. In Hyderabad, ACT Fibernet’s A-Max 1325 broadband plan offers 300 Mbps speeds at just Rs 1,325 per month. In contrast, Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber are offering a 300 Mbps plan at Rs 1,499. BSNL’s 300 Mbps plan also costs the same Rs 1,499 per month. Continue reading to know the 300 Mbps broadband plans from ACT Fibernet, JioFiber and Airtel Xstream Fiber in detail.

ACT Fibernet 300 Mbps Broadband Plan at Rs 1,325: Check Full Benefits

Priced at Rs 1,325, the A-Max broadband plan from ACT Fibernet offers speeds of up to 300 Mbps and unlimited data benefit (capped at 3.3TB per month). ACT Fibernet’s plan does not come with voice calling and not many OTT subscriptions. The ISP provides a one-month free trial to ZEE5 Premium worth Rs 99, Epic ON and Cure Fit. Users will also be eligible for Rs 100 cashback every month on Netflix subscription if paid through ACT Fibernet.

The best part about choosing ACT Fibernet’s broadband is long-term options. The ISP is allowing customers to choose from 24 months, 12 months, eight months, six months and one month, for Rs 23,850, Rs 13,250, Rs 9,275, Rs 6,500 and Rs 1,325. If a customer opts for the yearly subscription, the per month price comes down to Rs 1,104 excluding taxes.

JioFiber 300 Mbps Broadband Plan at Rs 1,499: Check Benefits

JioFiber 300 Mbps broadband plan costs Rs 1,499 per month, excluding taxes. It offers speeds up to 300 Mbps, unlimited data (3.3TB) and unlimited voice calling. JioFiber kills the competition with its OTT subscriptions. The ISP is providing 16 OTT subscription worth Rs 1,500 every month.

Users opting for the JioFiber 300 Mbps plan will get Netflix Basic plan worth Rs 499, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar VIP, SonyLIV, ZEE5 Premium, SunNXT, Voot Select, Voot Kids, ALTBalaji, Hoichoi, ShemarooMe, Lionsgate Play, Discovery+, Eros Now and JioCinema. These subscriptions can be redeemed via the MyJio app.

Airtel Xstream Fiber 300 Mbps Broadband Plan at Rs 1,499: Check Benefits

Lastly, we have Airtel Xstream Fiber which is also offering a 300 Mbps broadband plan with unlimited data at Rs 1,499 per month. Unlike JioFiber which provides a slew of OTT subscriptions, Airtel Xstream Fiber is offering free access to a handful of OTT apps. Users get a free subscription to Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Airtel Xstream App Premium and Wynk Music. However, if the customers opt for free Airtel Xstream Box, they will be eligible for free Amazon Prime and ZEE5 Premium subscriptions. And yes, the first-month subscription to Airtel Xstream Box will also be free. Airtel is also offering unlimited calling service with the Rs 1,499 broadband plan.

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