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• Nokia to Help Chunghwa Telecom Expand 5G Network
• Role of Internet Exchanges in Driving Content Consumption Across OTT, Edu-Tech and Big Data
• Samsung Launches New C-Band Network Solutions
• Wi-Fi 7 Can Support 320 MHz Transmissions, Needs Upgraded Testing Equipment
• Poco M3 Became Highest-Selling Device Online in February 2021: IDC
• LG Uplus and Nokia Join Hands to Boost Indoors 5G in South Korea
• Oppo A74 5G Goes Live in India, Big Competition for Realme, Vivo and Xiaomi
• Realme Q3 Pro Will Feature a MediaTek Flagship 5G SoC, All to Know
• MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC Will Power 5G Flagships in India Now
• Moto G60, Moto G40 Fusion Here to Compete With Redmi Note 10 Series
• BSNL 4G Can Be a Boon for the Indian Telecom Industry
• MTS Teams up With Huawei to Deploy 5G Services in Moscow
• Masmovil Extends 5G Coverage in 200 Cities Across Spain
• BSNL, Jio, Vi and Airtel, Who Offers Best Prepaid Plan Under Rs 400

Nokia to Help Chunghwa Telecom Expand 5G Network Posted: 20 Apr 2021 09:30 AM PDT Finland based smartphone manufacturer Nokia was one of the best mobile sellers across the globe back in the early '20s. The company has somehow made a comeback in the smartphone industry and still managing to maintain the existence in the budget segments smartphones category. But now the competition is very high, all thanks to Chinese smartphone makers who are offering new phones almost every month. Apart from the smartphone business, the company is also indulged in other sectors like telecom gear making. Today the company has announced that Taiwanese telco Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) has selected Nokia to expand its 5G network in the country. Nokia Chunghwa Telecom Partnership Nokia said that it would deploy products from its AirScale portfolio for helping with Chunghwa Telecom’s 5G expansion. This product line includes radio access products, a base station, and massive MIMO radio as well. These products will ensure better connectivity among the users and business in the central-south region of Taiwan. Besides, the company also announced that it would continue the long-term vendor partnership with Chunghwa Telecom along with helping it in expanding 5G coverage. ET Telecom report said that the partnership between Nokia and Chunghwa Telecom aims to achieve 80% population coverage. The partnership is also meant to help the telco increase the 5G subscription by 20% in the country from its current subscriber base. Further, the report suggests that Chunghwa Telecom is planning to start rolling out 5G services aggressively this year. The telecom operator is going to focus majorly on high traffic areas and location that consist of high business demand. These areas will be metropolitan cities, universities, subways, high-speed rail stations, industrial parks, and exhibition halls. Besides, the nest-generation 5G connectivity will also be available in more than 120 popular tourist places in the country. Chunghwa Telecom is planning to expand its footprint by enhancing its 4G and 5G coverage across the country and also by offering private network solutions. The telco is strengthening its cooperation with local manufacturers who are developing industrial 4.0 applications using solutions in 3.5GHz and 28GHz spectrum. This is to meet the demand for throughput requirement (high-speed data transfer from one location to other). While the rest of the world is planning to expand 5G connectivity in their countries, India is still struggling with 4G and spectrum issues. There is no clarity on when India is going to witness the high speed of 5G.

Role of Internet Exchanges in Driving Content Consumption Across OTT, Edu-Tech and Big Data Posted: 20 Apr 2021 08:19 AM PDT We are almost at the end of the calendar year 2020. As the whole world desires, I too hope that 2021 brings an end to the pandemic and life goes back to normal. While humanity waits and works towards the new normal, I shudder at the thought of how things would be without the internet, more specifically, wireline broadband. During the pandemic, work from home became normal. Businesses figured out collaboration and productivity tools for work from home, OTTs became the primary mode of consumption of entertainment, family gatherings and celebrations happened on video calls, and education had to also finally seriously figure out how to teach using the internet. The internet became a tool of giving continuity in some form to an otherwise standstill world. It will not be wrong if I say that the internet became the primary tool of access for work, education and entertainment. India, even as large as it is, is still at the periphery of the internet ecosystem of the world. Our wireline broadband penetration is about 7-8% at best. The majority of the population has access to the internet using 4G, thanks to the disruption in the mobile internet provider industry. While 4G is good for random email or app-based messaging or short video clips, it is eventually wireless and thus incapable of providing consistent high-speed connectivity. A huge number of people simultaneously accessing the internet for using applications will need constant high bit rate connectivity, for example, audio-video conferencing for work, education or HD video streaming for entertainment. India realized that mobile internet does not fulfil its needs. Video conference drops, OTT streams buffer and other such problems became common. Thus, there was a significant increase in demand for stable and reliable wireline broadband connectivity in India. The question one should ask is, how does the wireline broadband provider meet this requirement of increased bandwidth demand. IP Transit or internet connectivity is expensive, and revenue per user is constrained due to low 4G data prices. Statistics show that the bandwidth demand increased by about 40% within a week after the lockdown was announced. One good thing that happened in the last few years is the development of internet Exchanges Points (IXP) in India. While NIXI started in 2003, it is only after 2016, when private companies like Extreme IX got serious about this, that the IXP ecosystem started to thrive. While there is some technical jargon behind IXPs, the stuff they do and how they benefit, they eventually provide the internet providers with low-cost access to content. They help in localizing content, bringing it as close to the user as possible. When the demand grew, IXPs were there to serve it. The ISPs who were connected to IXPs were able to meet the increased demand without a linear increase in their bandwidth costs. IXPs help democratize access to content. A small ISP, even in a small city like Kota, is able to meet costs of increased bandwidth demand due to an increase in requirements of current users and also new users. For increasing penetration of wireline broadband in India, along with technologies like FTTH for access networks, IXPs are also critical as they democratize access to content, localize content as close to the end-user as possible and enable ISP to save costs on IP Transit. Currently, in India, an ISP can offload about 60-80% of traffic to IXPs. Extreme IX intends to bring this up to 90%. This is necessary if India has to become a global hub for cloud and content, as envisioned in National Digital Communications Policy 2018. Author – Raunak Maheshwari, Director, Extreme Labs

Samsung Launches New C-Band Network Solutions Posted: 20 Apr 2021 07:22 AM PDT The South Korean tech giant Samsung announced its C-Band network solutions portfolio earlier today. The portfolio of solutions is specifically designed to help U.S. mobile operators deliver advanced 5G services in the mid-band/C-Band spectrum. The lineup will enable mobile operators to deliver high-performance without compromising on the coverage of their networks. The portfolio will enhance the 5G experience in both indoor and outdoor environments. Samsung’s Complete C-Band Solutions Portfolio Lineup C-Band is the mid-band spectrum ranging from 3.7GHz to 4.2GHz. Samsung’s new C-Band portfolio includes advanced radios such as Massive MIMO radio, indoor solutions and network optimization tools that will allow the mobile operators to render 5G services with high performance, advanced features and wide coverage for users in the U.S. The Massive MIMO Radio is capable of tripling the bandwidth capacity and doubling the output power compared to previous technologies. It also offers the full range of auctioned spectrum range i.e. 280MHz. Flexible installation is also one of the benefits that the Massive MIMO Radio provides the operators. The portfolio also consists of Outdoor Radio. It is a compact, lightweight radio with eight antennas. Since the radio operates in both bi and tri-sector modes, it will be introduced as 8t8R radio. The radio is ideal for rural deployments as it is rather flexible. Samsung’s Micro Radio is designed to cater the dense urban environments. It facilitates easy installation anywhere for say light poles in cities and can fill coverage holes to attain the broader 5G coverage. The Indoor 5G Solutions provided by Samsung last year known as Link Hub and Link HubPro can now be expanded to support C-Band to bring 5G indoors. The Link HubPro is an active antenna with indoor radios and hub making it suitable for indoor deployment while the Link Hub on the other hand is suitable for places with existing Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) for eg. public venues, offices, shopping centres and stadiums. Samsung has added two new C-Band network deployment and management solutions- Earth Station Protection Solution (ESPS) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). Earth Station Protection Solution prevents interference between a base station and satellite earth station while the Time Duplex Station is a central coordinator that manages the remote interference between the cells in TDD and hence enhances the overall performance of the C-Band network. The U.S and South Korea already have great trade relations and now South Korean tech giant’s export of the C-Band network will result in deepening the relations between both countries even more.

Wi-Fi 7 Can Support 320 MHz Transmissions, Needs Upgraded Testing Equipment Posted: 20 Apr 2021 06:44 AM PDT Wi-Fi 6 isn't an old standard, and while many companies are researching and estimating the benefits of incorporating Wi-Fi 6 into their businesses, the wireless industry is already talking and preparing for the Wi-Fi 7. 'Wi-Fi 7' or 'Wi-Fi 802.11be' promises higher capacity, lower latency, and better interference mitigations. David Hall, Head of Semiconductor Marketing at NI and Alejandro Buritica, Senior Marking Solutions Manager at NI, believe that testing and measuring equipment for Wi-Fi 7 will have to be different from the currently used testing equipment. Wi-Fi 7 Can Support 320 MHz Transmissions and 4096-QAM According to a rcrwireless report, Hall said that Wi-Fi 6 doesn't really have any major technology limitations. But Wi-Fi 7 is still an upgrade over the Wi-Fi 6 because it allows more spectrum to serve the new and emerging use cases of wireless connectivity. Buritica agreed with Hall's statement and said that as the wireless connectivity market grows and new technology takes over, the demand for bandwidth is going to increase. The new Wi-Fi standards allow more spectrum to be utilised, which means a higher bandwidth at a lower latency could be availed. For testing Wi-Fi 7, though, Buritica said that new and advanced testing equipment is required. He said that testing 320 MHz wide channels will create unique and new testing scenarios that will require the latest generation testing equipment. For comparison, Wi-Fi 6 supports 160 MHz transmissions and 1024-QAM, but that doubles to 320 MHz transmissions and 4096-QAM with Wi-Fi 7. These two improvements are the reasons why testing equipment needs to be improved. For the unaware, Quadrature Amplitude Modulation or QAM's purpose is to facilitate high levels of spectrum usage efficiency. The higher the QAM, the higher the performance hardware needs to be for receiving and transmitting the signal. Thus, because of the high QAM and transmission rate in Wi-Fi 7, the testing equipment needs to have the latest generation hardware to support the requirements of the wireless connectivity. It is only then that researchers and companies can find out the true potential and capabilities of Wi-Fi 7. However, the commercial deployment of Wi-Fi 7 is at least three years away from now. The IEEE is looking to publish the amendments of Wi-Fi 7 in the year 2024, meaning the commercial deployment of the technology will be around that time as well.

Poco M3 Became Highest-Selling Device Online in February 2021: IDC Posted: 20 Apr 2021 05:33 AM PDT Poco, India's third-largest online smartphone brand today, announced that its device, Poco M3 was the number one selling smartphone in February 2021. The stats were picked from the IDC India Monthly smartphone tracker report of February 2021. It is worth noting that Poco launched the device in February itself. Since then, the Poco M3 has stayed in high demand. The company said that it had already sold over more than 5,00,000 or 5 lakh units of the device in the first 45 days of the launch. Poco sells its smartphones in India exclusively from the platform of e-commerce giant Flipkart. So what's so great about the device? Let's have a look. Poco M3 Features and Price That Make it an Exceptional Offering Poco M3 comes with a 6.53-inch FHD+ display and offers users an exceptional viewing experience and a wide field of vision. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable internal storage. There is a triple camera setup at the rear with a 48MP primary sensor and two other 2MP sensors, along with an 8MP sensor at the front for video calling and selfies. The device packs a huge 6,000mAh battery with support for 22.5W fast charging. The device runs on MIUI 12 based on Android 10 out of the box. Users can get all of these features for a starting price of only Rs 10,999. The base variant priced at Rs 10,999 comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Further, the superior variant with 6GB+128GB is priced at Rs 11,999. The device is available in three colours – Cool Blue, Yellow, and Power Black. Such a low price and power-packed features make the device a great deal for many users looking to purchase an entry-level 4G smartphone. One thing that really attracts the customers is the Snapdragon 662 SoC for such a less price. Users in India are more attentive towards Qualcomm chipsets as compared to MediaTek or Exynos. Flipkart is delivering the device in select regions of the country at the moment. This is because of the lockdowns and several containment areas declared by the government.

LG Uplus and Nokia Join Hands to Boost Indoors 5G in South Korea Posted: 20 Apr 2021 04:49 AM PDT LG Uplus and Nokia will collaborate to boost the 5G indoors coverage in South Korea. The news directly came from Nokia itself, as it announced the agreement with LG Uplus to expand the 5G indoor coverage in South Korea. The company’s vision will be executed using Nokia’s comprehensive Airscale portfolio. Nokia and LG Uplus have already collaborated on 5G, LTE, digital projects and now this agreement will strengthen their relationship even more. South Korea has a record for having the fastest average internet connection speed in the world, but the question is how will Nokia’s Airscale system help improve indoor coverage? To find out keep on reading. Nokia’s Airscale System And Its Benefits Nokia’s Airscale System aims at providing seamless 5G connectivity in indoor locations. It is cost-effective, flexible and compactly designed as per DaeHee Kim, Senior Vice President, Head of Network Infra Technology Group, LG Uplus. Nokia’s deployment will be one of a kind experience even for a high-tech market like South Korea since the next-generation small cell AirScale Indoor (ASiR) to be installed in the range of indoor locations will be extremely cost-effective. Nokia’s system constitutes a Digital Baseband unit and ASiR-pRRH solution that enables multi-operator and multi-band support which will help LG Uplus to provide seamless 5G connectivity that it aims to provide. Both consumers and enterprises can easily enjoy the 5G internet service provided by Nokia and LG Uplus since Nokia has been specifically chosen for its compact and flexible ASiR system. Nokia’s highly praised ASiR system can improve the indoor system as its compact design can be easily deployed in the areas where it is needed. ASiR promotes a simple service upgrade to the traditional 5G New Radio which facilitates the work environment with minimal onsite working as it features a web-based manager allowing remote configuration without the requirement of a separate application. The abovementioned facts make the 5G indoor technology an ideal one as it supersedes the traditional, expensive distributed antenna systems. LG Uplus is the third-largest mobile service provider in the South Korean market and it launched its 5G services in April 2019 competing with the other two South Korean telecom giants SK Telecom and KT simultaneously. It needs to be duly noted that the 5G network from Nokia and LG Uplus also includes 5G equipment from Huawei, Samsung and Ericsson.

Oppo A74 5G Goes Live in India, Big Competition for Realme, Vivo and Xiaomi Posted: 20 Apr 2021 03:30 AM PDT Oppo A74 5G one of the most speculated smartphones from the brand has finally made its way to the Indian smartphone market. The company has launched the handset under Rs 20,000 price point with some impressive features like Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, fast charging support, multi-cooling system, and a lot more. With these power-packed features and price point, the company is aiming to take on a wide range of smartphones which are already in the market. Handsets like Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, Realme Narzo 30 Pro, Vivo V20 SE, Realme X7 5G, Samsung Galaxy M31s, and more are already available the under Rs 20,000 mark. Let have a closer look at the specifications and features of the newly launch Oppo A74 5G and find out how it's going to be a tough competition for others. Oppo A74 5G Features The Oppo A74 5G is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The smartphone packs a massive 5,000mAh battery that comes with 18W fast charging support. According to the company, the handset also comes equipped with a multi-cooling system for thermal management. It’s capable of keeping the CPU calm during long hefty gaming sessions. The cooling system of the handset makes sure that the user has a seamless gaming experience. On the optical front, the handset features a triple rear-camera setup with the combination of a 48MP primary sensor accompanied with a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro shooter along with an LED flash. Under the top-left mounted punch-hole cutout design, the smartphone sports an 8MP camera sensor for selfies and video calls. The Oppo A74 5G flaunts a 6.5-inch full-HD+ LCD panel with a resolution of 1,080×2,400 pixels. It has a 90Hz refresh rate display with a pixel density of 405ppi and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The handset offers an edge-to-edge display with a thin chin at the bottom. Oppo A74 5G Price in India and Offers Oppo A74 5G in India is priced at Rs 17,990 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and it's the only variant launched in the country. The smartphone will be up for grabs via Amazon India and major offline retail stores from April 26th, 2021. The handset will be up for sale in Fluid Black and Fantastic Purple colour options. Besides, the company is offering the Oppo A74 5G with an instant discount of 10% on select bank credit card EMI options and debit card transactions via Amazon India. The online buyers will also get a chance to avail the Oppo Enco W11 at a discounted price of Rs 1,299, Oppo Band for Rs 2,499, and the Oppo W31 for Rs 2,499. Oppo is also offering an extended warranty of 2 years with the Oppo A74 5G smartphone. Paytm is offering a 11% discount and there is a zero down payment scheme from all leading finance companies. Offline buyers can also avail of a cashback of 5% on HDFC bank Standard Chartered, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Federal Bank.

Realme Q3 Pro Will Feature a MediaTek Flagship 5G SoC, All to Know Posted: 20 Apr 2021 02:37 AM PDT Realme is one of the popular smartphone brands in the industry across the globe and the company is known for having a wide range of powerful and affordable offerings. To expand its footprint in the market, the company has confirmed the launch of its Realme Q3 series in China on April 22nd, 2021. However, the confirmed launch date of the smartphone didn't stop leaks and rumours from popping up on the internet. We have already witnessed the Realme Q3 Pro appearing on certification sites like TENAA and Geekbench benchmark site. Now in the latest development, the company has officially confirmed some of the vital information about the handset which includes chipset and display specifications. Let's have a closer look at the confirmed features of the upcoming Realme Q3 Pro. Realme Q3 Pro Confirmed Specifications The company has confirmed the information on its official Weibo handle along with some official renders. According to the Weibo post, the Realme Q3 Pro is confirmed to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1100 chipset and feature a 120Hz refresh rate display. In the previous leaks and rumours, the smartphone was speculated to arrive with these two features, and today the company has officially confirmed these specifications. As mentioned above, the smartphone was recently spotted on the Geekbench listing with model number RMX2205. The listing revealed that the Realme Q3 Pro might arrive with the MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC, clubbed with 8GB RAM. The handset is also said to run on Android 11 out of the box with Realme UI 2.0. Going with the TENAA listing, the Realme Q3 Pro is expected to feature a 6.43-inch display. The storage option is yet to be speculated in any of the reports, so we can safely assume the handset might ship with either a 64GB or 128GB storage variant. According to the rumours, the handset is tipped to be fuelled by a massive 4,400mAh battery. On the optical front, the Realme Q3 Pro is expected to feature a triple-rear camera setup, but there is no confirmation or speculations about the sensors of the camera module. The upcoming Realme Q3 series is expected to include three new Realme smartphones. Now we have to wait for the official launch on April 23rd to know more about the handsets. Do share your thoughts on the upcoming Relame Q3 series in the comment section and stay tuned for more details on upcoming smartphones.

MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC Will Power 5G Flagships in India Now Posted: 20 Apr 2021 01:50 AM PDT Just a few days back, MediaTek brought the Dimensity 700 5G System-on-Chip (SoC) to India. Now, the semiconductor maker has brought its flagship chipset, MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC, to India. This SoC will power the flagship 5G devices in the Indian market. Again, it will be a Realme device that will first come powered by this chipset in India. Note that Realme 8 5G is confirmed to be the first device in the country to come powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G. Let's take a look at some specifications of the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC. MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC Features The MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC has one of the fastest octa-core CPU's in the market, clocking up to 3 GHz. It is 25% more power-efficient and is 22% faster than the previous generation SoC, meaning the Dimensity 1100. The chipset features Arm Mali-G77 MC9 GPU and six-core MediaTek APU 3.0. MediaTek said that this chipset would be able to handle all the requirements of a flagship device, such as high screen refresh-rates, incredible displays, heavy gaming, enhanced AI capabilities, and much more. The MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC is powered by the MediaTek HyperEngine 3.0 for enhancing the gaming experience for the users. The chipset can support up to 200MP camera sensors and comes equipped with the MediaTek HDR video playback and AV1 video decoding. The chipset comes with an integrated 5G modem featuring MediaTek's 5G UltraSave technology for improving the battery life of the smartphone. The SoC supports 5G carrier aggregation (2CC) across frequency division duplex (FDD), dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS), and time division duplex (TDD), Voice over New Radio (VoNR), and True Dual SIM 5G (5G SA + 5G SA). Note that the MediaTek Dimensity is built on the 6nm process, which is not the most advanced out there. Realme or MediaTek didn't say which device will be powered by this flagship 5G SoC, but it will be revealed soon. MediaTek is also eyeing building chipsets in the 4nm and 3nm process. The company has already placed an order for the same with TSMC, the world's largest contract-chipset manufacturer. It will be interesting to see which smartphones in India come powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC.

Moto G60, Moto G40 Fusion Here to Compete With Redmi Note 10 Series Posted: 20 Apr 2021 12:34 AM PDT Motorola has recently launched two new smartphones for the Indian market, namely Moto G60 and Moto G40 Fusion. Both the devices have launched in the range of the Redmi Note 10 series. The Moto G40 Fusion will be in direct competition with the Redmi Note 10, and the Moto G60 will be in direct competition with the Redmi Note 10 Pro devices. Motorola has attempted to pack as many features as possible in a very affordable smartphone lineup. What's interesting is that both the devices are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC and have a ton of similar features. Also, note that both the devices have been manufactured in India. Let's check out the complete specifications and the price of the Moto G60 and Moto G40 Fusion. Moto G60 Specifications Moto G60 is the first device in the 'G' series and in its segment to come with a 108MP primary sensor at the rear and a 32MP sensor at the front. The 108MP sensor at the rear is paired with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G SoC coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage (expandable up to 1TB). It has a 6.8-inch Max Vision FHD+ display that is HDR10 compatible and supports 120Hz refresh rate. It is a 4G device that also supports NFC for enabling contactless payments. The Moto G60 packs a 6,000mAh battery with support for TurboPower 20 charging technology. Moto G40 Fusion Specifications The Moto G40 Fusion comes with a 6.8-inch Max Vision FHD+ display with HDR10+ and 120Hz refresh rate support. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G as well and has up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage (expandable up to 1TB). It has a triple-camera setup at the rear with a 64MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and 2MP depth sensor. At the front, there is a 16MP sensor for selfies and video calling. It also packs a 6,000mAh battery with support for TurboPower 20 charging. The Moto G40 Fusion also supports NFC. Note that both the Moto G60 and Moto G40 Fusion have a water repellent body and come with Motorola's ThinkShield for mobile to provide business-grade security to the customers. Moto G60 and Moto G40 Fusion Price The Moto G60 has launched in a single variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage for Rs 17,999. The Moto G40 Fusion has launched in two variants with 4GB+64GB for Rs 13,999 and 6GB+128GB for Rs 15,999. Both the devices will be available in Dynamic Gray and Frosted Champagne colours. The first sale of the Moto G60 will go live on Flipkart on April 27, 12 PM, and the Moto G40 Fusion's first sale will go live on Flipkart on May 1, 12 PM.

BSNL 4G Can Be a Boon for the Indian Telecom Industry Posted: 19 Apr 2021 11:40 PM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is pushing hard to roll out 4G in India. The state-run telco already has several 4G sites in many prominent cities as well as tier-2 and tier-3 cities of the country. But the pan-India rollout of 4G services will require a lot of resources and upgradation of more than 1,00,000 sites which also includes sites of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). BSNL's 4G rollout will be a boon for India because it will dilute the competition in the telecom industry. Currently, the real competition is between Airtel and Jio, while Vodafone Idea (Vi) is trying to recover from its critical financial condition. BSNL Will Increase Connectivity in Rural Parts of India One great thing that BSNL is expected to follow up with is providing efficient network services in rural or remote parts of India. Jio is already eyeing to do that, and Airtel is also starting to go the same route. However, BSNL already has numerous sites present in the rural parts of the country. All that the telco needs to do is upgrade those sites to 4G. Once done, it can build an impressive network of 4G all across the country. Because of BSNL's attractive pricing, several users would be compelled to try out its offerings. BSNL Hybrid 4G Plans For rolling out 4G fast so that it can survive, BSNL is eyeing for an hybrid 4G rollout. It has communicated the same with the government and also received nods from the ETG and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Under the hybrid 4G plan, BSNL plans to divide the tender into two parts. One part will reserve 50,000 sites for the Indian vendors, and the remaining 57,000 sites will be offered to global telecom vendors such as Ericsson, Nokia, and more. Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE are expected to be excluded because of the 'trusted' list policy that the government has introduced. The trusted list is not yet finalised, but it has been made very clear by the Indian government that it doesn't want Chinese companies on its mobile networks anymore. BSNL's 4G can change the Indian telecom industry for good. The telco just needs to ensure that it rolls out 4G as fast as possible. Even though the private operators are eyeing for 5G, 4G will still be relevant 4 years down the line. This would allow BSNL to capitalise on the 4G market if it can roll out services fast. One thing that BSNL will have to ensure is providing a high-quality network experience to the users. If it can do that, it will produce very stiff competition for Airtel and Jio.

MTS Teams up With Huawei to Deploy 5G Services in Moscow Posted: 19 Apr 2021 10:00 PM PDT The largest mobile network operator of Russia, MTS has teamed up with Huawei to deploy 5G services in 14 iconic destinations across Moscow. To push users in adopting the 5G technology, MTS and Huawei have also launched a '5G Has Come' immersive promotional strategy to showcase an innovative and new smartphone experience with fast internet speed, connection and smooth gaming experience. As reported by Light Reading, the new deployment of 5G services across Moscow marks the achievement of '5G City' in the joint innovation project. Also, the milestone has accelerated the pace of 5G commercialization in Russia. MTS Was the First Telecom Operator in Russia with 5G License MTS was the foundational stone of the commercialization of 5G in Russia. The network operator was the first entity in Russia that was given a commercial 5G license. Also, the network operator has given strategic priority to the 5G footprint and development. Tracing back to last year, MTS teamed up with Vladivostok TV to host a live TV service using 5G services. The TV service was instantly picked by users. Recently, MTS and Huawei joined forces for live broadcasts using Huawei 5G smartphones in 14 5G experience arenas. The test results were positive for both entities. The sole message of showcasing the immersive experience of 5G services to Russia was achieved. The test results showed over 1Gbps internet speed, 2GB of files and applications downloaded in nearly 10 seconds and online gaming latency requirements anywhere. MTS Used Super Blade Site Solution by Huawei for 5G Services Deployment To deploy 5G services in 14 pilots across Moscow, MTS used Huawei's Super Blade Site Solution. Since 40% of sites in Moscow are macro pole sites, the Super Blade Site Solution with AAU, RF and BBU products resolve difficulties in site rent and antenna installation space. Victor Belov, who is the CTO of MTS, said that 5G will always remain the top priority for MTS, and the recent deployment of 5G services in 14 destinations will help a big chunk of subscribers in experiencing multiple benefits of 5G such as high bandwidth and low latency. Also, the recent deployment of 5G services has given a unique opportunity to the entity to monitor infrastructure performance and service quality under real usage.

Masmovil Extends 5G Coverage in 200 Cities Across Spain Posted: 19 Apr 2021 08:30 PM PDT The fourth-largest telecom operator in Spain, Masmovil has extended the 5G footprint across 200 towns and cities in 35 provinces of Spain. The telco released an official statement and marked that it will continue to develop and deploy 5G infrastructure in the coming months for future expansion. Some of the cities in which the telco provides 5G services are Valencia, Sevilla, Melilla, Orense, Salamanca, Malaga, Madrid, Huesca, Jaen, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Almeria, Avila, Alicante, Alcobendas and Barcelona. As reported by RCR Wireless, the telco provides the 5G service via a combination of its own infrastructure and an agreement with rival telco Orange. Masmovil and Orange Agreement Will be Valid Until 2028 Back in October 2019, Masmovil signed an agreement with rival telecom operator Orange Spain that covers mobile, broadband and fiber technologies. The deal gives Masmovil a virtual pass to the entire 5G network of Orange Spain. With the help of the agreement, Masmovil deployed 5G services in 4,000 locations that cover nearly 35% of the Spanish territory in 40 main cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Malaga, Zaragoza, Seville and Bilbao. The rival telco of Masmovil, Orange Spain will deploy a total of 1,500 new sites through the end of 2021 in Spain. The 5G deal between Masmovil and Orange Spain will be valid until 2028 and it can be extended for additional 5 years. Orange Spain to Offer 5G Technology in 400 Cities by 2021 The renowned telecom operator Orange Spain recently said that the telco is offering 5G services in 298 towns and cities in 38 provinces across the country. As stated by the telco, the 5G services are already spread across 23% of the Spanish population. The telco strives to expand 5G service to nearly 90% of the population by the end of 2022. Not only this but Orange is also aiming to offer 5G technology in 400 cities by the end of 2021 that equals a population coverage of 51% through a mixture of NSG 5G and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technologies. Orange is currently offering 5G services through the spectrum in the 3.6-3.8 Mhz band. The telecom giant has also launched commercial 5G services in Spain in September 2020 with the help of equipment provided by Ericsson.

BSNL, Jio, Vi and Airtel, Who Offers Best Prepaid Plan Under Rs 400 Posted: 19 Apr 2021 06:32 PM PDT Prepaid plans from different telecom operators come at different prices and varied benefits. However, all four telecom service providers (TSPs) in India offer a prepaid plan under Rs 400 for the same cost. Most Indians today own a dual-SIM smartphone. Thus, it is likely that they are using two SIM cards from two different operators. If you are one such user and are wondering which operator's SIM you should recharge with the Rs 399 prepaid plan, we will make it easier for you. We are comparing the benefits of the one prepaid plan under Rs 400 from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) below. BSNL Rs 399 Prepaid Plan BSNL offers its Rs 399 prepaid plan with 1GB daily fair-usage-policy (FUP) data. Post consumption of FUP data, the speed for the users drop to 80 Kbps. In addition to this, users get unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. The validity of this plan is 80 days. Reliance Jio Rs 399 Prepaid Plan Reliance Jio offers its 399 prepaid plan for 56 days. With this plan, users get unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day, and 1.5GB FUP data. After consumption of FUP data, the speed for the users drops to 64 Kbps. Users also get a complimentary subscription of all the Jio applications, including JioSecurity, JioCloud, JioCinema, JioNews, and more. Bharti Airtel Rs 399 Prepaid Plan Bharti Airtel offers its 399 prepaid plan with 1.5GB daily FUP data, 100 SMS/day, and unlimited voice calling. Post FUP speed is the same as Jio's, which is 64 Kbps. Users also get Airtel Thanks benefits, including a free subscription of the Airtel Xstream Premium, Wynk Music, and more. There is also a one-month free trial of Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition included for the users. Its validity is also 56 days. Vodafone Idea Rs 399 Prepaid Plan Vi also offers its Rs 399 plan with 1.5GB FUP data, unlimited voice calling, and 100 SMS/day. But the telco offers 5GB extra as a bonus on its mobile application. The Rs 399 prepaid plan comes coupled with the 'Binge all Night' and 'Weekend Data Rollover' offer. This plan's validity is 56 days. For the unaware, the Binge all Night offer allows users to consume unlimited data between 12 AM and 6 AM every day. The data consumed during this period doesn't affect the FUP data for the day. Then there is the Weekend Data Rollover offer. The Weekend Data Rollover offer enables users to consume all the leftover FUP data from the weekdays, i.e., Monday to Friday on the weekend, i.e., Saturday-Sunday. Vi's Rs 399 prepaid plan also offers free access to the Vi Movies & TV application. Verdict The prepaid plans offered by Vi, Airtel, and Jio are largely the same. If you solely care about the unlimited voice calling and your data needs are almost negligible, then opt for BSNL's prepaid plan. However, if you care a lot about OTT benefits, then go for the plans offered by other operators. The best data offers are from Vi. Its 5GB bonus data and two other offers (Weekend Data Rollover and Binge all Night) make it far superior from the plans offered by Airtel and Jio in terms of data. Also, consider the area or region you live in. Getting the most benefits for a lower quality service is not what you want. If the best network service provider in your region is Vi, then go for Vi. If it is Jio, then go for Jio's plan. At the end of the day, you want your money's worth in terms of service quality. What good will an exorbitant amount of data do if you don't even get good speeds in the first place!

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