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• EE Adds 35 More Cities to Its 5G Portfolio in the UK
• Lenovo Might Launch It’s First 5G Tablet Called ‘Xiaoxin Pad Plus’: Report
• Vi Will Clear Its Remaining LF Dues by April 15: Report
• Samsung’s Cheapest 5G Device For India Might Launch Below Rs 25,000
• Vodafone Idea to Offer Better Customer Services With Google’s Business Messages
• Indian Telecom Industry Understand the Future of IoT
• OneWeb, Bharti Owned Company Signs MoU With Kazakhstan
• Xiaomi Mi ‘X’ Series India Launch Confirmed for April 23
• Vodafone Idea Will Face the Worst if Another Lockdown Follows: Report
• Telecom Sector PLI Scheme Might be Implemented Soon: Report
• Dish TV Adds ‘Al Jazeera-FREE’ Channel, Removes Multiple Old Ones
• Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Might Launch Soon, What to Expect
• HKT 5G Standalone Network Can Support Industrial Grade Applications
• Vodafone Idea Offers 1GB of Data For Rs 2.67 With this Prepaid Plan
• Realme 8 5G Launch Date Confirmed, Details
• Understanding Spectrum, Frequency Bands and Why Telecom Operators Need It
• Starlink Satellite Broadband Can Still Make it to India: Report
• Spectra 500 Mbps Broadband Plan Offers 750GB Monthly Data and More

EE Adds 35 More Cities to Its 5G Portfolio in the UK Posted: 12 Apr 2021 09:30 AM PDT EE, a renowned telecom operator of the UK and part of telecom group BT, has announced the expansion of its 5G technology in 35 additional cities and towns for the widespread use of 5G networks. The telecom giant noted that the top tourist landmarks and coastal locations such as Sandbanks Beach, York Minister, Brighton Pier and Swansea Bay would be included in the 5G network deployment. New Cities Covered in the 5G Network Circle of EE The new cities covered in the 5G network circle of EE are Worcester, Swansea Brighton, Chester, Dundee, Exeter, Portsmouth, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Harrogate Portsmouth, Southport, Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sunbury-on-Thames, Bolton, Swindon, Wigan, Blackburn and York. EE to Cross 1 Million Active 5G Customers This Month EE started to deploy its 5G services back in May 2019. The telecom operator initially launched the 5G services in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. Currently, EE provides 5G services in nearly 160 towns and cities across the UK region. This month, EE is also expecting to cross the 1 million active 5G customer mark. The four cities that account for the highest number of 5G subscribers are London, Birmingham, London, Glasgow and Manchester. Increased Network Speeds of 5G Network Will Aid Users: Marc Allera Marc Allera, who is the CEO of BT's consumer division, stated that the company has fulfilled its commitment from last year and deployed 5G services in 35 new towns and cities across the U.K. With gradual ease of restrictions, the fast network speeds and increased capacity of the 5G network will ensure the retention of customers and increase the footfall in occupied and busy places. Recently, EE has also acquired 2×10 megahertz of the paired frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz for nearly $385 million. Not only this, but the telecom giant acquired 20 MHz of supplementary downlink spectrum in the 700 Mhz band for nearly 4 million pounds.

Lenovo Might Launch It’s First 5G Tablet Called ‘Xiaoxin Pad Plus’: Report Posted: 12 Apr 2021 08:30 AM PDT The Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo will be launching two new tablets namely YOGA Pad Pro and Xiaoxin Pad Plus. The recent leaks have revealed quite a bit of information on both the upcoming tablets from Lenovo. To know more about what Yoga Pad Pro and Xiaoxin Pad Plus might feature read ahead. What Can We Expect From YOGA Pad Pro and Xiaoxin Pad Plus? Digital Chat Station recently revealed that the Lenovo YOGA Pad Pro will feature a 13-inch 2K (2,160×1,350 pixels) display without a punch-hole. With impressive speakers, the tablet will also be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC. According to the leak, the Lenovo Yoga Pad Pro will have a model number YT-K606F and it will run on ZUI 12.5 based on Android 11 in China with support for Lenovo One. Moreover, the upcoming tab is likely to launch with the name of Lenovo YOGA Tab 13 in global markets. The tablet will pack 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Digital Chat Station also unveiled that Lenovo will be launching its first 5G tablet called Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Plus. The tablet is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 SoC and will feature an 11-inch display. The company however has confirmed that the tablet will be launched with a Wi-Fi-only version with model number TB-J607Z. Previous reports have also claimed that the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Plus will run on Android 11 and is also expected to be launched as a Lenovo Tab P11 series tablet globally. Along with these two tablets, Lenovo will also roll out a Windows-powered 2-in-1 Lenovo YOGA DUET 2021. The YOGA series have previously done great and it is quite smart of the company to roll out its new version. The 2-in-1 Lenovo YOGA DUET 2021 will be perfect for users who need the performance of a laptop with a design of a tablet. No information on price has been revealed yet on any of the upcoming devices, thus we will have to wait for the launch for it. It will be refreshing to see how these three upcoming portable devices from Lenovo perform in the market and how well are the customers going to like them.

Vi Will Clear Its Remaining LF Dues by April 15: Report Posted: 12 Apr 2021 07:30 AM PDT Previously, we were aware that Vodafone Idea (Vi) would clear its dues within this week, but now the D-day is announced to be April 15. Not only will Vi clear outstanding dues of Q4 of the previous FY21 by April 15, but it will also present an appropriate cause to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) show-cause notice. What Caused DoT to Show-Cause Vi And Vi’s Take From It? According to an ET’s report, The DoT show-caused Vi for the non-payment of license fees for Q4 of FY21 for seven circles, including- Bihar, Gujrat, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, UP-East and Odisha, along with the long-distance licenses. Vodafone Idea (Vi) recently said in an exchange filing that generally, the payment is made on the 15th of the month following the quarter-end. Therefore, Vi will make its payment towards the license fee with interest by April 15. It will also present an appropriate explanation on the show-cause notice explaining why the payment was not made timely. Besides the LF dues, Vi also has to pay Rs 50,400 crore towards Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) to the government. DoT could have invoked the telco’s bank guarantees, or worse, it could have even cancelled its license for not adhering to license conditions. The coming months will be challenging for already struggling Vi to raise funds. It was likely to secure $2-2.5 billion (Rs 14,500-18,100 crore) via convertible instruments from an Oak Hill-led consortium that has gone sour. The telco has also reached private equity firms like KKR, but it hasn’t been of much help either. One way of raising revenue could have been raising tariffs, but its tariffs are already costlier than Jio and Airtel. Increasing tariffs now would also lead to a higher subscriber churn rate which in turn will lead to Vi losing the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), that it desperately needs. To bridge the gap between the performance of Vi and other giant telcos, Vi sizeably has to strengthen its 4G connection, for which it needs cash. The loss-making telco Vi has lost about 2 million users in January while Airtel and Jio gained 5.9 million and 2 million users, respectively. All in all, it can be concluded that the telco cannot afford to lose any more users; therefore, it needs to secure funding to strengthen its 4G connection and thereby retain and gain new users.

Samsung’s Cheapest 5G Device For India Might Launch Below Rs 25,000 Posted: 12 Apr 2021 06:30 AM PDT Samsung might launch the Galaxy M42 5G in India later this month. The device is expected to be the cheapest 5G smartphone from Samsung in the country. Further, it will be the first device in Samsung's 'M' series to feature 5G connectivity in India. The 'M' series already has some serious mid-range smartphones with huge batteries and decent processors. But according to an IANS report, the Samsung Galaxy M42 5G will feature Qualcomm's powerful 7-series chipset. Let's take a look at everything you can expect from the Samsung Galaxy M42 5G, expected to launch later this month. Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Specifications (Expected) It is worth noting that Samsung Galaxy M42 5G's support page has been live on the official Samsung India website for quite some time now. Some reports online suggest that the Galaxy M42 5G will be the rebranded version of the Galaxy A42 5G launched internationally last year. The Galaxy M42 5G is expected to be powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC. It would become the second 5G smartphone from Samsung in India running on a Qualcomm SoC, the first one being the Galaxy S20 FE that runs on the Snapdragon 865 SoC. Further, the report mentions that the Galaxy M42 5G will come to India with 'Knox Security'. For the unaware, Samsung Knox is a security solution provided to Samsung smartphones for keeping the device safe from malware and malicious threats. Do note that this would be the first Samsung 'M' series device to get 'Knox Security'. Samsung has launched multiple 5G smartphones in India this year, including the Galaxy S21 series and Galaxy S20 FE. The most premium 5G offering from Samsung in India remains the Galaxy Z Fold2. Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Price (Expected) The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 20,000 – Rs 25,000. It might come in two RAM variants with 6GB and 8GB, and the 6GB RAM variant is expected to be priced around Rs 20,000, while the 8GB RAM variant is expected to be priced near Rs 25,000. It will be interesting to see the complete set of features and the price that the Samsung Galaxy M42 5G comes with to India.

Vodafone Idea to Offer Better Customer Services With Google’s Business Messages Posted: 12 Apr 2021 05:21 AM PDT Vodafone Idea has announced yet another industry first integration with Google's Business Messages. Vodafone Idea has integrated its VIC ChatBoT with Google's Business Messages for providing 24×7 real-time customer service to support all Vi users on Smartphones. The AI-powered VIC is enabled with LIVE Agent connect for assisted services which are extended to Google's Business Messages also This innovation enables users searching for Vi or Vi Stores on Google Search or Google Maps to find the 'Chat' or 'Message a Live Agent' button against search results through which they can interact with the virtual agent, Vodafone Idea Chat, to get their queries answered instantaneously. With this Vodafone Idea has become the first brand in telecom, to integrate with Google's Business Messages in India. Last year, Vodafone Idea became the first operator to introduce Service ChatBot VIC on WhatsApp – a revolutionary AI-powered digital customer service and support virtual assistant. It has recently integrated payment of bills and recharges on WhatsApp through VIC. VIC enables Vi customers to get instant response on a host of service VIC enables Vi customers to get instant response on a host of service requirements including bill payments, recharges, VAS, plan activation, new connection, data balance, bill requests and much more. VIC is intuitive, simple-to-use, secure and allows customers to converse with Vi by leveraging the power of AI. With Vodafone Idea's decision to push back the tariff hike, the current prices are here to stay, at least for another 3-4 months which is a good sign for the subscribers. The last tariff hike happened in December 2019 and it made brought the much-required relief to the telecom sector financially. Vi still has a lot of 2G subscribers under its belt. If it goes ahead with the tariff hike now, there are heavy chances of its 2G subscribers migrating to JioPhone. Recently Vodafone Idea has introduced VoWi-Fi or Vi Wi-Fi Calling service in Delhi, after the silent launch in Mumbai and Gujarat telecom circles. In less than three weeks, Vi has launched the Wi-Fi Calling service in three circles.

Indian Telecom Industry Understand the Future of IoT Posted: 12 Apr 2021 05:00 AM PDT The shift in technology and how people look at connectivity will change when 5G is introduced on a wide scale in India. The country’s private operators understand this and are gearing up their portfolio of services to be able to tap into the new revenue streams that arise with the launch of commercial 5G. One of the key things that 5G will boost is the role of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in addition to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). 5G networks will offer connectivity with high bandwidth and ultra-low latency, which will help in establishing faster connections in real-time between two devices. This stands to benefit the IoT devices since they will be able to communicate much better and accurate. The role of smart cars, robot assistants, and more such devices will grow rapidly with the power of 5G. Looking at the future, both Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) have announced their IoT services to gain share in the untapped market before anyone else does. Airtel and Vi Looking to Dominate IoT Services Market of India Both Airtel and Vi last week announced their IoT services. Both the companies said that they are looking to help businesses take their operations digital seamlessly. Upon the announcement, Vi said that it is the largest IoT player in India. Vi is looking to provide businesses with tailored and customised IoT solutions to help them provide their customers with an excellent experience. Bharti Airtel said that it is leveraging its 5G ready network for providing IoT services to the people of India. The telco said that it could manage and provide services to a billion connected devices without any interruptions. Jio is not far behind Airtel and Vi, though. The Mukesh Ambani led telco has already developed a comprehensive IoT solution and is currently in talks with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to launch the IoT services in India.

OneWeb, Bharti Owned Company Signs MoU With Kazakhstan Posted: 12 Apr 2021 03:30 AM PDT OneWeb has just announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the subsidiaries of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, National Satellite Operator Republican Centre of Space Communications JSC, and more. For the unaware, OneWeb is a satellite broadband company owned by the Bharti group and the UK government. The company aims to provide internet connectivity in central Asian countries. The MoU’s signing takes the partnership of OneWeb and the Kazakhstan government formed in 2020 a step further. The partnership between both parties is to digitise the economy of Kazakhstan and help it become a pioneer in providing the latest satellite communications technologies. OneWeb would leverage its connectivity platform to provide low-latency and high-throughput internet network to the users in Kazakhstan. It would help the country's rural areas get good internet connectivity where people can't access the internet because of no fiberisation in the locality. OneWeb Kazakhstan Subsidiary Registered and Official Now OneWeb has received the official certificate of incorporation for OneWeb Kazakhstan Ltd, which is registered in the Astana International Financial Centre. This subsidiary company of OneWeb will focus on providing internet to most of the countries in Central Asia. According to the release from OneWeb, the company might further partner with local telecom operators and other sectors to facilitate better connectivity as per the varied demands and needs of different clients and companies. OneWeb's plans for the country include rolling out services in the month of June 2021, with the help of its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and user terminals providing low-latency, high speed, and seamless broadband connectivity. This would be a major boost for OneWeb, which didn't see a future for itself a year back before the Bharti Enterprises bid for it. The company was ready to shut down its operations and go bankrupt, but thanks to the Bharti group and the UK government, it is now in direct competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX backed Starlink. Both Starlink and OneWeb aim to provide satellite internet connectivity with the help of their low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. OneWeb is also expected to soon start providing services within Indian boundaries as well.

Xiaomi Mi ‘X’ Series India Launch Confirmed for April 23 Posted: 12 Apr 2021 03:00 AM PDT A few days back, Xiaomi announced that it will be launching the 'Mi 11 Ultra' in India on April 23, 2021. But a few hours back, Manu Kumar Jain, Global VP and MD for Xiaomi India tweeted that the company will launch not just one but several devices on the said date. Initially, we expected the whole lineup of Mi 11 devices to be plainly launched in India. But according to a recent release from the company, that might not be the case. Xiaomi said that it is launching a new 'X' series of smartphones in India on April 23, 2021. The Mi 11X has already launched for the international market as Poco F3, the rebranded version of Redmi K40. The Redmi K40 has two variants, the vanilla variant and the 'Pro' variant. Xiaomi might go the same path for India and launch Mi 11X and Mi 11X Pro. According to the tweet from Xiaomi, the new 'X' series will bring flagship smartphones to the Indian market. Let's take a look at the specifications of the Mi 11X launched in the international market. Mi 11X Specifications (Rebadged Redmi K40) The Redmi K40, which is expected to be the Mi 11X coming to India, has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with support for 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits maximum brightness, and HDR10+. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G SoC coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There is a triple-camera setup at the rear of the device where the primary sensor is a 48MP lens paired with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 5MP tele-macro sensor. At the front, there is a punch-hole cutout on the screen housing a 20MP sensor. The device packs a 4,520mAh battery with support for 33W fast-charging and runs on MIUI 12 based on Android 11 out of the box.

Vodafone Idea Will Face the Worst if Another Lockdown Follows: Report Posted: 12 Apr 2021 02:00 AM PDT The second wave of Covid 19 in India has lead to chances of cities getting locked down again. With the ongoing night curfew and many other restrictions to follow, analysts have predicted that the telcos are likely to experience a slowdown in mobile user addons in the April-June quarter. To know how is it going to impact the telcos, read ahead. Vodafone Idea Would be the Worst Impacted Analysts have predicted that Bharti Airtel and Jio can manage to counterbalance the potential slowdown in subscriber addition by accumulating higher data revenue and expanding their home broadband user base as people are going to spend most of their time at home. On the other hand, Vodafone Idea (Vid might go through a difficult time due to the huge user losses in the quarter; considering it is already struggling. Vodafone Idea (Vi) already needs to allocate resources to pay off its debt towards the annual instalments of its adjusted revenue dues which is over Rs 50,400 crore. Now, due to the lockdown, Vi will be forced to increase its tariff as it needs higher Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) to survive and to boost the confidence of investors because they need to not only retain the funding but also need further capital flowing into the balance sheet. In between all this, they also need to sizeably strengthen its 4G network in order to retain customers and also to survive in the competition with Jio and Airtel. According to a report by ET, BofA securities stated that rising cases leading to rising restrictions in India would impact net subscriber addition for the telcos along with consumer sentiment. Thus the potential tariff hike now needs to be further pushed back. BofA also stated that Vi would be the most vulnerable considering that it is already making losses. Delay in the tariff hikes for about three to six months can put a further strain on Vi’s finances. It is likely to broaden its losses and can also lead to a loss in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) said, Nitin Soni. It will certainly be interesting to see how well will Vi tackle this situation considering they already have a weak balance sheet.

Telecom Sector PLI Scheme Might be Implemented Soon: Report Posted: 12 Apr 2021 12:30 AM PDT The government of India announced the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost the manufacturing sector in the country. The aim was to provide enough incentives to multinational corporations (MNCs), so they get motivated to set up manufacturing plants in India. The PLI scheme was extended to several sectors, including the telecom industry. On February 24, 2021, the government announced the PLI scheme for telecom and networking products outlaying benefits of Rs 12,195 crores. This was to motivate telecom gear manufacturers for coming to India and produce equipment locally for the telcos. Since there is no prime local telecom gear manufacturing company in India, the telcos have to rely on global players such as Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Samsung, and more for purchasing equipment. This leads to more imports for the country. The PLI scheme is aimed at changing this. As per PTI, The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to release the guidelines for the implementation of the PLI scheme for the telecom sector this week and also start inviting applications from companies that are interested in taking part in it. Companies such as Nokia, Ericsson, Cisco, Foxconn, and Samsung have shown interest in being a part of the scheme. It would be beneficial for the telcos if these companies start producing gear locally since they would be able to purchase it at a lower cost because of no import or customs charges. The PLI scheme for the telecom sector is already approved by the government, and the DoT has readied the guidelines for implementation. The DoT's website should reflect the guidelines very soon. The scheme for telecom gear manufacturing is, directly and indirectly, going to create jobs for up to 40,000 people in the country. The Indian government is also about to earn hefty taxes of about Rs 17,000 crores on the backing of this scheme. Total investments that the PLI for the telecom sector will bring is estimated to be Rs 3,000 crores.

Dish TV Adds ‘Al Jazeera-FREE’ Channel, Removes Multiple Old Ones Posted: 11 Apr 2021 11:00 PM PDT Dish TV, the second-largest Direct-to-Home (DTH) operator in India, has recently added a new channel and removed multiple old ones. The new channel added is 'Al Jazeera'. For the unaware, Al Jazeera is a news TV channel with a vast and extensive broadcasting network. It is considered a very reliable source of gaining news and information about world politics and more topics. Any content delivered by Al Jazeera is in the English language. With the addition of Al Jazeera, Dish TV is improving its portfolio of reliable news channels. The channel has already been a part of Dish TV before, but it was removed from the platform just about a month ago. However, the channel has found its way back, but at a new logical channel number (LCN). Earlier it was available at LCN 618, but according to Dish TV's website, its new channel number is 787. It is still a free channel, so Dish TV users won't have to pay anything for consuming content from Al Jazeera. Dish TV Removes DD Bihar, DD Jharkand and More Free Channels Dish TV has also removed 4 free channels and one premium channel from its platform. These six channels include – DD Bihar, DD Jharkand, Sadhna Bhakti, Maha Punjabi, Manoranjan Movies, and Marathi Active. Out of these, only Marathi Active came at Rs 40 per month; others were free. DD Bihar was available at LCN 1565, DD Jharkand at LCN 1566, Sadhna Bhakti at LCN 1059, Maha Punjabi at LCN 4049, and Manoranjan Movies at LCN 4030. We couldn't confirm the LCN of Marathi Active; however, the channel has been removed from the platform nonetheless. This is regular work for Dish TV and all the other DTH operators of the country. Due to several reasons, at regular intervals, DTH companies add and remove channels. The removed channels can still make their way back on the platform shortly.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Might Launch Soon, What to Expect Posted: 11 Apr 2021 10:00 PM PDT Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was one of the best selling phones in 2020 by the South Korean tech giant Samsung. The handset had received tons of good reviews and is considered a value for money because even though it came with the Galaxy S20 flagship goodness, it was very affordable. Owing to the smartphone’s fame, Samsung might be intending to roll out its successor, the Samsung Galaxy 21 FE. To know more about the successor of this bestseller handset read ahead. What All Will Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Feature? Tipster onleaks has made our hopes go high by posting images on Voice.com. At least from the looks, it seemed to be Galaxy S21 FE as it has the same curvy rear camera design as the Galaxy S21 series. The three cameras at the back and a single punch hole (Infinity-O) on display made it look a lot like Galaxy S21 or the Galaxy S21+. The Galaxy S21 FE may feature a ‘Glastic’ back panel, shiny metal frame and dimension of about 155.7×74.5×7.9mm (excluding the camera bump). The leak only shows that the screen will be a 6.4-inch flat display; other than that, not much information was provided. Besides all the information from the recent leaks, we also have information from previous rumours which said that the smartphone would come with a 32MP front-facing camera and may come in a Light Green colour variant. The leaks made by the tipster @Onleaks, however, featured a model with Navy Blue colour creating a possibility of the phone being launched with a Navy Blue colour variant too. The handset is expected to be available with a storage option of 128GB and 256GB.  The phone is rumoured to run on Android 11 out-of-the-box. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is speculated to be dropped in August this year. We do not know the prices of the Galaxy S21 FE as of now; however, what we do know is that Galaxy S20 FE 5G costs about Rs 47,999 and the 4G model costs Rs 44,999. The Galaxy S21 FE is also expected to launch around the same range.

HKT 5G Standalone Network Can Support Industrial Grade Applications Posted: 11 Apr 2021 08:30 PM PDT HKT, a Hong Kong telecom operator, has deployed a 5G Standalone (SA) network architecture that can support network slicing for industrial-grade applications. Network slicing means dedicating a portion of the network to a particular use case. The use cases of 5G are vast, and almost every industry stands to benefit from the commercial launch of the next-generation network. HKT has deployed a 5G SA network capable of network slicing and has said that it will provide ultra-low latency and ultra-high speeds, which are a necessity for the information to travel back and forth in real-time. The Hong Kong operator explained that each network slice is dedicated to a different kind of use case. According to the company, the network will help enhance smart healthcare, let users stream UHD videos, cloud gaming, autonomous driving, and more. HKT said that it is the first operator in the country to introduce a 5G SA network with network slicing for a trial of C-V2X applications on commercial roads. The company conducted a 5G SA network trial with the C-V2X applications on a designated road distance of 14 kilometres to check its power and efficiency. For the unaware, C-V2X is a communication system that is designed to help vehicles communicate with everything and anything, such as other people, vehicles, road lights, and more. It helps the Hong Kong government enhance real-time traffic intelligence with smart communication. HKT's MD of Engineering, Peter Lam, said that smart mobility is one of the critical elements in the government's plan of making a smart city, and C-V2X is the technology that will enable the government's vision and transform the way people travel. It is worth noting that commercial 5G networks are already live in Honk Kong since 2020. The country’s operators had purchased 200 MHz of spectrum from the government in the 3.5 GHz frequency for the said service.

Vodafone Idea Offers 1GB of Data For Rs 2.67 With this Prepaid Plan Posted: 11 Apr 2021 06:32 PM PDT Vodafone Idea (Vi) is arguably the most innovative company in the Indian telecom industry when it comes to rolling out amazing and unique offers. Compared to its prepaid plans, Airtel's and Jio's plans don't seem too attractive. Even though Vi's prepaid plans are marginally expensive than the plans from other private operators, they are worth it for heavy data users. Vi has rolled out new plans focusing on the increased data usage of consumers during the pandemic. Each of its feature prepaid plans has something unique and come with bonus data. Today, we are focusing on one such prepaid plan from Vi. This plan offers users 1GB of data only for Rs 2.67. Not only the cheap data, but this plan also comes with industry-unique offers such as 'Weekend Data Rollover' and 'Binge all Night'. Let's take a look at the plan we are talking about. Vodafone Idea Rs 801 Prepaid Plan The Rs 801 prepaid plan from Vi offers users 3GB daily data for 84 days. This means that the users get a total of 252GB of data over the span of this plan. However, on top of the 252GB data, the company is also offering 48GB bonus data, meaning the total amount of data that the users get with this plan is 300GB. Apart from the data benefits, users get unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. But wait, that's not all. As mentioned above, this plan comes with two offers – 'Weekend Data Rollover' and 'Binge all Night'. For the unaware, the 'Weekend Data Rollover' offer allows users to consume all their leftover fair usage policy (FUP) data from the week (Monday to Friday) and lets them use it on the weekends (Saturday-Sunday). Further, the 'Binge all Night' offer allows users to consume as much as data at high speeds between 12 AM to 6 AM every day. There are no data caps at this time. Also, the data consumed at night (12 AM to 6 AM) won't affect the day’s FUP data. But wait, don't just go yet; there's more that the users get with this plan. There are two over-the-top (OTT) benefits offered to the users with this plan. The first OTT benefit is of Disney+ Hotstar VIP for 1-year. If users were to buy the subscription individually, it would cost them Rs 399 per year. But with the Rs 801 plan from Vi, it is absolutely free. Then there is also an OTT benefit of Vi Movies & TV. The Vi Movies & TV app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices. Compared with all the other operators who provide their 3GB daily data plan for 84 days, the plan from Vi isn't just cheaper, but it also offers way more benefits than the plans from other operators. This plan is perfect for people with heavy data requirements and also for the ones who want to stream IPL 2021 seamlessly through the Disney+ Hotstar VIP platform.

Realme 8 5G Launch Date Confirmed, Details Posted: 11 Apr 2021 07:30 AM PDT The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme announced the launch of Realme 8 5G on April 21 via their Facebook page. Realme 8 debuted in India last month itself, and now the brand has announced the launch of Realme 8 5G. It can safely be said that Realme 8 5G will be a rebranded version of Realme 8. The smartphone might launch in India and other markets, but no official statement has been given about the same by the company. Confirmed Specifications of Realme 8 5G The news about the launch date of Realme 8 5G is confirmed to be April 21 via the Official Realme Thailand Facebook page. The short teaser that revealed the launch date of the smartphone also clearly displayed the back view of the smartphone that featured a gradient finish in a black shade. Quite surprisingly, in the teaser, the smartphone did not carry the “Dare to Leap” tagline, which is contrary to the claims being made by various leaks. The triple rear camera setup was engraved on the rear of the smartphone with a 48MP primary sensor, according to the teaser video. The 4G variant, however, packs a quad rear camera setup with a 64MP primary camera which means that the main camera sensor has been downgraded for the Realme 8 5G variant. Realme 8 5G has started to pop up in various certification sites recently, including the US FCC listing. The US FCC listing cited that the smartphone will weigh around 185 grams and will pack a 5,000mAh battery. Realme 8 5G was also suspected to be a rebranded version of Realme V13 5G that was launched in China last month, owing to the similarities of both smartphones. Realme 8 5G will feature a punch-hole display for a fact. For other details on the Realme 8 5G, we will have to wait for the launch, which is quite close, as a matter of fact.

Understanding Spectrum, Frequency Bands and Why Telecom Operators Need It Posted: 11 Apr 2021 03:30 AM PDT If you are aware of the key terms used within the telecom industry, you would have heard the word 'spectrum'. Many people, when they hear that a particular telco is bidding for a spectrum band, think that it is a tangible asset which the company can take back to its office. But that's not the case. No company can store the purchased spectrum safely or protect it from being stolen or damaged. This is because while spectrum is recognised as an asset for the telcos, it is not a tangible asset. Spectrum is nothing but radio frequencies present in the air that telecom companies use to provide connectivity services. Everything from FM radio to Wi-Fi signals to mobile networks operates on the spectrum in different frequency bands. This leads us to another question; what are frequency bands in a spectrum? What Are Spectrum Frequency Bands? If you understood what spectrum is, understanding frequency bands wouldn't be an issue. Before we talk about frequency bands, though, let's take up the term 'frequency' and understand it better. Frequency is the number of times a wave carrying data repeats in a given second. So lower-frequency means that the repetition of waves in a second is very less. For high-frequency, it is the opposite, meaning higher repetition of waves in a second. Just for a hypothetical example, with a lower-frequency spectrum, the repetition of waves in a second might be 3 times, while with the higher-frequency spectrum, it can be around 10 times. So essentially, higher frequency waves will be able to carry more data in a second than lower-frequency waves. But the issue with higher frequency waves is that they need a lot of power to travel and get disrupted or interfered with very easily by walls and other things. Thus they have lower coverage but can provide a faster experience. The low-frequency waves can provide much better coverage because they can easily get inside buildings and walls but cannot carry as much data as high-frequency waves. The above can cover your basic understanding of frequency; thus, it's time to move on to frequency bands. 'Frequency bands' mean a regulated and divided group of spectrum airwaves. Let me explain it to you in simple words. We are surrounded by airwaves/spectrum all the time. The government takes up the responsibility of allocating airwaves to different sectors, companies, and groups based on their requirements. For the unaware, spectrum bands or frequency bands are recognised as a sovereign or national asset. The government holds all the rights of the airwaves and allocates them to different groups depending on their needs. For providing connectivity services, the government allocates a group of frequency airwaves to the telcos. For providing 4G, telcos in India utilise spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2300 MHz, frequency band. The telcos in India can also bid for frequencies in the 700 MHz band and 2500 MHz band in spectrum auctions for providing telecom services. The aim of dividing frequencies into different bands is to be able to allocate them to different sectors and companies efficiently. It allows the companies to provide services without any interruption in the airwaves allocated to them. For example, FM signals use frequencies in the range of 100 MHz to 200 MHz, and telecom companies use frequencies starting from 800 MHz in India at present. This allows FM radio companies to provide seamless services without facing any interruption in signals from telecom companies. This is all for now, but do let us know in the comments section below what more you want to understand about the telecom industry.

Starlink Satellite Broadband Can Still Make it to India: Report Posted: 11 Apr 2021 12:30 AM PDT SpaceX owned satellite broadband company Starlink had allowed users in India to ‘reserve’ a connection by paying a $99 deposit in late February. India’s regulatory bodies have complained that the company has not adhered to the guidelines and hence is facing barriers. This could be a piece of bad news for people who wanted to get their hands on the Starlink Broadband, as this could lead to the cancellation of pre-bookings. Starlink Broadband was deemed to roll out in India by 2022, but now it is uncertain unless the company gets a green flag from the authorities. Authorities Are Creating Barriers for Starlink From Entering ET Telecom’s report on the same cited that Starlink doesn’t have its ground or earth Stations in India. Besides, the ISRO and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) hasn’t provided satellite frequency authorisation to the company. Starlink hasn’t been obedient to existing guidelines forcing the authorities to create hurdles. Therefore, the commercial launch will not be executed in the testing phase of the communication services. The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to block Elon Musk’s Starlink from pre-selling the beta version of its Starlink satellite internet services in India. This was confirmed by an ET report that stated, TV Ramachandran, who is the president of the industry body that represents many well known MNC’s namely Amazon, Facebook, Google, Huges, Microsoft etc. has said that Starlink does not have permissions to operate or offer services in India. The concerned bodies have been instructed by him to intervene to protect fair competition and comply with existing policy and regulatory norms. SpaceX has kept its ground saying that Starlink’s satellites are 60 times closer to Earth than traditional satellites. The closeness to Earth has benefits that are impossible for a traditional satellite to provide, such as lower latency and the ability to support varied services. Lower latency has been promoted for the convenience it can provide while making video calls and for online gaming. People who might have ‘reserved’ a connection by paying a $99 deposit do not need to worry because the company had assured that the people who wish to opt-out would get an option to claim a full refund from the company. Starlink’s future from India hasn’t gone yet. It can still comply with all the necessary regulations and policies of the government and launch its services in the targeted time.

Spectra 500 Mbps Broadband Plan Offers 750GB Monthly Data and More Posted: 10 Apr 2021 06:32 PM PDT Spectra is a fast-growing private fiber broadband internet service provider (ISP) that is now offering its services in four cities of India – Gurugram, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Noida. One of the highlights of Spectra is its 1 Gbps broadband offering, which is one of the cheapest in India. But we are not going to focus on the 1 Gbps plan, we will check out the ISPs 500 Mbps plan. Compared to other operators, Spectra's 500 Mbps plan is much cheaper. It costs Rs 1,599 per month (exclusive of taxes). In comparison, Jio's 500 Mbps plan costs Rs 2,499 per month without taxes, which is almost Rs 900 more. However, there is a huge difference in the benefits of both the plans as well. Let's take a look at what the 500 Mbps plan from Spectra offers to the users. Spectra 500 Mbps Plan Benefits Spectra offers its 500 Mbps plan for Rs 1,599 per month (without taxes). However, the users are tied with only 750GB monthly fair usage policy (FUP) data against Jio's 3,300GB data. Further, there is a refundable security deposit of Rs 2,000 and a one-time installation charge of Rs 1,000. After adding taxes (Rs 468), the total amount that a user needs to pay for the connection is Rs 5,067. However, users can also get more data with their 500 Mbps Spectra broadband plan if they choose it for 6 months. With the six months plan, users don't need to pay any security deposit but they still need to pay Rs 1,000 as an installation charge. The data offered with the plan will be bumped up to 1,500GB per month. With the addition of taxes, the total cost that a user will have to bear for the 500 Mbps plan for 6 months is Rs 12,501. There is also the option for opting the plan for 12 months. With the 12 months 500 Mbps Spectra broadband plan, users will get unlimited data. The company says that it doesn't cap the data at any limit for its truly unlimited data plans. Apart from the total cost of the plan and the installation charges, the user doesn't need to pay anything else. The total cost of the plan if opted for 12 months is Rs 23,822. Further, there is also an option for users to choose the plan for 3 months. However, the user would still need to pay Rs 2,000 as refundable security deposit and all the other charges such as installation charges. Everything included, it will cost the users Rs 8,840 in total. Note that even while opting for the monthly plan from Spectra, if you can survive in 750GB monthly data, this 500 Mbps plan is not bad. This is because the installation cost and refundable security are only going to applicable once, at the point of purchase of the plan. Apart from that, the user would only have to pay Rs 1,599 + 18% GST (288) = 1,887 per month. This is still very much cheaper than paying Rs 3,066 per month for JioFiber's 500 Mbps broadband plan.

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