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• OnePlus 9R OxygenOS 11.2.1.1 Update Fixes Call Issues and More
• WhatsApp Version 2.21.71 Out For iOS Users, What’s New
• SIA Asks DoT to Separate 28 GHz Spectrum for Satellite Communications
• Urban Telecom Users in India Will Accept Tariff Hikes
• Realme 8 5G With MediaTek Dimensity 700 Launch Date Confirmed
• Oppo A74 5G Launch Date For India Confirmed
• BSNL Reaches Out to PMO for Hybrid 4G: Report
• Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Date for India Launch Confirmed
• OneWeb India Completely Acquired by Nettle, Airtel Owned Company
• DJI Air 2S With Improved CMOS Sensor Goes Official
• Vodafone Idea Cleared All Dues Relating to License Fees
• Android 12 Developers Preview: Top 5 Features
• Vodafone Speeds Up Network Upgrades Using Drone Surveys
• How has China Developed and Embraced 5G
• Excitel vs ACT Fibernet 300 Mbps Broadband Plan

OnePlus 9R OxygenOS 11.2.1.1 Update Fixes Call Issues and More Posted: 16 Apr 2021 08:36 AM PDT OnePlus recently launched its latest lineup of flagship series in India and across the globe, which also includes an affordable OnePlus 9R. Today the smartphone received the OxygenOS 11.2.1.1 update with an array of improvements and bug fixes. According to the company, the update has improved the Wi-Fi performance and fixes incoming call delay issues. The handset was launched back in March along with the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. Let's have a detailed look at the features that arrive with the latest Oxygen OS 11.2.1.1 update on the OnePlus 9R.  OnePlus, on its official forum announced that the company has started rolling out the OxygenOS 11.2.1.1 update for the affordable OnePlus 9R. The company has started pushing out the update in incremental order, which means that all the users will not receive the update right away. The OTA (over-the-air) update is going to hit a smaller percentage of users and gradually widespread in a few days. You can also check for the update manually in the Settings app of your phone by following the given steps. Do note that the update size is 336MB and the firmware version is 11.2.1.1LE28DA. Make sure you have enough space on your smartphone to download and install the update.  Changelog According to the official forum, the Oxygen OS 11.2.1 update has improved the charging stability to provide a better user experience. The developers have improved the haptic for the Call of Duty Mobile and also fixed the abnormal change of incoming ringtone with dual SIM cards. Numerous users had complained about the delay in incoming calls when the device is in charge, with this update the company has also resolved the issue and other general bugs. Few other things that the OnePlus 9R saw improvements to are mentioned below: Improved the loading speed of the gallery to speed up the process of previewing pictures Improved the vibrating performance of alarm tones Improved Wi-Fi Hotspot performance

WhatsApp Version 2.21.71 Out For iOS Users, What’s New Posted: 16 Apr 2021 07:30 AM PDT The instant messaging app WhatsApp has brought out a new update for iOS users. The update has brought new and improved changes, such as the update has enhanced the display of sent media so that you can view larger image and videos. Further, In WhatsApp previously, only admins were able to control Disappearing Messages, but with this update, all the participants of the group have the option of changing the Disappearing Messages setting to default. WhatsApp simultaneously is examining the ability to bring the disappearing photos feature to both Android and iOS platforms. For all the iOS users who wish to know what all changes have the upgrade brought, keep reading until the end. Admins Can Still Control Disappearing Messages The new update has been released on the App store. The WhatsApp for iOS 2.21.71 version brings two new changes for the users on the stable version of the app. The first change enables the users to view photos and videos easily without opening them. The preview will also be much larger than the previous small square preview. Moreover, WhatsApp 2.21.71 for iOS has further provided the other participants with the ability to change the Disappearing Messages setting to default. Previously, only the admin could enable it, but now the option is open to every single participant of the group. However, the changelog on App Store states that admins can have access to the feature by changing the Edit Group Info. Since the update is rolling out via the App Store, all users should be able to update quickly if it is available in their area. If you do not receive the update immediately, you must know that it is a phased roll-out, and therefore you need to wait shortly to update. The Disappearing Messages by WhatsApp was made available for Android, iOS and Linux-bases KaiOS devices in November last year. The update is now live for Indian users as well. It should, however, be kept in mind that once Disappearing Messages is enabled, the text sent to an individual or a group will disappear after seven days. The setting will not affect the messages that you sent or received in the chatbox before the Disappearing Messages was enabled.

SIA Asks DoT to Separate 28 GHz Spectrum for Satellite Communications Posted: 16 Apr 2021 06:29 AM PDT The Satcom Industry Association (SIA), India, has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to separate the frequencies in the 28 GHz band for satcom operations. The 28 GHz band includes bandwidth in the 27.5 GHz to 29.5 GHz range. According to an ET Telecom report, SIA has urged DoT to create a robust regulatory framework for the 28 MHz bandwidth. This is because SIA believes 5G would hurt the satcom investments made by both the foreign and local companies. The frequencies in the 28 MHz band will be critical for satcom companies to provide services. At the same time, Indian operators have asked DoT to open up frequencies in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz band for 5G services. SIA Asks DoT Not to Provide 28 MHz Band for 5G According to SIA, the investments made by satcom companies would be left impaired if the telecom department decides to avail the frequencies in the 28 MHz band to the operators for 5G. Thus, the satcom body has urged the DoT to leave the 28 MHz band alone for the satellite companies and give frequencies in the 24.25 GHz – 27.5 GHz band to the telcos for rolling out 5G. Much recently, the operators were seen asking the telecom department for updating the National Frequency Allocation Policy (NFAP) and include additional spectrum in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands for 5G plans. The telcos said that it would allow them to roll out next-generation connectivity technology for a much affordable cost. SIA said that since 2016, foreign direct investment (FDI) has been flowing in from the satcom companies by partnering up with local companies from the time Nirmala Sitharaman announced that India is enabling the private sector to enter the satellite and space industry. SIA is worried if these companies don't get the spectrum without any interruptions from 5G, it will leave their investments impaired. This would hurt not only the foreign companies but also hurt the FDI and future economic partnerships of India with other nations in the satcom sector. The DoT is yet to release the updated NFAP policy, and this might force the department into restricting telcos from getting airwaves in the 28 MHz band. Only time will tell which way DoT's pendulum will swing.

Urban Telecom Users in India Will Accept Tariff Hikes Posted: 16 Apr 2021 05:51 AM PDT With India placed under multiple COVID-19 induced restrictions, the mobile subscription penetration in the country will now hit the 100% mark in 2025, says Deepa Dhingra, telecom analyst at GlobalData. In late March 2020, India was placed under an intense lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the government eased certain restrictions in mid April and early May 2020, the majority of the restrictions were only eased in the Unlock phase of the lockdown. However, in the recent days, regional level lockdowns and various restrictions have been reintroduced in certain cities and districts across the country due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. GlobalData, a data analytics company earlier in late September 2020, said in a report that India's mobile subscription penetration is "set to cross 100% mark in 2023 from 88.3% in 2020." India's Mobile Subscription Penetration Crossed 87% in 2020 Dhingra on Thursday said that the company has "revised" its forecast made in September and has now "analysed the impact of COVID-19" restrictions on the telecom market in India. "The new forecast indicates that the India’s mobile subscription penetration will now reach 100% mark in 2025, while the mobile subscription penetration in India reached 87.1% by the end of 2020," Dhingra told TelecomTalk in an email interview. Dhingra said that the COVID-19 "pandemic has increased the dependency" on high-speed connectivity for tasks such as remote working, learning and entertainment. "We believe mobile operators will continue to enjoy the increased demand for data services and would continue to invest in the expansion of mobile data networks to cover underserved areas," Dhingra said. In the September report, GlobalData said that the telecom service revenues will register an 9.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2020 to 2025. However, Dhingra said that the services such as "bonus data and free talk time with extended validities" offered by the operators in the initial lockdown period has "impacted their average revenues per user (ARPU)" metric. "We believe that mobile service providers will continue to yield lower ARPUs during 2021 as the pandemic persist," Dhingra said. "Now we expect overall mobile service revenues will grow at [a] relatively slower CAGR of 5.3% during 2020-2025." Multiple analysts in the recent weeks have said that the telecom operators including Reliance Jio would need "tariff hike to sustain its earnings growth." Similarly, the telecom operators including Vi, the third-largest wireless operator in India said that the "industry needs tariff hike." While Vi said that it will "not wait for anybody else to take the first step" in hiking the tariffs, Bharti Airtel said that it will be "ready to take up tariffs if and when any player actually moves tariffs." "We believe that as the telecom service providers continue to invest in mobile network expansion to underserved areas and aim to introduce 5G services in India, the tariffs of mobile data services and therefore operators' revenues will certainly increase over the coming years," Dhingra said. Crucially, the telecom analyst at GlobalData said that the telecom users, especially those in the urban areas will "accept" the hike in tariffs. "Data service has proved to be an essential commodity during the pandemic," Dhingra said. "The dependency on data services for working, learning and entertainment will push users to accept higher tariffs, particularly in urban centers." Reliance Jio Set to Maintain its Lead in Telecom Industry In recent months, the Telecom Subscription Data as released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) highlighted that Airtel has consistently added more users as compared to Jio. Airtel, the second-largest wireless operator in India is reported to have added 29 million active users since May 2020. However, Dhingra said that Jio will "continue to be the market leader in terms of subscriptions" between 2020 to 2025, despite "strong competition from Airtel." Meanwhile, Dhingra said that the Indian telecom operators are expected to launch 5G services commercially in 2023 with the company expecting the current 4G users to initially move to the next generation technology. "The growing adoption of OTT video and social media applications and rising popularity of online working/learning, that require higher bandwidth, will fuel the demand for 5G services in India," Dhingra said. Crucially, the telecom analyst at GlobalData said that the 5G services would be offered as "premium service" with the operators pricing it at "double the cost" of 4G services in the initial days. "However, operators are likely to bring down the tariffs eventually with the expansion of 5G network coverage and to drive its increased adoption," Dhingra said.

Realme 8 5G With MediaTek Dimensity 700 Launch Date Confirmed Posted: 16 Apr 2021 04:30 AM PDT Realme is all set to launch a new smartphone in the Indian market to strengthen its hold in the country. Earlier today, the company has officially confirmed the launch date of its upcoming Realme 8 5G smartphone. According to the company, the smartphone is going to launch in India a day after getting official in the Thailand market. Later the company has also confirmed that the handset will be powered by India's first-ever MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G processor. Let's have a closer look at the launch details of the upcoming Realme 8 5G smartphone. Realme 8 5G Launch Date Confirmed According to the official Realme Twitter post, the company has confirmed the launch of the Realme 8 5G on April 22, 2021, in India. The launch event will kick off at 12:30 PM IST and it will be live-streamed on Realme’s official YouTube channel and the live updates will appear on all the official social media handles. Going with the previous reports, the Realme 8 5G is a rebranded variant of the Realme V13 5G and it is said to be the first smartphone in India to launch with MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset. As per the Flipkart microsite listing, the handset is confirmed to arrive with a 6.5-inch FHD+ LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. It is said to launch with an aspect ratio of 20:9, peak brightness of 600 nits and a punch-hole cutout design to accommodate the selfie camera sensor. Furthermore, the Flipkart teaser confirmed that the handset will be backed by 128GB onboard storage and users can also expand it up to 1TB via a microSD card. The Flipkart listing also suggests that the handset runs on Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11. The smartphone will feature a side-mounted fingerprint scanner embedded on the power button. The Realme 8 5G is also confirmed to be fuelled by a massive 5,000mAh battery. It would be interesting to see at what price point the company is going to launch the smartphone in India.

Oppo A74 5G Launch Date For India Confirmed Posted: 16 Apr 2021 03:30 AM PDT Oppo A74 5G was rumoured to launch in India soon according to some leaks and now it has been confirmed, since a landing page for the smartphone has surfaced on Amazon India. The Amazon listing verifies that the phone will be officially launched on April 20 at noon (IST). However, speculations started surfacing that the upcoming handset might be a rebranded version of the Oppo A93 5G phone, that made its debut in China earlier this year. To familiarise yourself with Oppo A74 5G’s specifications and price keep reading until the end. Oppo A74 5G Specifications Verified Via The Amazon Listing The Amazon India’s listing revealed that Oppo A74 5G will have a punch-hole display and a side-facing fingerprint scanner. Oppo had launched the Oppo A74 5G for the Southeast Asian markets recently but the specifications for the Indian one might not be the same since it is being speculated that the upcoming handset will be a rebranded version of China’s Oppo A93 5G. Oppo A74 5G Expected Features The Oppo A74 5G is expected to feature a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen that delivers an FHD+ resolution and supports 90Hz refresh rate. It is also expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 480 chipset and 6GB of RAM. It is likely to come with 128GB of inbuilt storage with a microSD card slot and preinstalled ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11 OS. The upcoming A74 5G is also assumed to pack a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. For selfies, it might feature a front-facing camera of 16MP. The triple-lens rear camera is likely to come with a 48MP primary camera, a 2MP depth assist lens, and a 2MP macro camera. The A74 5G for the Southeast Asian countries however features a quad-camera setup and therefore has an additional camera with 8MP. But it is unsure as of now if, in India, it will be launched with the same features. Moreover, the price is unknown as well. The Chinese manufacturer nevertheless might announce some of the other features before the official announcement.

BSNL Reaches Out to PMO for Hybrid 4G: Report Posted: 16 Apr 2021 02:27 AM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has reached out to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for communicating that it intends to roll out a fresh 4G tender for 50,000 sites across India. The telco is aiming for a hybrid 4G plan where it wants to divide the tender into two parts. The first part with 57,000 sites will be reserved for the Indian companies, and the other 50,000 sites will be a standard tender upon which any of the companies in the government's 'trusted' list can participate. As per a Financial Express report, BSNL has contacted the PMO for communicating about the same. BSNL Already Has Nods from ETG and DoT For Hybrid 4G The state-run telco has already received nods from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Empowered Technology Group (ETG) for going ahead with the hybrid 4G plan. Even the Indian companies will be allowed to participate in the tender floated for part-B, which is for companies in the trusted list if they can generate Proof of Concept (PoC) within the desired time frame. Chinese vendors such as ZTE and Huawei will not be a part of BSNL's pan-India 4G plans. The government has indirectly asked all the telecom operators not to award any new contracts to the Chinese companies. BSNL had told DoT that its survival depends on the timely rollout of 4G services across the country. The telco expects to roll out 4G within 10 months upon successful trials by the local companies. Further, if it takes 4 months for the local companies to generate PoC, then the total time taken for the network rollout will become 14 months. BSNL has warned that if it takes more time for the Indian companies to come up with PoC, it will delay the 4G rollout in the country. This is why hybrid 4G makes sense for the telco. While the Indian companies are generating PoC and conducting trials, BSNL can partner up with global vendors such as Nokia and Ericsson for building the other 50,000 sites reserved for them. BSNL desperately needs to introduce 4G services since the telco is very much behind the private operators who are already pushing for 5G network rollout. The telco should use gear/equipment that could be directly upgraded to 5G with a software update.

Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Date for India Launch Confirmed Posted: 16 Apr 2021 01:43 AM PDT Samsung is soon going to unveil its budget 5G smartphone, Galaxy M42 5G, in India. The rumours about the specifications and the launch date of the device were making rounds online for quite some time now. However, an Amazon listing has now confirmed the device's India launch date for us. The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G is all set to launch on April 28, 2021, in India. Samsung is known for offering big batteries in the 'M' series smartphones. Just to give you an idea, the Galaxy M51 was launched in India with a 7,000mAh battery. What will be interesting about the Galaxy M42 5G is it will be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm SoC. Take a look at the complete specifications and features of the device. Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Specifications (Expected) The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G is confirmed to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC. It is further expected to come with Samsung Knox security and Samsung Pay for the Indian users. Also, the design of the device can be seen through the Amazon listing. The Galaxy M42 5G comes with a huge display with a water-drop notch at the top of the center. It can be seen donning a quad-camera setup at the rear with a unique-back design. The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G is expected to come in two RAM variants – 6GB and 8GB with up to 128GB of internal storage. The quad-camera setup at the rear is expected to house a 64MP primary sensor, and the device might pack a huge 6,000mAh battery. Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Price (Expected) The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G is expected to be the most affordable 5G smartphone yet from Samsung in India. According to a previous IANS report, the device will have two variants. The base variant with 6GB RAM might be priced around Rs 20,000, and the 8GB RAM variant might be priced around Rs 25,000. The Amazon listing confirms that the device will be available on Amazon upon launch and should also be available in Samsung's offline and online India stores. It will be worth the wait to see what price range Samsung decides to go with for the Galaxy M42 5G.

OneWeb India Completely Acquired by Nettle, Airtel Owned Company Posted: 16 Apr 2021 12:37 AM PDT Bharti Airtel's unit, Nettle Infrastructure Investments, has completely acquired OneWeb India. OneWeb India Communications Pvt Ltd is a subsidiary company of OneWeb that operates out of the UK. For the unaware, OneWeb is already co-owned by Bharti Airtel along with the UK government. Nettle Infrastructure Investments, an arm of Bharti Airtel, has now acquired a 100% stake by purchasing 10,000 shares of the OneWeb India in cash. Bharti Airtel has confirmed this in a regulatory filing on Wednesday evening. This will give Airtel complete control over the Indian subsidiary of OneWeb. OneWeb's Plans of Providing Satellite Internet in India by 2022 OneWeb is a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company that aims to provide satellite internet in several parts of the world in the next few years. The company plans to enter the Indian boundaries in 2022. OneWeb will come into India via a commercial partnership by either merging with a company to form a joint venture or by leasing a bandwidth capacity pact. Further, the telco said during the filing that Access Associates Ltd is in the process of seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) for investing in OneWeb India. The government will soon provide clarity in the FDI norms with the revised satellite communications policy. OneWeb wants to create a constellation of low-orbiting satellites surrounding the complete atmosphere of the globe in the coming few years. OneWeb India will be rivalled by Elon Musk's Starlink. Starlink has been under scrutiny recently since the company hadn't followed up with the regulations set by the government. The Indian government is all set to announce a revised policy on satellite communications that will determine the future of not only Starlink but also OneWeb and multiple other companies that want to enter the concerned market space. Starlink also has plans of providing satellite internet services by the mid of 2022 in India. The company had already started taking pre-bookings for its satellite internet connection kit. Users who have purchased the kit within India don't need to worry even if the government doesn't allow Starlink to come to India. This is because the company had said that the deposit made for pre-booking was completely refundable.

DJI Air 2S With Improved CMOS Sensor Goes Official Posted: 15 Apr 2021 11:50 PM PDT DJI is widely popular for its super stable and portable drones across the globe and now the company has expanded its drone portfolio with the launch of the Air 2S. The newly launched drone comes as a successor to the Mavic Air 2 which was launched back in 2020. DJI claims that the newly launched drone comes with improved cameras, sensors, and a lot more. Let's have a closer look at the price, specifications, and features of the newly launched DJI Mavic Air 2s. DJI Air 2S Specifications The DJI Air 2S comes equipped with a better and larger 1-inch CMOS sensor, which offers significantly higher 2.4m pixels. The bigger CMOS sensor means that the new launch DJI drone is capable of capturing up to 5.4k resolution videos which seems to be much better than the existing Mavic Air 2. Notably, the Air 2S is slightly weighted higher than the predecessor. Under the hood, the newly launched drone is powered by a 3,500mAh battery. The company claims that the Air 2S is capable of delivering a fly time of 31 minutes. According to DJI, the Air 2S is 25grams heavier than the Air 2 which reduces the fly time compared to the predecessor. The DJI Mavic Air 2 comes with a fly duration of 33 minutes. As mentioned above, the DJI Air 2S comes with improved sensors which are capable of avoiding obstacles while going up or coming down and moving forward and backwards. Thanks to the industry-standard OcuSync, the flying camera offers a maximum control range of 12km which is significantly better than the Air 2. It comes with modes like MasterShot which will allow users to get some impressive shots without making too many efforts. DJI Air 2S Price The newly launched DJI Air 2S comes at a starting price of USD 999 (approx Rd 74,466). The basic retail package of DJI Air 2S packs a drone, battery, two pairs of propellers, and the DJI RC-N1 controller. The device is already up for grabs on DJI's official website.

Vodafone Idea Cleared All Dues Relating to License Fees Posted: 15 Apr 2021 10:53 PM PDT Vodafone Idea (Vi) has cleared all of its dues related to license fees to the government. According to an ET Telecom report, a person close to the matter said that the company has paid complete dues with interest to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The DoT had issued a show-cause notice to the telco asking reasons for why it did not clear dues related to license fees during the last quarter of FY2020-21 for seven circles of India. The concerned circles were – Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, UP East, Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Gujarat. The telco had also skipped on paying the national long-distance license fees to the department. Vodafone Said It Would Pay On April 15 The telco had issued a statement saying that any payment that is not made on March 25 is made on April 15 with interest. Vi has followed up with its statement and cleared all the dues to the government. The telco had said that payment of licensee fee is a regular exercise, and it is paid after assessing the revenues for the quarter. Experts believe that the recent behaviour of Vi just shows how stressed the telco financially is. Vi had tried to raise billions of dollars via an issue of convertible instruments, but that didn't work. The telco's attempt to get money from KKR did not bring anything either. Vi needs to increase the tariffs, but it has been unable to do that because of competitive pressure. The telco needs to strengthen its 4G services in the 16 priority circles to compete with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. Vi has already lost a ton of subscribers to Bharti Airtel, and the telco's woes just seem to be never-ending. On top of this, it has to pay the government thousands of crores in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. According to the last report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Vi had lost 2.3 million users while other operators gained 2 million (Jio) and 5.9 million (Airtel) users, respectively. Things don't seem to be getting good for Vi anytime soon if the industry doesn't follow up with a tariff hike.

Android 12 Developers Preview: Top 5 Features Posted: 15 Apr 2021 09:30 PM PDT Google has already made its Android 12 developer preview available for testing before launching it at the Google I/O conference. The company has confirmed that the I/O conference will take place between May 18th and 20th. According to the company, the Android 12 developer preview comes with an array of changes and improvements. Mishaal Rahman of XDA Developers got the chance to use the unreleased build of Android 12 and thanks to him we got to know more about the upcoming Android 12. Do note that the Android 12 developer preview is an unstable version and there is a fair possibility that some features might not be included in the stable public version. Here are the top features of the Android 12 developer preview. Android 12 Top Features Scrolling Screenshot: According to the XDA reports Google has improved some of the existing features which include the Scrolling Screenshots. The Android 12 will now allow users to select the parts of the screen which they want to capture as per their requirement. Wake up Google Assistant via Power button: It seems that Google is also working to incorporate the Google Assistant trigger on the power button. Besides, the development has also added a new quick setting tile for cards and device controls. Volume UI: The Android 12 also comes with new volume UI changes which looks likes the brightness slider. The newly designed volume slider looks thicker and matches the colour of the system. New Animation For Charging: The developers have also added new animation for charging. You can connect your phone to any charger and witness a new ripple animation that triggers from the bottom of the display and expand upwards. Search Bar in Widget: The upcoming Android 12 update is going to arrive with a search bar in the widget option to make it easier for users to search apps and add to the widget instead of scrolling the entire list.

Vodafone Speeds Up Network Upgrades Using Drone Surveys Posted: 15 Apr 2021 08:30 PM PDT Vodafone UK and Ericsson will be upgrading their mobile sites with the help of drones equipped with Lidar technology. For the unaware, Lidar stands for Light Detection and Ranging. The Lidar technology will be fitted on the drones along with a high-definition camera which will fly above the location and deliver a complete 3D digital twin model of the site. This will allow the network design teams and engineers to study and analyse the site virtually. It would save plenty of time for the companies and also reduce the number of required physical visits to the site. Further, the use of 3D digital twin models of the sites would allow both Vodafone and Ericsson to reduce the carbon footprint they have on the planet. Vodafone's Plans For Virtual Site Meetings Typically, the engineers of Vodafone and Ericsson need to travel to the physical site for analysing and surveying the necessary data; that too multiple times on several occasions. But with the help of drones equipped with HD camera and Lidar technology, only one drone expert can visit the site, capture the complete area and then share it with the rest of the team. It would enable engineers to access the site sitting in remote areas without any travel costs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Vodafone has already deployed new networks in about 70 locations with the help of drones in a similar fashion. There are four main ways in which drones benefit Vodafone. First, it allows the telco to go with a more efficient planning process and allows it to deliver new networks faster. Second, it mitigates the health and safety risks that are associated with travelling to the same site with multiple people over and over again. Third, since lesser people travel and the work is done through lighter equipment, the telco can effectively reduce the carbon footprint it is leaving on the planet. Lastly, Vodafone can generate more accurate data in one visit to the location. Thus, the engineers won't have to visit the site again and again to collect the necessary information. Vodafone is using the DJI Mavic Pro 2 UAV for capturing the sites. This is a clever initiative from the telco reducing its costs and also keeping people safe.

How has China Developed and Embraced 5G Posted: 15 Apr 2021 07:30 PM PDT 5G network is at the doors, and it’s more than just a faster network. The implementation of 5G is bridging the gap between technological setbacks. Nearly the entire globe is heavily investing in the 5G network to create a new global wireless standard for speed, throughput and bandwidth. China, which started investing in the network back in 2019, has developed an ecosystem that is expected to prosper in the coming future. During the Boao Forum for Asia in 2019, 5G was the centre of attraction and attracted the interests of officials, industry leaders and operators. China realising the potential granted 5G licenses for commercial use marked a new beginning in the telecommunications industry. Let's have a short tour of China's 5G journey. China has Built Largest 5G Network in the World The broad coverage of the 5G network in China is not limited to its width. In 2020, China installed 600,000 5G base stations that increased the total number of base stations to more than 718,000. Not only this, but China achieved full 5G coverage in call cities above the perfect level. The nation is expected to add another 600,000 5G base stations by the end of 2021 to expand 5G coverage in counties and towns. As of smartphone penetration, shipments of 5G smartphones hiked to 164 million units that nearly accounts for 52.9% of the nation's smartphone shipment in 2021. 5G Network is Present in Highest Peaks and Lowest Depth of China Back in 2020, the world's highest 5G base station extended support and services to 6,500-meter-high-base on Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak. Because of the 5G signals, live 4K views of Mount Qomolangma was streamed to millions of viewers. Also, China built a 5G intelligent coal mine in Shanxi province. At a depth of 534 meters, the network is the deepest in the country. China Tapped Ample 5G Applications Back in 2020, China tapped into an array of 5G applications. As reported by CGTN, nearly 1,100+ industrial projects were launched, including 5G based remote consultation. Also, new service areas such as 5G+ autonomous driving and smart education were tapped with the help of the network. China Centre for Information Industry development indicates that the nation will install nearly 15 million 5G base stations by the end of 2030. The 2021 edition of BFA is scheduled from April 18 to 21 that is going to revolve around the future of 5G.

Excitel vs ACT Fibernet 300 Mbps Broadband Plan Posted: 15 Apr 2021 06:32 PM PDT Excitel and ACT Fibernet are two of the leading fiber broadband service providers of India. Both the companies have time and again introduced offers and plans that have helped them stood out from the rest of the market and gain new users. Much recently, Excitel announced that it has expanded its services to 10 new cities of India and that it further plans to expand to a total of 50 locations by the end of 2021. The company offers a 300 Mbps broadband plan just like ACT Fibernet. Both the companies offer over-the-top (OTT) benefits with their 300 Mbps plans, but there is one thing that sets Excitel apart from ACT Fibernet. To find out, read below. Excitel 300 Mbps Broadband Plan Excitel offers its 300 Mbps broadband plan in multiple configurations or validity periods. Users can get it directly for 12 months for a monthly cost of Rs 499 per month (excluding taxes). Or, users can also go for the one month plan that costs Rs 899 (excluding taxes). The thing that sets Excitel's 300 Mbps broadband plan apart from ACT Fibernet's plan is the 'unlimited data' offering. Excitel offers users truly unlimited data without any fair-usage-policy (FUP) restrictions. Note that for being eligible to receive the OTT benefits, users will have to purchase the plan for at least three months or more. Excitel offers OTT benefits of Eros Now, Voot Select, and ShemarooMe to its users. Further, the company doesn't charge anything for the installation of the fiber connection. However, users will have to pay Rs 2,000 as a refundable security deposit for the ONU devices. ACT Fibernet 300 Mbps Broadband Plan ACT Fibernet offers its 300 Mbps broadband plan to the users for Rs 1,349 (excluding taxes) in the Delhi circle. Users can purchase this plan directly for 12 months and get 2 months of internet services from the company for free. Even though ACT says that users get unlimited data with its plans, it is not truly unlimited. There is a FUP policy that restricts users from consuming more than 3,000GB of data per month. There are some OTT benefits that users enjoy, but nothing that's totally free. Users get a free one-month trial of ZEE5 Premium, Cult.fit, and Epic ON, which, to be honest, is not a very great OTT offering from the company. Verdict It is very clear that Excitel's 300 Mbps plan is a better bet. Excitel's monthly plan comes at a lower cost than how much users need to pay when they go for ACT's 300 Mbps yearly plan. If that difference is not enough, Excitel offers truly unlimited data, which ACT doesn't. Further, the OTT benefits with ACT are just there as a basic offering; there's nothing exciting about them. However, with Excitel, the OTT benefits are way better and worth it. Excitel is also very flexible when it comes to providing plans in different validities. Users can get the Excitel 300 Mbps plan for 4 months and 9 months as well, which no other operator is offering in India.

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