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• Intel and Jio Will Be Working Together for 5G RAN
• 5G Network to Be Used by 26% Mobile Subscribers in India by 2026
• Facebook Has Finally Launch Its Version of Clubhouse
• Nokia-DISH to Deploy World’s First 5G SA Core Network with AWS
• iPhone 13, Apple’s Final Nail in the Coffin
• 5G High-Band to Be Deployed in UAE by Etisalat and Ericsson
• Chinese Gear Makers Huawei and ZTE Barred Access from Government Portal
• Bharti Airtel Will Counter Jio’s Homegrown 5G With Tata’s Indigenous O-RAN Solutions in India
• ZEE Entertainment, Viacom18 Merger Could Change Industry Dynamics
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Will Launch Tomorrow in India, What You Should Know
• Samsung Android 12 Might Arrive in Galaxy S21 Series First
• Saankhya Labs, Ligado Networks to Develop Next-Gen Satellite Communication Solutions
• Samsung Galaxy M32 to Offer Users 90Hz Refresh Rate Display Under Rs 15,000
• BSNL 4G Is the Answer, Last Quarter Results Suggest: Opinion
• Reliance Jio Retains Top Spot in the Industry and There Are Specific Reasons for It
• Samsung Has Finally Moved to Noida from China
• Entire Kashmir Valley Railway Network Now Equipped With Public Wi-Fi
• Common Internet Terminologies You Should Know About
• JioFiber or Eronet, Whose 150 Mbps Plan Makes Sense?

Intel and Jio Will Be Working Together for 5G RAN Posted: 21 Jun 2021 08:42 AM PDT Famed chipset maker and technology company Intel on Monday announced that it would be working with India’s top telco, Reliance Jio in order to develop 5G networking technology. In case you missed it, Intel’s venture capital unit had invested  $250 million in the year 2020 in Reliance Industries Ltd's Jio Platforms unit, stating, at the time that the two companies would be able to find areas of technology partnership. On Monday, Intel mentioned it would be working on "co-innovations" with Reliance Jio for the company’s 5G radio-access network or RAN among other things. Navin Shenoy, the executive vice president and general manager of the data platforms group at Intel, stated to Reuters in an interview that this was the fruit of that partnership. He also mentioned that 5G in India is going to be massive and that Reliance Jio is doing it in a non-legacy way. Do note that Reliance Jio is one of many carriers present around the world that will make use of a new approach when it comes to the building of 5G networks. What Do We Know About the Partnership Instead of using gear from telecommunications-specific firms such as Nokia, Ericsson or Huawei Technologies Cos, carriers are now shifting toward the use of software to handle more network functions as well as to tap the same kind of standard computing equipment used in data centres to ensure ease of running for the networks. When it comes to Intel, it has been losing valuable share in the core data centre and personal computing market to its rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc or AMD post years of issues in manufacturing. However, it is worth noting that networking chips have become an increasingly important part of the company’s business, rising 20% in 2020 to account for approximately $6 billion of its $77.9 billion overall sales. The General Manager of Intel’s network platforms group, Mr Dan Rodriguez said that part of that growth had come from Intel's decision approximately a decade ago to invest in software much like an operating system for the company’s network chips. The system which was dubbed FlexRAN, lets carriers or software firms write down code for 5G networks. Furthermore, Intel mentioned on Monday that the software from Cohere Technologies could result in double utilization of some network spectrum via Intel's chips which would result in the benefit of carriers that spend billions when it comes to the purchase and acquisition of spectrum rights.

5G Network to Be Used by 26% Mobile Subscribers in India by 2026 Posted: 21 Jun 2021 07:55 AM PDT The demand for 5G network has been overwhelming for operators even before the commercial launch of the next-generation mobile network technology. In India, 5G is currently served as a gimmick feature in smartphones with just one or two 5G bands. However, according to a recent Ericsson Mobility Report, 5G is going to take a substantial turn in India in the next five years. The report reveals that 26% of the mobile subscriptions in India would be 5G by the end of 2026. 33 Crore 5G Subscriptions in The Next 5 Years In absolute terms, these 26% subscriptions would account for 33 crores 5G users in India in the next five years. A growth of 3% CAGR will also be observed in 4G subscriptions which would in absolute terms increase from 68 crore subscriptions in 2020 to 83 crore in 2026. These statistics are interesting because India has still not launched 5G commercially yet, but the demand already exists in an upward trend. The Department of Telecommunications has recently allotted a 5G trial spectrum to domestic operators like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. The trial 5G spectrum was allocated in the 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands. A mid-band 5G trial by Bharti Airtel recently commenced in Gurgaon Cyber Hub. As is the popular culture with 5G trials, Bharti Airtel will use the 5G gear provided by Ericsson. Another trial by Reliance Jio also commenced last week in Mumbai, which made use of an indigenous 5G gear. India Could Witness Growth of 7% CAGR in Smartphone Subscription The pandemic drove lockdowns resulted in a boom in the internet segment. Internet was used not just for remote work but also for online learning, digital payments and online consultations. The report took into account this drastic increase and revealed that the average traffic per smartphone user in the country went up to 14.6 GB per month in 2020. In 2019, this number stood at 13 GB a month. Another study of similar fashion had revealed that at least 4 crore smartphone users in India would subscribe to 5G within the first year of its commercial launch in the country.

Facebook Has Finally Launch Its Version of Clubhouse Posted: 21 Jun 2021 07:29 AM PDT Facebook on Monday finally launched its version of the popular Clubhouse-like live audio room with a way to find and play podcasts via the platform, marketing it as a push into the social media and audio platform via the world’s largest social media platform. Facebook’s rollout of the Clubhouse rival comes after the early success that was seen for the invite-only live audio app, which became a hit amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was also one of the first Silicon Valley celebrities to have made an appearance on the app, which also expanded to Android users so that everyone has access to the popular and trendy application. The platform that had mentioned earlier that it wanted to make audio a “first-class medium” on the company’s platforms, follows in the footsteps of Twitter Inc and Discord which have recently launched their own audio offerings. Spotify too introduced its own version, under the name Greenroom on Wednesday. What Do We Know About The Platform Certain other companies who are working on such an application or service include the likes of Slack and Reddit. In terms of what is on offer, popular figures and certain Groups on Facebook in the United States who are on iOS will now be able to create a live audio room with up to 50 speakers as well as unlimited listeners. The users can also invite people without a “verified badge” to speak as Facebook mentioned in a blog post. Users who are on both iOS and Android will be able to listen to the rooms. The company, which had been vocal when it came to its push in order to attract the content creators of 2021, stated that it was going to be partnering with certain figures that include musicians, journalists and athletes in the live audio rooms. Listeners will also be able to send the company’s virtual currency called stars to creators in the audio rooms. Mark Zuckerberg has also mentioned that the company will not be taking a cut out of the creator revenue until 2023. To add to this, a number of popular or famous podcasts will be available on Facebook to U.S. based listeners and the company has mentioned that it would soon add to this new feature. Do note that Facebook has been criticized when it comes to its handling of the problematic content present on its products, will also be facing the challenges of moderating both live and recorded audio content. Additionally, Facebook will also be launching a project with Spotify to allow users to share and listen to music on the platform.

Nokia-DISH to Deploy World’s First 5G SA Core Network with AWS Posted: 21 Jun 2021 07:13 AM PDT Popular networking and telecom company Nokia on Monday announced that it would be deploying its 5G standalone (SA) Core for DISH on Amazon Web Service, Inc. or AWS. Whilst DISH has previously announced agreements set between both companies, this news is quite noteworthy as it marks the world's first deployment of 5G in terms of the public cloud, which supports DISH's cloud-native, OpenRAN-based 5G network with high-level performance and security. Nokia mentioned that it is deploying 5G SA Core on AWS in order to enable automation that is needed to meet the evolving needs of the consumer, allowing DISH to support new enterprise and consumer 5G use cases faster in a secure manner and across multiple cloud stacks at the end customer premises. Nokia 5G SA Core on AWS will also allow DISH to offer the much-required flexibility and efficiency that is essential when it comes to the creation of innovative new services for the customers, whilst leveraging automation in ongoing operations and unlocking crucial capabilities, which include the likes of network slicing. What Do We Know About The Partnership The company is also providing voice core, cloud packet core, subscriber data management, device management and NetGuard network security, coupled with professional end-to-end security services for DISH. These solutions will allow DISH to attain the speed, flexibility and intelligence to deliver new, 5G-era services keeping in mind the cost-effective management of its network with near zero-touch automation and adherence to the Service Level Agreements compliant to DISH Service-Based Architecture or SBA. The Chief Network Officer of DISH, Marc Rouanne stated that running the Nokia 5G SA core on AWS will optimize the network operations to launch new software and services rapidly and efficiently, enabling the integration of countless innovative use cases for customers. This collaboration is an important step forward on the company’s mission to deploy the United States' first cloud-native, OpenRAN-based 5G network. Furthermore, Dave Brown, the Vice President of Amazon EC2, AWS mentioned that DISH's cloud-native 5G network will serve as a prime example of how new carriers can revolutionize wireless connectivity in the 5G era. DISH will be continuing to put innovation first with an eye on customer experience via this standalone core deployment on AWS with Nokia. The President of Cloud and Network Services, Mr Raghav Sahgal said that the company was pleased to break new ground in the telecom industry with AWS and DISH leveraging the company’s cloud-native core to bring innovative 5G capabilities to enterprises and consumers. This collaboration will place AWS and DISH at the forefront of the industry, delivering key 5G benefits such as agility and scalability to their customers over Nokia's proven distributed core architecture.

iPhone 13, Apple’s Final Nail in the Coffin Posted: 21 Jun 2021 06:00 AM PDT Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 13 sometime in October 2021. The Cupertino tech giant is likely to retain the design of the iPhone 12 for the iPhone 13 series with some minor changes. But this time, Apple will almost make its iPhone perfect. The company has been selling smartphones for thousands of dollars for years now, but one key thing that's been missing from its devices is the high refresh rate for displays. While Apple's iPhones displays have been touted as few of the best in the world, they have still missed out on higher-refresh rate support to provide a smoother experience to the user. But with the iPhone 13 series, Apple might change this forever. iPhone 13 Series Will Have the Best Display Ever for an iPhone iPhone 13 series is expected to come with the best display an iPhone has ever seen. If you are wondering why did Apple wait so long before introducing high-refresh-rate displays, the answer is battery life. Apple is already infamous for its small batteries inside the iPhones. If the iPhone 12 or iPhone 11 had come with a higher-refresh-rate display, it would have sucked the battery of the device even faster. But the iPhone 13 series is expected to feature OLED displays with LTPO backplane technology. With the LTPO technology, Apple can offer higher refresh rate displays along with great battery life to the users. It is fairly uncertain if Apple will bring the higher-refresh rate support for all the iPhone 13 models, but at least the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are expected to don the higher-refresh rate OLED display with an LTPO backplane. This will be the final nail in the coffin by Apple for its iPhones. Because almost in every other department, iPhones perform great. The iPhone 13 is expected to come with an even better camera setup than the iPhone 12. Further, the A15 Bionic is expected to become the industry-leading chipset in terms of performance as soon as it launches. Note that TSMC, the contract manufacturer for Apple's iPhone chipsets, has already said that the A15 bionic won't be based on the 3nm process, but even then, the chipset is expected to be the most powerful one that Apple has ever released. Hopefully, Apple launches the iPhone 13 series with a slightly bigger battery and a faster charger to keep up with the market trend.

5G High-Band to Be Deployed in UAE by Etisalat and Ericsson Posted: 21 Jun 2021 05:30 AM PDT The next-generation mobile network technology, 5G, has made operators face the harsh reality of their independent lack of technology and skills to upgrade their networks to 5G. The way forward for 5G is witnessing a lot of partnerships between vendors and operators to leverage technology and skills required for developing, deploying and upgrading the 5G network. A partnership between UAE based operator Etisalat and Ericsson has been announced to deploy a 5G millimetre wave (mmWave) across Etisalat's commercial network. Etisalat's 5G Network Infrastructure to Enable UAE's Digital Transformation The digital transformation of UAE is fast approaching, with the country's leadership and telecom regulatory authority TDRA (Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority) being the major driving force. TDRA will become one of the first regulators to allocate mmWave spectrum for being used in 5G technology deployment across the country. The commercial deployment of a 5G high-band will help achieve high performance 5G downlink data speeds of up to 4.2Gbps and latency of 8 milliseconds. The digital transformation of the country will be enabled by Etisalat's 5G network infrastructure that can deliver superior performance, including high speeds and ultra-low latency. It will also support the wide implementation of use cases revolving around industry 4.0, automation and the Internet of Things (IoT). 5G mmWave Capable to Deliver High Spectrum and Capacity Ericsson's 5G mmWave is capable of delivering high spectrum and capacity, which makes it the best choice for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). This enables fast, fibre-like internet speeds wirelessly over the last mile. The 5G mmWave FWA is suitable for crowded hotspots like stadiums, malls and large indoor events that require high peak rates. Wide spectrum segments available for 5G along with lower latencies are also included in 5G mmWave FWA. Use cases with extreme requirements on availability, latency and reliability, such as enhanced mobile broadband to smartphones and other mobile devices for video streaming and real-time online gaming, have led to 5G standardisation. In order to standardise 5G to focus on these requirements, 5G radio frequency ranges were widened. The frequencies held by 4G are now also included for 5G along with more frequencies of up to 6GHz and the high-band mmWave spectrum beyond 24 GHz. Businesses will be able to reap the benefits of enhanced mobility, flexibility, reliability and security with the next wave of 5G expansion.

Chinese Gear Makers Huawei and ZTE Barred Access from Government Portal Posted: 21 Jun 2021 05:05 AM PDT As border tensions continue to rise between India and its neighbouring nation China, trade relations between the countries are also impacted subsequently. A few months ago, the Indian government had announced a ban on numerous apps with links to China and a nationwide ban on Chinese products was observed. Chinese Electronics manufacturers still face a lot of backlash in this regard. The Indian government had recently officially launched a portal that would have a list of all the trusted telecom operators, their products and their gear makers. It comes as no surprise that Chinese telecom gear makers Huawei and ZTE were not provided login details for accessing the portal by the Central Government. National Security Directive Was Implemented on Telecom Sector The Indian telecom sector witness high imports of products and components from China as they are cheaper compared to other markets. India being a price-sensitive market, finds Chinese products favourable due to their extremely competitive pricing. Therefore, a National Security Directive was implemented to check the telecom sector and its dependence on Chinese products. On the other hand, Indian telecom operators like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, along with their international vendors like Nokia, Ericsson, Cisco, Tejas Networks, and HFCL, have all received their credentials to access the portal. The Trusted Telecom Products Portal Was Launched on June 15th The trusted telecom products portal was launched to give clearance to trusted telecom products used by telecom operators in their networks. The portal was officially launched on June 15th, being in line with the National Security Directive. Telecom operators are required to specify the products they want to procure and also mention the procurement vendor. The gear makers mentioned by telecom operators will also receive access to the portal. In such cases where a telecom operator intends to procure telecom gears from any Chinese manufacturer, the operator itself will be responsible for fulfilling all the requirements on the portal on behalf of the Chinese gear makers. The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) will then carefully scrutinise the case and make a decision on terming the product under the trusted category or not. A waiver can also be sought by telecom operators if they want to use products from Chinese companies.

Bharti Airtel Will Counter Jio’s Homegrown 5G With Tata’s Indigenous O-RAN Solutions in India Posted: 21 Jun 2021 04:43 AM PDT Bharti Airtel just announced that it is strategically partnering with Tata Group for implementing 5G network solutions in India. Tata Group has a 'state-of-the-art' Open-RAN based Radio and NSA/SA Core with an integrated indigenous telecom stack in its portfolio of 5G solutions. The 5G solutions of the Tata Group will be available for deployment from January 2022. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global IT firm, one of the successful units of the Tata Group, brought its global system expertise to the table and helped with aligning the end-to-end solution to both O-RAN and 3GPP standards. Bharti Airtel Will Deploy Tata Group's 5G O-RAN Solution in January 2022 Bharti Airtel will deploy Tata's indigenous 5G O-RAN solution starting January 2022 as per the guidelines from the government. This will be Airtel's way of countering the homegrown 5G technology from Reliance Jio. All of Tata's 5G solutions are made-in-India and indigenous in nature. Even though the solutions are made-in-India, they are aligned to the global standards and further can inter-operate with products and solutions based on standard open interfaces and those defined by the O-RAN Alliance. If the indigenous 5G solutions are commercially proven in Airtel's 5G trials, they will open a plethora of opportunities to export the technology from India. Gopal Vittal, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of Bharti Airtel, said that the telco is happy to partner with the Tata Group and drive India towards the vision of a global 5G hub and allied technologies. Vittal further said that India is in a good position to develop cutting edge solutions and applications for the world, which will provide the country with a massive boost for becoming a destination of manufacturing and innovation. N. Ganapathy Subramaniam, CEO of TCS, said that the Tata Group is very excited about working with Airtel to seek out the opportunity for the company that 5G has presented. Subramaniam said that TCS is committed to building world-class solutions and networking equipment for addressing the opportunities in the networking space. For the unaware, Bharti Airtel has been a board member of the O-RAN Alliance and is committed to developing O-RAN Networks in India.

ZEE Entertainment, Viacom18 Merger Could Change Industry Dynamics Posted: 21 Jun 2021 03:55 AM PDT ZEE Entertainment and Viacom18 might announce a merger in the coming days. Both the companies are already serving the Indian market with over-the-top (OTT) content and further produce their own movies, and are into the broadcast business as well. For the unaware, ZEE Entertainment was founded by Subash Chandra of Essel Group. Note that the majority of the company is owned by foreign institutional investors, including Ofi Global Fund China LLC and Invesco Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund. Viacom18 was formed out of a joint venture between TV18 Broadcast Ltd and ViacomCBS Inc, where TV18 owns a majority stake. TV18 is one of the units of Network18 Media and Investments Ltd. The company is majorly owned by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). No Cash to be Involved in Merger According to a report from the HindustanTimes, the merger between the companies won't involve any cash. People related to the matter told the publication that the deal would take place through a share swap. Both the companies are very wealthy in terms of resources and reach in the Indian market. Upon merging, the new entity will have enough resources to fund and produce multiple projects all at the same time. The biggest boost that the new entity will be able to provide to the business will be a new and evolved OTT platform. But since neither of the companies has announced anything officially, this information will have to be categorised as speculation. If the merger does take place, the newly formed entity will have the largest number of TV channels under its ownership and the largest market cap in the respective industry. Network18's stock today closed at Rs 53.35, up 2.79%, possibly on the back of a speculated merger. Network18 has a market cap of Rs 5,433 crore, whereas ZEE has a market value of Rs 21,300 crore. Shall the deal go through, the promoters of Viacom18 will have a majority stake in the newly formed entity since 65% of the ZEEL is already owned by foreign institutional investors. Further, the person related to the matter said that the deal would only go through once ZEEL's share price is moderated by 15%-20%. Any official word on the same remains to be announced by the concerned companies.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Will Launch Tomorrow in India, What You Should Know Posted: 21 Jun 2021 02:29 AM PDT Xiaomi is going to come out with the Mi 11 Lite tomorrow, i.e., June 22, in India. The device has received a lot of hype because of it being one of the lightest and the slimmest smartphones of 2021. The Mi 11 Lite will not feature a 120Hz refresh rate display but will come with other specifications that will make it as competitive as a good premium smartphone. Since the device has already launched in China, there isn't a lot of mystery to it. We expect the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite to retain all of its major specifications for the Indian market. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Might Be Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is expected to come as the most affordable smartphone in the Mi 11 series in India. The device is expected to launch only in the 4G variant sporting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G. In terms of display, the device is expected to come with a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with support for 90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 800nits of maximum brightness. The display is further expected to support HDR10+ and has the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass 6 at the top of the screen. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite might pack a 4,250mAh battery with support for 33W fast-charging. It is expected to come with a triple-camera setup at the rear. The primary sensor on the rear might be a 64MP lens paired with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 5MP macro sensor. For selfies, the device might feature a 16MP lens at the front. The smartphone is further expected to feature a fingerprint reader at the side. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite will become the fourth smartphone of the Mi 11 series in India, which also includes the Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11X, and Mi 11X Pro. Xiaomi has already confirmed the colours of the smartphone – Jazz Blue, Viny Black, and Tuscany Coral. The smartphone will launch in India on June 22, which is tomorrow, at 12 PM, through an online event. More details about the smartphone will be available once it launches tomorrow.

Samsung Android 12 Might Arrive in Galaxy S21 Series First Posted: 21 Jun 2021 01:37 AM PDT Most of the people loved what Samsung did with the One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 for its smartphones. A lot of users bought Samsung smartphones on the promise of One UI 3.0. Now, as the world moves towards the Android 12, Samsung doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity to bring an even cooler smartphone experience for its users. The South Korean tech giant is reportedly working on Android 12, which is expected to be rolled out as One UI 4.0 for its smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S21 series is expected to receive the Android 12 first in all of Samsung smartphones. One UI 4.0 Based on Android 12 First Developer Beta Might Arrive in August Samsung is expected to hold its Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) in October or November this year. However, the South Korean tech giant might release the first developer beta of the One UI 4.0 based on Android 12 in August itself. According to Max Weinbach, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series is expected to be the first set of smartphones from the company to receive the One UI 4.0 update. The Samsung Galaxy S21 series is the most recent flagship smartphone series from the company, and thus it makes sense that it will receive the Android 12 update first. The Galaxy S10 series and the Galaxy S20 series, which also holds some very notable and powerful smartphones, will receive the Android 12 update at some stage. Samsung had earlier announced the Android 11 first for the Galaxy S20 series, so it doesn't surprise us that the S21 series will be the first one to get the One UI 4.0 based on Android 12. Note that Google is still working on the Android 12 at the moment. The Android 12 beta version suggests that some very cool changes to the Android setup are in the works. The official release of the first Android 12's stable version is expected during September 2021. Other companies, including OnePlus, Xiaomi and more, have started working on their respective skins for Android 12 as well. Android 12 is expected to be one of the biggest changes brought to the Android devices ever; thus, it will be worth the wait.

Saankhya Labs, Ligado Networks to Develop Next-Gen Satellite Communication Solutions Posted: 21 Jun 2021 12:45 AM PDT Saankhya Labs has just announced its partnership with Ligado Networks to develop next-generation satellite communication solutions. For the unaware, Saankhya Labs specialises in offering 5G NR, broadband and satellite communication applications. Ligado Networks, on the other hand, has experience of 25 years in providing crucial satellite connectivity to customers. Ligado Networks is an American company that also has 5G solutions in its portfolio. Both the companies together will combine their resources and develop new next-generation satellite communications solutions. Saankhya Labs and Ligado Networks Collaborate Both the companies have announced that they will be collaborating to evaluate or measure the adaptation of the advanced mobile broadcast technologies for operation on Ligado's advanced satellite network. It is worth noting that both Saankhya Labs and Ligado Networks have deployed standards-based technologies so that satellite broadcast services can also be enabled in inexpensive and mainstream devices. Ligado Networks has been providing mobile satellite service (MSS) to the U.S. government and its commercial customers across North America for years now. Along with enhancing its MSS offerings, Ligado is also developing new and innovative 5G Mobile Private Network services for enterprise customers across several sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, public safety, and other crucial sectors. The Chief Technology Officer of Ligado, Maqbool Aliani, said the company is working on developing advanced 5G private network services because ubiquitous satellite and terrestrial connectivity is very important for its enterprise customers. Aliani further said that customised broadcast content delivery is very critical for evolving enterprise networks, and Ligado's advanced satellite network is well-positioned to offer the needed service in an economic harmony with standard 5G unicast and broadcast technologies. Ligado Networks will certainly benefit from its partnership with Saankhya Labs, which is known for its experience in the development, design, and deployment of mobile satellite terminals and hub-side baseband. Saankhya Labs has multiple offerings under its portfolio of satcom solutions, including two-way MSS terminals, satellite phone, and end-to-end communication platform for satellite Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications. Saankhya has a lot of recognition in powering satellite networks of strategic importance. For the unaware, Saankhya is a trusted partner of the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO). Further, Saankhya also helps the Indian Railways in real-time tracking of the trains.

Samsung Galaxy M32 to Offer Users 90Hz Refresh Rate Display Under Rs 15,000 Posted: 20 Jun 2021 11:31 PM PDT Image Credit – Sulabh Puri Samsung has launched the Galaxy M32 in India with support for 90Hz refresh rate display. The device has launched in two variants for the Indian market. Along with high-refresh-rate support, the device also has a Super-AMOLED display to bring colours to the life for the user. It packs a huge battery and a quad-camera setup at the rear. Bear in mind that this information comes directly from Sulabh Puri (@sulabhpuri) on Twitter. Samsung is supposed to launch the device at 12 PM today. However, as per Sulabh Puri, the company has already launched the device, and the pricing of both models are also known. Samsung Galaxy M32 Specifications The Samsung Galaxy M32 has launched in India with a 64MP quad-camera setup. The other sensors weren't mentioned in the tweet, but it is easy to assume that one sensor would be an ultra-wide-angle sensor in the setup. Sulabh hasn't mentioned the front-camera sensor in the tweet, but going by the leaks, it is supposed to be a 20MP lens at the front for selfies. The Samsung Galaxy M32 comes with a 6.4-inch FHD+ Super-AMOLED display with support for 90Hz refresh rate. This kind of display under Rs 15,000 with Samsung's branding is a superb offer. The device is powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio G80, which is not too bad. Further, the device comes with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There is a 6,000mAh battery inside the device, which is also a good deal for the price it comes for. This will ensure that users won't have to worry about charging their smartphone every few hours. Now, let's take a look at the price of the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy M32 Price As mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy M32 has launched in two variants in India. The base variant has launched with 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage for Rs 14,999 and the superior variant has launched with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage for Rs 16,999. This is seriously good pricing from the company, given that it comes with such a huge battery and an impressive display.

BSNL 4G Is the Answer, Last Quarter Results Suggest: Opinion Posted: 20 Jun 2021 10:30 PM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) hasn't been the best performing telecom operator in India since the advent of 4G networks of Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. Looking at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report for the individual months of the last quarter of FY21, it is evident the telco hasn't been growing at all whatsoever. As per the data shared by TRAI, in the month of January 2021, BSNL added 83,738 (0.083 million) subscribers; in February 2021, the telco lost 3,59,157 (0.35 million) subscribers, and in March 2021 added 1,94,310 (0.19 million) subscribers. BSNL's Last Month is a Positive, But Overall Quarter Disappointing In the last month of the last quarter of FY21, BSNL added 0.19 million subscribers, which is a positive for the telco. However, the overall quarter was disappointing for BSNL as it lost net 81,109 (0.081 million) subscribers. One thing that I am happy about is the fact that the telco could add subscribers in two months of the last quarter despite being a 3G network company. Regardless, the telco's disappointing performance can't be ignored. BSNL 4G Is the Only Solution The only solution for BSNL right now is rolling out its 4G networks. Despite what people say, if the telco can roll out 4G networks even in few regions such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu initially and offer strong network services, it will add more subscribers. This is because if the telco can add subscribers with its 3G network, it can surely add more with 4G services. But BSNL's 4G plans are always stuck because of one or another reason. The telco needs the help of the government and in a big way. The government needs to ensure that no one interferes with the telco's 4G rollout plans. Further, the government should force BSNL to roll out its 4G networks because it can bring in serious revenues in the medium to long-term if things are planned accordingly. Moreover, BSNL should also keep planning for 5G. All the other operators have already moved in the 5G direction, and the trials regarding the same have also started. BSNL should not forget how it missed the 4G train and repeat the same mistake with 5G.

Reliance Jio Retains Top Spot in the Industry and There Are Specific Reasons for It Posted: 20 Jun 2021 09:30 PM PDT In our series of discussions about telecom operators and what each player has done well, there is one operator that stands out from the rest, and looking at the numbers to determine a name is an exercise in futility. Mukesh Ambani led telecom operator Reliance Jio has trumped over the other competitors owing to a perfect mixture of pricing, strategy, and product offerings. However, there are slight lapses in the game that Reliance Jio seems to be plotting, along with some learnings that other telecom operators can pick from. Here we discuss some of them. The Game of Competitive Pricing Reliance Jio Infocomm started its success story by offering free data to all its subscribers for quite a long time. The foray of the telco started a pricing bloodbath which reduced the per GB data price from Rs 226 to Rs 7 in 2019. However, this is not the only thing that helped Reliance Jio in climbing to the top of the food chain. The introduction of the JioPhone was the second feather in the cap for the company. This helped the telecom operator in foraging for the rural consumer. Plans which were specially tailor-made for low-paying, JioPhone users clicked with the customers and led to the 300 million+ subscriber count which Jio now boasts of. Downsides of Aggressive Growth This mass addition of subscribers at the cost of low prices has surely had its downside. The ARPU of Reliance Jio now stands at Rs 138.2, which is definitely on the lower side, and the analysts don't agree that it would be sustainable for the long term. Reliance Jio's strategies have been the catalyst for a tariff hike, which is now imminent and is being seen as a correction in industry pricing. This is a tribute which all telecom operators will pay equally, but some like Vodafone Idea happen to be more in need of it as compared to others. Reliance Jio's acquisition of the spectrum in March 2021 also hints towards the increasing capacity and coverage for 4G and an imminent 5G rollout in the near future as well. Helped with deep pockets, no doubt, Reliance Jio finds itself in better trenches to invest and boost network, which might be suffering a little bit at this point because of the very high subscriber count, and increasing traffic. Challenging the Wired Broadband Industry The JioFiber brand is another success story of its own, which has hit a chord with the customers. The lure of FTTH connection, coupled with OTT and other add-ons, has surely been a game-changer in the wired broadband market. This move, combined with the introduction of the tariff hike and a boost to the prepaid plans, can be the last nail in the coffin to solid sustainable finances for Reliance Jio. However, there are some areas where even the telecom leader can make some changes. The topmost priority for Reliance Jio should be boosting its coverage and capacity, as a high subscriber count means next to nothing if the users are not active and come with a high churn rate. The extremely fast networks like Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, with their attractive offerings, are pulling customers towards their platform constantly. The second might be an introduction of services like Binge-All-Night from Vodafone Idea and Weekend Data Rollover, which might be used as tools to soften up the effect of the inevitable price hike in the telecom industry. Now it remains to be seen whether Reliance Jio remains the unchallenged telecom leader or is surpassed by the likes of Bharti Airtel. In the culmination of learnings from the telecom operators, we have seen a lot of steps that have helped these companies. The private players have taken gambles which have certainly paid off, and some of these can even be replicated by the public telecom operator, BSNL, which I will be tackling in my next piece.

Samsung Has Finally Moved to Noida from China Posted: 20 Jun 2021 09:30 PM PDT The South Korean electronics giant Samsung has finally completed its shifting process of display manufacturing unit from China to Noida, Uttar Pradesh. According to a PTI report, Samsung decided to move its display manufacturing unit to India because of much more investor-friendly policies and a better industrial environment. It is worth noting that Samsung already has another manufacturing plant in Noida. This plant was opened back in 2020, and it was declared to be Samsung's biggest smartphone manufacturing unit in the whole world. The smartphone factory is spread across 35-acre land, and now it will be supplemented by the new display manufacturing plant in the city. This move from Samsung further helps the Indian government in achieving its 'Make in India' programme. It will also generate more employment opportunities in the state and help make Uttar Pradesh a manufacturing hub. Samsung Not Going to be a Part of Telecom PLI Scheme While Samsung is a part of the mobile production linked incentive (PLI) scheme, the company is not going to participate in the country's PLI scheme for the telecom sector. This comes from an ET Telecom report which suggests that Samsung is not interested in being a part of the telecom PLI scheme of India. It is worth noting that the company has been a part of India's telecom system and networks for a long-time now. Samsung had helped Reliance Jio a lot in expanding its 4G network across the nation. Further, Samsung is also helping Jio in conducting 5G trials. The reason why Samsung is not interested in participating in the telecom PLI scheme is that it already has enough telecom equipment manufacturing facilities in South Korea, Vietnam, and China. Since Samsung only works with Jio, it has enough room and capacity in its existing manufacturing units that it can comfortably manufacture all that Jio requires for its network rollout operations. Thus there's no apparent need for Samsung to invest in a new facility in India at the moment. But the South Korean multinational has said that it will always be happy and interested in being a part of such initiatives by the Indian government in the future. However, right now, the move would just eat up the company's money.

Entire Kashmir Valley Railway Network Now Equipped With Public Wi-Fi Posted: 20 Jun 2021 08:46 PM PDT Networking has never been more important when it comes to the global point of view given as to how people need access to the internet for most tasks, if not all, considering as to how even day to day tasks such as payment of goods and services or hiring a cab has become increasingly moved online. To cater to this, most telcos do offer network connections in most places, but Wi-Fi connections available to the wide-scale public in key areas is still lacking, to say the least. Now it seems that the people of Kashmir Valley will not have to be plagued by a lack of internet, as, starting Monday morning, Public Wi-Fi connectivity has been made available across all the 15 railway stations present in the Kashmir Valley. In case you were wondering, the 15 different stations in the Kashmir Valley are  Hamre, Baramula, Pattan, Budgam, Mazhom, Srinagar, Pampore, Kakapora, Avantipura, Panzgam, Anantnag, Bijbehara, Sadura, Qazigund and Banihal, which are spread out in four districts of Srinagar, Budgaon, Banihal and Qazigund. This move now integrates these 15 stations with the Wi-Fi network present in 6,021 stations of the Indian Railways. Furthermore, Wi-Fi has also been made available at the station in Budhi, Kathua, Chhan Arorian, Ghagwal, Samba, Hira Nagar, Vijaypur, Bari Brahman, Jammu Tawi, Bajalta, Sangar, Manwal and Ram Nagar of Jammu. What Does the Government Have to Say? The Union Minister of Railways, Mr Piyush Goyal, stated that on World Wi-Fi Day, the Indian Railways was delighted to announce that Srinagar and 14 stations of the Kashmir Valley have now become a part of one the largest integrated public Wi-Fi network in the world connecting 6000 plus stations across the country. He further mentioned that all the stations of the Valley now have public Wi-Fi; this is a crucial step for Digital India mission and will go a long way in connecting the unconnected. Mr Goyal conveyed his appreciation to the team Indian Railways and RailTel, who worked tirelessly to achieve this remarkable feat. In addition to this, the Minister of States for PMO, Mr Jitendra Singh, stated that he was very happy to note that 15 stations in the Kashmir Valley in Jammu and Kashmir were now live with RailWire Wi-Fi. This would be an added amenity for the people of the region and the country. The Wi-Fi at Railway stations, designed to provide the best internet experience, will be available to any user who owns a smartphone with a working mobile connection for KYC related considerations.

Common Internet Terminologies You Should Know About Posted: 20 Jun 2021 08:03 PM PDT Technology is a dynamic industry of the market. As technology becomes more complex with time, players in the space come up with acronyms or terminologies to simplify things for us. As technology consumers, we need to stay up to date with these terminologies to know where we are investing our money. Being a part of the ecosystem, even if a technology does not impact us directly or individually, it definitely impacts us in a broader sense indirectly. While some of these terminologies are commonly used on a day to day basis, some of them are lesser-known by an average consumer. Here's a detailed explanation of these terminologies in order of their involvement in the ecosystem. Broadband Technology Transmits Data In the context of telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission that is used to transport multiple signals and traffic types. Broadband can use various mediums for data transmission. These mediums are upgraded as and when new technology emerges. Some of the mediums used to transmit data are coaxial cable, optical fibre, radio and twisted pair. Broadband technology is a successor to traditional dial-up access over analogue services. Broadband can provide high-speed internet access, which is faster and more reliable than dial-up access. ISP's Are The Providers of Internet An Internet Service Provider, popularly known as ISP, is an organisation that provides a range of services that relate to accessing, using or participating in the internet. The different services provided by an ISP include internet access, internet transit, domain name registration, web hosting, Usenet services and colocation. In simple terms, an ISP serves as the access point or the gateway that providers user access to everything available on the internet. Bandwidth is the Maximum Data Transmitted in a Limited Time The maximum amount of data that be transmitted over a connection in a certain amount of time is known as bandwidth. Often confused as internet speed, bandwidth is actually the volume of data that can be sent over an internet connection. A higher bandwidth connection is required in cases where multiple devices are connected. Bandwidth is calculated in Megabits per second or Mbps. IP Address is The Location of Your Device Every device on the internet or a local area network has a unique address. This address is known as the Internet Protocol or IP address. An IP address is the set of rules governing the data format sent via the internet or local network. It is denoted in the form of numerical labels and provides functions like host or network interface identification and location addressing.

JioFiber or Eronet, Whose 150 Mbps Plan Makes Sense? Posted: 20 Jun 2021 06:32 PM PDT JioFiber is a well-known fiber broadband service provider in India. The company has customers from all parts of India and offers very lucrative broadband plans. Then there are companies such as Eronet, which are lesser-known yet provide broadband plans in different regions of India. For the unaware, Eronet offers services in more than 50 locations of India which is impressive. Both JioFiber and Eronet offer users a 150 Mbps plan and if you are confused about which company's plan you should go with, we are here to help. Let's take a detailed look into plans from both the companies and understand who offers a better value. JioFiber 150 Mbps Plan JioFiber offers its 150 Mbps plan for a monthly price of Rs 999 (exclusive of GST). The plan is also available for a long-term purchase. Users get 3.3TB (3,300GB) data with this plan for the month and there are plenty of over-the-top (OTT) benefits as well. The plan also comes coupled with a free fixed-line voice calling connection. There are 15 OTT benefits included with the plan. The OTT benefits include – Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar VIP, SonyLIV, ZEE5, Sun NXT, Voot Select, Voot Kids, Discover+, Lionsgate Play, ALTBalaji, ShemarooMe, JioCinema, JioSaavn, and Eros Now. Users can also redeem a free Jio Set-Top Box from the company which will help them watch their favourite OTT shows and movies directly on the TV. Eronet 150 Mbps Plan Eronet's 150 Mbps plan also costs the same as JioFiber's 150 Mbps plan which is Rs 999 per month (exclusive of taxes). However, it comes with only 1200GB of fair usage policy (FUP) data. Post consumption of FUP data, users can still consume internet at 10 Mbps speed which is not bad. This is all there is for the users with this plan. There are no OTT benefits, no fixed-line voice calling connection, and no Set-Top Box like unique benefit for the users. Which Plan Makes More Sense? It is obviously clear that JioFiber's Rs 999 plan beats Eronet's Rs 999 plan, both of which offer 150 Mbps speed to the users. Not taking anything away from Eronet's plan, some users might find it ideal with the kind of benefits it is coming with. However, compared to JioFiber's plan, this plan from Eronet just falls severely behind. Users who need more data, OTT benefits, a free voice calling connection and a Smart Set-Top Box can opt for JioFiber's plan. However, if you are comfortable with 1200GB per month and no OTT benefits, you can also consider the offering from Eronet.

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