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• Satellite Network Equipment Should Come From Trusted Sources: DoT
• Verizon Teams Up with Crown Castle, SBA to Hasten Deployment of C-Band Equipment
• DoT Will Legally Examine Starlink’s Internet Offer
• WhatsApp Beta New Update Brings Disappearing Messages For Groups
• Vodafone GigaCube, the Perfect Alternative to Broadband Internet
• iQOO 7 Series India Launch Confirmed For April 26
• Telecom Industry’s Growth Will Driven by Enterprise Services: Report
• Mavenir Announces AI-on-5G Hyper Converged Edge Solution
• BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio Entry-Level Data Vouchers Listed
• Fujitsu and Trend Micro Testing Security of 5G Networks in Japan
• Airtel, Jio and Vi Best Value Prepaid Plans Listed

Satellite Network Equipment Should Come From Trusted Sources: DoT Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:30 AM PDT As per the new regulations mandated by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the companies providing satellite connectivity through gateway setup in India will have to install network equipment as recommended by the government. BSNL is the only telco providing connectivity services through a satellite gateway to authorised agencies such as security forces, oil companies etc. What Changes Has The Recent Amendment Brought? The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had appointed National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) as the designated authority to oversee the procurement of telecom equipment. The DoT had laid restrictions on telecom operators as well last month but now the amendment has been extended for satellite services as well. Same amendments in the INSAT-MSS reporting services license and VSAT CUG license agreements were announced by DoT. As per condition 5.1, chapter 1 under the “sui-generis” license agreement, the licensor amended the provision and the operation of the satellite-based services using the gateway installed in India. The amendment was done on March 11 but was updated on DoT’s website on Monday. According to a PTI report, the new norms will come into force from June 15. The satellite operators will require NCSC’s permission for up-gradation of existing networks and also for employing the equipment from non-trusted sources. The amendment mandates all telcos to install equipment only from government-approved vendors and sources. According to DoT, the designated authority (NCSC) will inform the categories of equipment that need to fall into trusted sources for its procurement. Along with the category of equipment, the authority will also notify the associated telecommunication equipment (trusted products). However, it is to be duly noted that the amendment will not affect the ongoing annual maintenance contracts or updates to existing equipment previously introduced in the network as of the date of effect. The restrictions might seem to be strict right now but it holds national interest dearly. Indian authorities have been extremely cautious on grounds of the defence of India. Espionage will not be tolerated in India and the Indian government has shown this by amending serious norms against the procurement of resources and from trusted sources as well.

Verizon Teams Up with Crown Castle, SBA to Hasten Deployment of C-Band Equipment Posted: 13 Apr 2021 07:47 AM PDT Recently, Verizon acquired $45.45 billion worth of C-band spectrum. To hasten the deployment, the American multinational telecommunications has signed deals with Crown Castle and SBA Communications. The new deal with the entities will include improvements in processing, such as reduction of forms and the minimization of legal reviews that will allow the engineer teams of Verizon to deploy the C-band equipment. C-Band Equipment Requires New Network Equipment Since the C-band equipment that Verizon recently acquired requires new network equipment to be placed on existing towers, Verizon signed additional agreements with Crown Castle and SBA to establish terms for leasing space on existing towers for C-band equipment. Verizon Acquired 161 Megahertz of C-Band Spectrum Nationwide As reported by RCR Wireless, Verizon nearly acquired an average of 161 MHz of C-band spectrum in the nationwide C-band auction. The newly purchased mid-band spectrum will offer a middle ground between capacity and coverage that will allow the entity to increase mobile 5G coverage and home broadband services to more customers and businesses. Crown Castle and Verizon Agreement to Provide Significant Values Over the Next 10 Years Jay Brown, who is the CEO of Crown Castle, expressed his delight over the agreement and marked that the opportunity to work with Verizon will deliver significant values to both parties over the next ten years. Verizon Could Provide 5G Ultra Wideband Mobility Service to Additional 250 Million Customers Heidi Hemmer, Senior VP of Engineering at Verizon, stated that the addition of the C-band spectrum would allow Verizon to provide 5G Ultra Wideband Mobility service to an additional 250 million customers. Not only this but additional 50 million customers will be able to enjoy fast broadband services as Verizon will bring 5G Home to more places. The new deals with Crown Castle and SBA will allow Verizon to work efficiently to position the crucial equipment on existing towers. Verizon Intends to Deploy Additional $10 Billion in C-Band Spectrum Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg recently addressed the investors and stated that the entity strives to invest an additional $10 billion in the C-band spectrum over the next two years to provide robust services to customers and businesses.

DoT Will Legally Examine Starlink’s Internet Offer Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:30 AM PDT SpaceX’s Starlink is to go through a legal inspection which will be carried forward by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The DoT will be examining if SpaceX’s offer to pre-sell in India violates any of the existing telecom or technology laws of India. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will thoroughly examine the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, India’s Satcom policy, 2000 and the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, according to an ET Telecom report. DoT and BIF Are Not Pleased With Starlink’s Pre-Selling Offer An official from DoT said, that a notice may be sent to Starlink if a piece of legal evidence is found that Starlink’s pre-selling offer violates India’s existing telecom regulations. The telecom authority is wary and not only needs to find out if the offer in consumer interest and but also if it follows national security implications. Starlink’s offer doesn’t appear to violate Section 4 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885; since Starlink is yet to be established, maintain or work within the Indian jurisdiction. A “telegraph” is explained as any appliance, instrument or apparatus used for transmission or reception of signals, images, data and sound/ intelligence by wire or electromagnetic emissions, under the act. The DoT’s concluding views are not firm yet. The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has recently requested the government to stop pre-selling Starlink’s beta version essentially because the US satellite operator doesn’t even have a suitable license or authorization to carry on its operations in India. It is to be noted that the BIF represents the likes of many MNC’s including the Bharti Airtel and UK government co-owned satellite venture OneWeb, Amazon, Huges, Google, Microsoft and Facebook etc. Elon Musk owned Starlink has also been called out by the Department of Space (DoS) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) since it doesn’t have its ground stations in India. Further, it doesn’t have the satellite frequency authorization from DoT nor permissions from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for providing beta services. US, Canada and the UK are already enjoying Starlink’s satellite internet services. The company is expected to start offering internet services in India by 2022. The satellites were also expected to be launched in their orbits around that time as well. However, Starlink’s project that was expected to start by 2022 might be delayed since the company has started to pre-sell its beta services without fulfilling the prerequisites such as applying for permissions or licenses from concerned Indian authorities. For any business to prosper internationally, they need to abide by rules and regulations laid by the country that includes applying for the prerequisites and Starlink needs to understand this.

WhatsApp Beta New Update Brings Disappearing Messages For Groups Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:00 AM PDT The Facebook-owned platform WhatsApp has just submitted a new update through Google Play Beta Program. The new update has been rolled out for Android users and labelled as WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.21.8.7. In the new update, WhatsApp has rolled "Disappearing message" for groups. Read the article to the end for complete information regarding the new update. WhatsApp Group Members Can Enable Disappearing Messages in Group Chats In case you are not aware, disappearing messages is a feature that automatically deletes all the messages in a chat. When WhatsApp users enable the feature, the messages that are sent to the receiver as well as received are deleted after seven days. However, The Facebook-owned platform is also eyeing a future update where the possibility to set messages to be automatically deleted after 24 hours. The information was tweeted by WABetaInfo nearly a month ago. Since WhatsApp disappearing messages are available for private and group chats, only group admins can enable disappearing messages. As reported by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is now rolling out the possibility to toggle disappearing messages from any group member. However, the group members will be able to toggle the feature if the administrator of the group has not restricted the possibility. How to Restrict Group Members from Enabling Disappearing Message Feature? All the group admins will get the option to restrict other members from enabling the disappearing message feature. WhatsApp has updated the 'Edit Group Info' tab to reflect the new changes. If you are a group member and want to prevent any other group member from enabling or disabling disappearing messages, set the 'Edit Group Info' to 'only group Admins' option. WhatsApp Chat History Migration Between iOS and Android WhatsApp rolls out multiple features to hoist the app experience for users. As we reported earlier, WhatsApp is working on cross-platform compatibility where users will get the option to migrate their chat history from Android to iOS platform and vice-versa. Not only this but, the Facebook-owned platform will allow users to access WhatsApp Web without an active internet connection on their devices. As of the release date, no official announcement has been made by WhatsApp.

Vodafone GigaCube, the Perfect Alternative to Broadband Internet Posted: 13 Apr 2021 03:35 AM PDT Vodafone launched its first commercial 5G network in the UK back in July 2019. Initially, the operator had rolled out the services of the next-generation network for only 7 cities of the UK. However, today, Vodafone's 5G networks cover 100 cities of the UK and an additional 193 markets across Europe. If you have any issues with your broadband internet connection or if there's no fiberisation in your area due to which you can't purchase a fiber broadband connection, well, Vodafone GigaCube has you covered. Vodafone GigaCube is a service much like what India's premier telco, Reliance Jio, was offering with the Jio-Fi. Under the service, users get a portable router from the telco, which can connect with a 5G or 4G network and provide a Wi-Fi connection. Vodafone GigaCube Works With Both 5G and 4G Networks On the purchase of this service, Vodafone users get a Huawei 5G CPE Pro router. The company has chosen this particular router because it can facilitate speeds of up to 1 Gbps. This speed capacity makes it an ideal device to provide the users when they are seeking very high-speed with a 5G network. Of course, users need to insert a 5G nano-SIM card on the device. The router can work with both 5G and 4G networks. Thus, if the users are inclined to keep using 4G services, they can install a 4G nano-SIM card on the router. Further, the router has two antenna ports, two ethernet ports, and 4GB NANDFlash/8GB DDR4 memory. The router takes the mobile network (5G or 4G) and then converts it into Wi-Fi for the users. Vodafone's website mentions that users can connect up to 64 devices at a time from the network of this router. The router can provide Wi-Fi networks at dual-band channels – 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz. As mentioned above, it is not a very new concept of providing internet services. Jio has already done it with Jio-Fi. But the case to note here is that Jio did it with a 4G network. With true 5G speeds, the role of such routers might be enhanced. This is because they can provide healthy speeds of up to 1 Gbps and don't require setup like a broadband connection does. Indian operators are yet to launch 5G services in India. At the moment, it is hard to say if Jio will again look this way and provide users with a 5G enabled Jio-Fi device.

iQOO 7 Series India Launch Confirmed For April 26 Posted: 13 Apr 2021 02:39 AM PDT iQOO is soon going to launch the iQOO 7 series in India. The company has confirmed the launch date of its latest series of smartphones in India. iQOO 7 series will go official in India on April 26, 2021. It will be launched via a virtual event for which the timings haven't been provided by the company yet. The iQOO 7 series has already launched for the China market in January. The company has confirmed that the device will be available on Amazon India once it goes official. Let's take a look at the specifications of the iQOO 7 series that launched in China. iQOO 7 Specifications for India (Expected) We believe that the iQOO 7 will come with the exact same specifications as it did in China. Thus, based on that, the iQOO 7 might feature a 6.62-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with support for 120Hz refresh rate. The device is expected to offer a 91.4% screen-to-body ratio and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The iQOO 7 might come powered by Qualcomm's most powerful octa-core chipset for smartphones, the Snapdragon 888 SoC. It could be coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. It might feature a triple-camera setup at the rear with a 48MP primary sensor, 13MP secondary sensor, and a 13MP portrait sensor. At the front, the device might come with a 16MP primary sensor for video calling and selfies. The iQOO 7 supports 5G, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, and has a USB Type-C port for enabling fast charge. There is also an in-display fingerprint sensor on the device. Coming to the highlight of the smartphone, the iQOO 7 comes with a 4,000mAh battery but supports 120W fast-charging. iQOO 7 Price in India (Expected) The iQOO 7 is expected to launch in India in two variants – 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB. In China, the base variant with 8GB+128GB was launched for CNY 3,798 (roughly Rs 43,100) and the 12GB+256GB variant was launched for CNY 4,198 (roughly Rs 47,600). Further, there was another variant called iQOO 7 Legend that is only available in China for 12GB+256GB.

Telecom Industry’s Growth Will Driven by Enterprise Services: Report Posted: 13 Apr 2021 01:34 AM PDT India’s telecom industry is soon going to undergo a major change once the 5G networks are commercially launched. According to a credit rating firm ICRA, the next phase of growth for the telecom industry will come from 'non-telecom' businesses. The non-telecom businesses include internet of things (IoT) services, enterprise business, digital services, cloud services, fixed broadband services, and more. Companies such as Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) have already started offering enterprise solutions to India’s businesses. Simultaneously, Jio is also on the edge of announcing IoT services and more to serve enterprise needs in India. Jio already offers business-specific connectivity plans that are much cheaper than what Airtel offers to its clients. In the medium-term, the telecom operators will battle over providing the best enterprise solutions as well. Thus, operators’ focus will not only be on the subscriber market but also on the overall enterprise market. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) should take note of this and start expanding its domain of services as soon as possible. APRU of Telecom Industry Will Grow in Medium Term ICRA said that the average revenue per use (APRU) for the telecom industry would grow in the medium-term to Rs 220 and help the industry grow its revenues as well as margins. All of this will happen because of the upgradation of 2G users to 4G and also due to the rise in average mobile usage. 4G hasn't penetrated the Indian market completely yet. There is still a large number of people who don't have proper connectivity, let alone 4G networks in their areas. This is what the operators could leverage for growing their operations fast over the next few years. The rural parts of India and better 4G connectivity across urban areas will help the industry add new 4G subscribers faster. ICRA noted that the positive impact by growth in revenue over the next two years would be offset by the adjusted gross revenues (AGR) dues liability and the money spent on the recent spectrum auction. Further, the industry’s total debt is expected to remain elevated at Rs 5 lakh crores by the end of FY22.

Mavenir Announces AI-on-5G Hyper Converged Edge Solution Posted: 13 Apr 2021 12:23 AM PDT Mavenir, an American telecommunications software company, has today announced the 'AI-on-5G' Hyper-Converged Edge Solution in collaboration with NVIDIA. Mavenir has developed this solution working on the software and hardware technologies of NVIDIA. This solution will help the companies and telecom operators to implement AI-on-5G applications across several verticals such as healthcare, manufacturing, mining, Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), gaming use cases, and more. The use cases of this solution can be around finding real-time manufacturing component defect detection, proactive maintenance, smart connected factories, and more such domains. 5G to Enhance AI and IoT Capabilities 5G brings a network architecture that allows enterprises to smartly connect several operations and enables AI to overlook such operations in real-time. Everything, including machines, robots, wireless sensors, and more inside a factory or a building, can communicate with each other in real-time effectively with the help of Mavenir's AI-on-5G solution. 5G will help the enterprises in getting rid of expensive local area networks (LANs) since it is capable enough to power mission-critical applications required by business entities. The Edge AI solution developed by Mavenir can be deployed by the telcos and other communications companies to improve their Mobile Edge Cloud offering by differentiating the services offered to the enterprise clients and network service users. The same solution from Mavenir can also be offered as a managed service for enterprises that are using private networks. Mavenir said that this unique convergence between AI and 5G stacks is going to enable better use of the Industry 4.0 applications and the 5G networks. This solution will help the enterprises in processing all the data collected in near real-time, giving better oversight to the business activities. AI will be able to perform much better with the power of 5G since the next-generation network is capable of offering high bandwidth at low latencies. Ronnie Vasishta, Senior VP of Telecoms at NVIDIA, said that with the security and low latency of 5G coupled with the computing power of AI, the whole industry globally has a chance to grow and increase its productivity.

BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio Entry-Level Data Vouchers Listed Posted: 12 Apr 2021 11:13 PM PDT Demand for data packs grew when users understood that most of the times, their fair usage policy (FUP) data isn’t going to be sufficient. Users started looking for data packs that were cheap mostly because they didn’t want a lot of data, just enough to get by until the next day arrives and they get their FUP data for the new day. That is why companies started offering cheap data packs that started from Rs 11 (Jio) to and 16 (Vodafone Idea). The role of these packs multiplied since the time people started relying on 4G data to do most of their things. Today, we are listing all the cheapest data plans from Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), Jio, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Note: BSNL's plans vary from place to place, the particular data pack mentioned in this article is for Chattisgarh. Vodafone Idea Entry-Level Data Vouchers Vi offers the second cheapest entry-level data pack that costs Rs 16 only. This data voucher comes with a standalone validity of 1 day and offers users 1GB of data only. The second cheapest data pack from Vi costs Rs 48 and offers 3GB total data but with a standalone validity of 28 days. There are no other benefits included in the vouchers. Reliance Jio Entry-Level Data Vouchers Reliance Jio’s cheapest data voucher is also the cheapest amongst the plans offered by any other operator in India. It costs Rs 11 only and offers users 1GB of data. It doesn’t have a standalone validity and will expire when your active unlimited data plan expires. If you want more data, then you can go for the second cheapest data voucher from Jio that costs Rs 21 and offers 2GB of data. Its validity is also the same as that of the active unlimited pack. There are no other benefits included in the voucher. Bharti Airtel Entry-Level Data Vouchers Bharti Airtel’s entry-level data voucher is the most expensive one that any of the operators offer. It costs Rs 48 and offers 3GB total data and has a standalone validity of 28 days. It is the same as Vi’s second cheapest data voucher that is quite strange given Airtel users would have appreciated a voucher that came with 1GB or 2GB of data for a lesser price. BSNL Cheapest Entry-Level Data Vouchers BSNL offers its cheapest voucher for Rs 16. With this voucher, users get 2GB of data and the voucher has a standalone validity of 1 day. The second cheapest voucher from BSNL costs Rs 56 and offers users 10GB of data with a free subscription to Zing for 10 days.

Fujitsu and Trend Micro Testing Security of 5G Networks in Japan Posted: 12 Apr 2021 08:30 PM PDT Fujitsu, a Japanese telecommunications company along with Trend Micro, an enterprise cybersecurity solutions developer have collaborated to test the security of private 5G networks. A private 5G network would be required by companies and smart factories to automate their production process. The test determined the safety of a 5G network deployed with the security system of Trend Micro. For testing, a simulated factory environment and an operational Fujitsu environment was taken by the companies. Private 5G networks would be required by smart factories globally. Automation and connectivity between Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices with each other and business applications would depend a lot on the private 5G networks. Thus, the safety and security of a private 5G network need to be determined to ensure that none of the data or the factory is susceptible to any kind of cyberattack. New security procedures need to be installed as soon as possible to let companies and factories automate their production process without any worries. Trend Micro's 5G Security Solution Effective After the test was completed, three main points could be identified as results. The first was that Trend Micro's 5G security solution was effective at detecting threats and protecting the private 5G network from them. Further, the security solution first asked for the device's authentication before letting it connect to the private 5G network. At last, and the third finding of the test was that any unauthorised attempts of communication via the network were blocked in real-time. The results establish and give a pretty clear view of how effective the security solution from Trend Micro really is. Fujitsu will offer clients private 5G network services and leverage Trend Micro's security solution for keeping the networks safe from any external or internal threats. But the test is only halfway done at the moment. Both the companies will work and keep conducting field trials until September 2021 at Fijutsu's Oyama Plant and only then will consider commercialising a finalised security product or solution for the private 5G network in the market. Smarter and safer private 5G networks will help the companies and manufacturers globally in seamlessly producing products and improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process.

Airtel, Jio and Vi Best Value Prepaid Plans Listed Posted: 12 Apr 2021 07:24 PM PDT Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are the three major telecom operators of India. The telcos offer a series of prepaid plans that come at different prices and offer varied benefits. In general, Jio's prepaid plan is considered the cheapest, while Vodafone Idea's plans are considered the most expensive. Airtel's plans fall in between the plans from the two operators in terms of price. Today, we will list the best value prepaid plans from Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea. You can purchase these plans if you consider the price-to-benefits ratio very important. Bharti Airtel Best Value Prepaid Plans Bharti Airtel offers prepaid plans ranging from Rs 19 to Rs 2,698. The best value prepaid plans from the telco cost Rs 399, Rs 598, and Rs 698. Note that all of these plans offer users unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day, and Airtel Thanks benefits, including the Airtel Xstream Premium over-the-top (OTT) benefit. The Rs 399 and Rs 598 plan offers 1.5GB daily fair-usage-policy (FUP) data to the users, while the Rs 698 plan offers 2GB daily data to the users. Further, the Rs 399 plan comes with a validity of 56 days, while the other two plans of Rs 598 and Rs 698 come with a validity of 84 days. All of these plans come with a free trial of Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition. Reliance Jio Best Value Prepaid Plans Reliance Jio also offers some plans with similar benefits to the plans from Airtel mentioned above. The best value prepaid plans from Reliance Jio cost Rs 399, Rs 555, and Rs 599. These plans come with the benefit of unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day, and a complimentary subscription to all the Jio apps. The Rs 399 and Rs 555 plan offers users 1.5GB daily FUP data, while the Rs 599 plan comes with the benefit of 2GB daily FUP data. Further, the Rs 399 plan comes with a validity of 56 days, while the Rs 555 and 599 plan comes with a validity of 84 days. Vodafone Idea Best Value Prepaid Plans Vodafone Idea (Vi) also offers a ton of prepaid plans to the users. Its plans which offer the best value against their price, cost Rs 449, Rs 599, and Rs 601. Again, all of these plans come with the benefit of truly unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. The Rs 449 plan offers users 4GB daily data under double-data offer for 56 days; the Rs 599 plan offers users 1.5GB daily data for 84 days, and the Rs 601 plan provides users with 3GB daily data for 56 days. All of the plans are coupled with Vi's 'Binge all Night' and 'Weekend Data Rollover' offer. Further, each plan also gives users free access to Vi Movies & TV. The Rs 599 plan also offers users 5GB bonus data, while the 601 plan offers users free access to Disney+ Hotstar VIP for one year and a bonus 32GB of data. These are the plans from the three operators that we consider provide the best value for money. There are more plans from either of the telcos that some users might consider value for money as they come with free OTT benefits of ZEE5 Premium and Disney+ Hotstar,

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