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• OneWeb Secures Additional Funding of $550M via Bharti Global
• Everything You Need to Know About Broadband Internet Speed
• The Much Awaited Nothing Ear 1 Will Be Launched on July 27
• Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Might Take the Fight to Beats Studio Buds
• Pakistani Internet Companies Tensed Over Amended Social Media Rules
• GSA Reveals Over 436 Mobile Networks Offer FWA via 5G or LTE
• Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro X Key Specifications Revealed Ahead of Launch
• Jio, Vodafone Idea Are Slowly Removing SMS Benefits on Cheaper Plans
• MediaTek 5G Open Resource Architecture Launched For Mobile Brands
• Vodafone Idea Two New Plans Come Without SMS Benefits
• Bharti Airtel Upgrades Network Performance in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
• BSNL Poor Financial Performance Even More Evident Now
• Telecom PLI Scheme Manufacturing Driven, Not Innovation: Opinion
• 5G Will Boost E-Sports Industry
• Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber Get Stiff Competition from BSNL

OneWeb Secures Additional Funding of $550M via Bharti Global Posted: 29 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT OneWeb, the popular Low Earth Orbit or LEO satellite communications company, on Tuesday, announced that it had secured further fund-raising, on the anniversary of the successful bid by the UK Government and Bharti Global in order to buy OneWeb from US Chapter 11 to bring its total funding to a whopping $2.4 billion. OneWeb has finally completed its transformation with the exercise of a Call Option by Bharti to invest an additional $500m into the company. Today's announcement comes just as OneWeb is prepping for its eighth launch on the 1st of July. The Call Option is also rumoured to be completed in the second half of 2021. On completion of the Call Option and with the prior $550m investment by Eutelsat, Bharti will hold 38.6% shares with the UK Government Softbank and Eutelsat each owning about 19.3%. The final shareholding structure might differ to the extent that a member of the shareholders' group chooses to exercise. On completion of the same, OneWeb will have secured $2.4bn of equity investment, complete with no issued debt. What Does the Company Have to Say? OneWeb’s Executive Chairman, Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal said that OneWeb represented a unique opportunity for investors at a key moment in the commercialisation of Space. With its Global ITU LEO Spectrum priority, Telco partnerships and successful launch momentum, complete with reliable satellites, OneWeb are more than ready to serve the vital needs of high-speed broadband connectivity for those who have been left behind. Shravin Mittal, the MD of Bharti Global added that Bharti was delighted to show its confidence in OneWeb's rapid progress by exercising the Call Option with the support of fellow shareholders. In just a year and during a global pandemic, together the companies have transformed OneWeb, bringing the operation back to full-scale. With this round of financing, Bharti completes the funding requirements. The company will continue to work alongside its partner shareholders, UK Government, Softbank as well Eutelsat, to realise this unique opportunity. To add to all of this, the CEO of OneWeb, Neil Masterson mentioned that the completion of its funding puts OneWeb in a powerful position. The company has a significantly lower entry cost of any LEO. It also benefits from $3.4bn of pre-Chapter 11 investment by the original shareholders, making new OneWeb a three-times lower cost Constellation. With the forthcoming launch, the company will have completed 40% of its Network. It is intently focused on execution and just ten more launches will enable it to deliver global coverage.

Everything You Need to Know About Broadband Internet Speed Posted: 29 Jun 2021 05:45 AM PDT A broadband internet connection or service consists of a number of elements that we need to keep a check on, including internet speed, latency and bandwidth. Amongst the three elements, internet speed is the most important aspect as internet service is all about the speed you get. In simple words, internet speed is the allocated bandwidth given to you based on your broadband internet plan. Furthermore, bandwidth is the amount of data you can use every second. Broadband Internet Speed Tests Should Be a Regular Practice Usually, a broadband internet plan is selected based on the speed we require from our internet connection. In order to make our money's worth, we need to keep a constant check on the internet speed by using third party platforms. A third party speed test platform is capable of making a list of all the ISPs available in your area. Based on the download speed results searched by multiple subscribers, a speed test platform will also rank the ISPs. Most third-party platforms will measure and report important internet metrics that are upload speed, download speed, ping and latency. Broadband Internet Metrics Measured with Internet Speed Upload speed refers to the number of megabits of data you can send to another device over your internet connection. As the name suggests, upload speed is relevant when we upload information or data on the internet. Some use cases where upload speed can be important to ascertain are sending emails, uploading content on social media platforms and video calls. Download speed is measured by the number of megabits you consume per second. Download speed is more commonly advertised by internet service providers. Download speed is relevant for you if you want to download files from the internet, browse social media platforms and websites, and stream movies online on OTT platforms. When our system or device sends a request to the server requesting a response, that request is known as ping. Ping time refers to the amount of time taken by the request to circle back with a response to the device. Ping is relevant for gamers as they need to understand the amount of time it took for them to hit a host with a request and get a response. A jitter is a variance in the latency experienced while consuming the internet. Latency is the time difference between when a user gives a command to the system and when that command is actioned on the screen. This again is relevant for gamers who prefer latency under 25ms while playing data-intensive games.

The Much Awaited Nothing Ear 1 Will Be Launched on July 27 Posted: 29 Jun 2021 05:43 AM PDT Nothing, the tech venture by Carl Pei, who was previously responsible for OnePlus, the tech giant that enthusiasts appreciate and await for, has been rumoured to launch its first product in the Indian market and overseas market. The company had earlier been rumoured to set a launch date for the Ear 1, but a delay was later announced by Carl. Today, it has been revealed that the new wireless earbuds will be launched in India and other top markets on July 27 at 6:30 PM IST. So, with that topic out of the way, it might interest you to know about all that we know and can expect from the first product by a very promising company that, at its helm has a great mind at work. Do note, that as mentioned earlier, the company had earlier stated that it would be taking some time to finalise some things, hence the delay in the launch, considering as to how the moniker had been earlier announced via the social media handles of the new tech company. The launch will take place simultaneously in India and other global markets, in case you were wondering. What Do We Know About the Nothing Ear 1 In terms of what we know about the product, the design of Ear 1 is expected to feature key elements of Concept 1, which had been teased in March of 2021. The concept was designed based on three principles, which were Weightless, Timeless, and Effortless. At the time of the reveal, Pei had mentioned that Design was still top secret but what we can tell you is that Ear 1 combines notes of transparency, iconic form, and refined functionality. It is the starting point that will define the artistry, confidence and craftsmanship that will carry our products and services for years to come. In India, the TWS had been listed on the Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS under the model number B181, with the buds’ charging case batteries also having been spotted on a later date. These devices, which were listed under power banks, featured the model numbers  B181-C and B181-1. Whilst the inherent success of OnePlus, Carl’s previous venture guarantees no sort of safety or success for the Ear 1, it is expected to change the market, for better or for worse and take the fight to top brands such as OnePlus, Sennheiser, Bose, Skullcandy and Sony.

Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Might Take the Fight to Beats Studio Buds Posted: 29 Jun 2021 05:01 AM PDT Samsung has been on a roll recently, be it in terms of smartphones, smart devices or audio products. The Galaxy Buds lineup has always been one to keep note of because they are one of the best all-rounders in the market. Now, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are seemingly around the corner and, ahead of the launch, reports have surfaced suggesting that they could be launched sometime in the month of August, at an event that might bring with it the Galaxy Watch 4. Ahead of this rumoured launch, on Tuesday, Indian tech publication 91Mobiles released a report, citing an industry insider who has claimed that the Galaxy Buds 2 will be priced between $149 to $169, which roughly translates to a price tag of Rs 11,000 to Rs 13,000 in India. On a global scale, this pricing is quite interesting as if this is true, it will be a direct competitor to the recently launched Apple Beats Studio Buds. What Do We Know About the Galaxy Buds 2 The similarity in pricing however does not guarantee similar pricing, since, in the fight to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 and Beats’ Studio Buds, a report suggests that the former will opt out of ANC or active noise cancellation, a feature that has become increasingly common in 2021, even in budget earbuds. This will automatically provide the Beats Studio Buds with an edge over the upcoming Galaxy Buds 2 in international markets, wherein both should be officially available. This does not mean that the Galaxy Buds 2 will be a letdown, as, the 91Mobiles report claims that the Buds will come with a design that is seemingly identical to the Galaxy Buds Pro, with further additions including that the Buds 2 will come with 60 mAh batteries on each bud and a decently sized 500 mAh battery for the charging case. The Galaxy Buds 2 will also come with two mics on each earbud and feature wear-detection sensors so as to give the buds an automatic play or pause feature. The details such as the specific drivers and specifications remain unknown as of now. However, in India, the Galaxy Buds 2 will compete with other offerings that mostly offer features like wireless charging and ANC, and, if the Buds 2 are not competitively priced, they might lose out to other offerings in a highly competitive market like India.

Pakistani Internet Companies Tensed Over Amended Social Media Rules Posted: 29 Jun 2021 04:30 AM PDT Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) released the third version of the social media rules, titled 'Removal of Unlawful Online Content Rules 2021', earlier this month. The country's internet companies have raised concerns over the third version of the government's amended social media rules. Internet companies have protested that the most problematic provisions in the earlier versions remain unchanged in the latest draft. In totality, the latest draft is believed to be regressed in comparison to the previous versions. Pakistan's Internet Companies Sent Repeated Feedback from Industry Asia Internet Coalition's (AIC) Managing Director Jeff Paine has stated that AIC and its member companies are disappointed with the proposed revisions. He further added that Pakistan's MoITT received repeated feedback from the industry over several months, despite which the draft rules still include a number of problematic provisions. He mentioned that provisions such as data localisation and local presence requirements undermine Pakistan's digital growth and transformation agenda. However, AIC has submitted comments to the MoITT on the amended draft, and the ministry still has a chance to fix all the areas of concern. AIC expressed disappointment over the consultation process and said that the latest draft being replicated from the older draft with only minimal changes shows that the consultation process was not undertaken to produce substantive changes. Internet Companies to Establish a Physical Office Under Amended Rules The AIC and its member companies have said that the amended social media rules go beyond the scope of the primary act which is the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act, 2016. Some aspects of the amended rules on which the coalition raised concerns include but are not limited to decryption of data, fixed turnaround times for restricting content, regional presence needs including data localisation and government agencies abilities to make confidential content removal requests. According to a media report, the amended rules would make internet companies comply with requirements like establishing a physical office in Pakistan and appoint a grievance officer based in the country itself. The amended rules would also allow a broad range of state agencies to make confidential requests for content removal through Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

GSA Reveals Over 436 Mobile Networks Offer FWA via 5G or LTE Posted: 29 Jun 2021 04:15 AM PDT In today’s day and age, with global adoption, the 3GPP-based fixed-wireless access or FWA has finally become a mainstream service for telcos, on Tuesday, with over 436 mobile network operators or MNOs spread across 171 countries and territories now offering users with FWA via either 5G or LTE. This news came via the Global mobile Suppliers Association or GSA 4G-5G FWA Forum early on Tuesday, with the forum adding that at the same time, around 425 operators in 169 countries are now offering FWA services that are based on LTE whilst 64 operators are now marketing business or residential based 5G FWA broadband services, a steady rise from 44 in the previous 6 months. Julien Grivolas, the Chairman of GSA 4G-5G FWA Forum added that connecting the unconnected was already a fundamental priority in a normal world, but, as the company is seeing with the terrible pandemic situation that the company is still facing, with the mission to accelerate people's access to broadband connectivity through 4G/5G FWA becoming more and more critical. This stands true for both developing as well as developed economies. What Do We Know About FWA 4G-5G As per the forum, there are approximately 645 indoor and outdoor LTE based CPE device models which are suitable for both small and medium business broadband services and residential services. Furthermore, around 144 indoor and outdoor 5G FWA CPE models have been announced, whilst 61 new device models have been launched so far this year. In case you were wondering, the founding partners and members of the GSA 4G-5G FWA Forum include Ericsson, Mediatek, Netgear, Nokia, Qualcomm, Huawei, amongst other such brands. In terms of what FWA or Fixed Wireless Access is, it is a medium of providing wireless connectivity via radio links present between two fixed points. Fixed wireless is a method to provide wireless internet access to businesses and homes without the need to lay down fibre and cables so as to provide last mile based connectivity. FWA also enables network operators to allow access to and provide ultra-high-speed broadband to both suburban and rural areas wherein the cost of laying fiber or maintaining fiber lines is expensive and not quite as feasible as it would be in metropolitan areas.

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro X Key Specifications Revealed Ahead of Launch Posted: 29 Jun 2021 03:59 AM PDT Xiaomi has developed an array of products that ranges from smartphones to laptops. Whether users are looking for premium or budgeted laptops, Xiaomi caters to the different needs of users. As per various resources available on the internet, Xiaomi's Mi Notebook is getting a successor in the name of Mi Notebook Pro X. There are multiple teasers available on the company's official Weibo page. The teasers regarding the specifications hint that the new offering by Xiaomi is set to incline towards the gaming segment, and users might not have to burn their pockets to enjoy high-end specifications. Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro X: Teased Specifications The multiple teasers available on the internet tells us that Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro X will be powered by the latest Intel Tiger Lake-H processor, which is rated at 45W TDP. Along with this, Xiaomi will pair the Mi Notebook Pro X with an Nvidia Ampere GPU, the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. Since Xiaomi is packing the latest offering with high-end specifications, it would be dubbed one of the perfect entry-level gaming laptops. Talking about the design tease, a Weibo teaser reveals that the Mi Notebook Pro X showcases a compact chassis with no dedicated Numpad. Also, there is only one Intel Tiger Lake-H processor, which is the Intel Core i7-11800H. Xiaomi users can also expect that the new laptop might ship with an integrated webcam for convenience. As of launch, Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro X is expected to launch in the Chinese market. However, the Indian launch date would be difficult to speculate. Xiaomi Budget Redmi 10 Series Might Come Soon Xiaomi is eyeing to capture both premium and budgeted customers for market expansion in both smartphones and laptops segment. As per the information available, Xiaomi is expected to launch a new smartphones series in the Indian market soon. Even though no official information is available regarding the series details, an official tweet by Xiaomi in its Redmi account hint that the new budget smartphones series could be Xiaomi Redmi 10. Xiaomi has already launched five smartphones in the Redmi 9 series. Xiaomi users can expect more information regarding the budget series in the coming period.

Jio, Vodafone Idea Are Slowly Removing SMS Benefits on Cheaper Plans Posted: 29 Jun 2021 03:12 AM PDT Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea are strategically removing outgoing SMS benefits on their cheaper plans. Even though both the companies have a different outlook on the market, their recent move has to do with one thing – retaining subscribers. One of the biggest issues for the telcos is not to add subscribers but to keep them. When users don't get the kind of telecom service they are looking for, they want to port their number to the services of the other operator who provides excellent services in the area. But to port, they need to send an SMS typing 'PORT' to 1900. But they can't do that if they don't have the SMS benefits, can they? Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea Strategically Hindering Customers From Porting Out Both Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea are removing SMS benefits from their cheaper plans. For the unaware, Jio recently brought back its Rs 98 plan. With the plan, users get 1.5GB daily data for 14 days along with unlimited voice calling and Jio apps subscription. However, there is no outgoing SMS benefit included with the plan. Now, Vodafone Idea has introduced two new plans for Rs 99 and Rs 109. Both the plans offer users 1GB of total data along with unlimited voice calling for 18 and 20 days, respectively. Even both these plans don't come with any SMS benefits. Vodafone Idea further doesn't offer any separate 'outgoing SMS only' benefits plan, which the users can add on top of the Rs 99 or Rs 109 plan. This will help both the telecom operators in retaining low average revenue per user (ARPU) customers since they won't be able to send an SMS for port out. Jio and Vi Push Customers to Buy Expensive Plans Further, these plans will push people who want to port out of their current telecom service provider's (TSP's) services' to purchase expensive plans. But it wouldn't result in recurring revenues for the telcos since if the customer wants to port out, he/she will do that anyway by purchasing a prepaid plan that offers SMS benefits. Even though Vi and Jio might have to keep more of the low ARPU customers, their subscriber churn rate will be at check. Further, there will be many customers in the low-income class who wouldn't think twice before recharging with these cheaper plans without SMS benefits again and again. This is a strategic move from the telcos. I wouldn't call it a bad or an unfair move, but only wise on the part of the telecom operators; since, at the end of the day, it is a business for them. Any business operates from the sole purpose of providing services and earning profits, and Jio and Vi aren't any different. What would have been bad or unfair was to remove SMS benefits from top plans as well. But these are entry-level and cheap plans. Customers who want to port out can still do so by purchasing a little more expensive prepaid plan and get the SMS benefits. Bharti Airtel Offers One Unlimited Plan With No SMS Benefit Bharti Airtel only offers one prepaid plan under Rs 100, and it is the Rs 19 plan. Apart from that, the cheapest unlimited plan that the telco has to offer comes for Rs 129. The Rs 19 plan from Airtel offers unlimited voice calling and 200MB data benefit for 2 days. This plan also doesn't come with any SMS benefits. So even Airtel customers who want to port out of the telco's services will at least have to purchase the Rs 129 prepaid plan.

MediaTek 5G Open Resource Architecture Launched For Mobile Brands Posted: 29 Jun 2021 02:28 AM PDT The renowned Taiwanese chipset maker MediaTek has rolled out the Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture that is touted to offer smartphone brands complete flexibility in key 5G smartphone features to address different market segments. In simple words, the open resource architecture will offer close-to-metal access to customise features across cameras, displays, graphics, sensors, artificial units (AI) and connectivity subsystems within the Dimensity 1200 chipset. Dr Yenchi Lee, who is the Deputy General Manager of MediaTek's Wireless Communication Business Unit, stated that MediaTek is teaming up with the world's largest mobile brands to provide customised experiences that differentiate flagship 5G smartphones. MediaTek Architecture Devices Can Complement Variety of Lifestyles Dr Yenchi Lee further stated that whether its novel multimedia features, unmatched performance, brilliant imaging or more connection between smartphones and services, the architecture device makers can tailor their devices to complement a variety of consumer lifestyles. MediaTek further explained the benefits of the Dimensity 5G Open Resource architecture and revealed that with access to the in-chip, multi-core AI and display processors, a brand can customise multimedia experiences and unlock more synergy between the chipset and mobile's display and audio hardware. Not only this, but they can also capitalise on MediaTek's artificial intelligent picture quality (AI-PQ) and AI Super Resolution (AI-SR) to make their own video algorithm and scenario detection. Apart from this, the open resource architecture gives a brand the flexibility to fine-tune the performance and power-efficiency of a device through workload assignments across the chipset's processing resources. For image and video processing, brands are given raw access to the camera image signal processor (ISP) to keep control of data flow once content is captured. The NeuroPilot arm of MediaTek will provide improved access to MediaTek's deep learning accelerator (DLA) within the MediaTek APU. MediaTek has also said that to increase the connectivity and create a well-round customer experience, brands will be able to sync the new Bluetooth features with multiple profiles to match their wireless accessories such as gaming peripherals, headsets and more. The camera processing engine of MediaTek will allow brands to customise chip's hardware-based virtual processing engines such as depth mapping, warp engine, colour correction and more.

Vodafone Idea Two New Plans Come Without SMS Benefits Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:40 AM PDT Vodafone Idea has announced two new prepaid plans for its customers. The telco has focused on keeping the price of the plans very low. But at the same time, because of less price, the benefits offered by the plan are quite limited as well. Don't get this wrong, both the plans are still unlimited prepaid plans offered by the telco, but the data benefits aren't what some users would appreciate. The two new plans announced by the telco cost Rs 99 and Rs 109. Let's take a look at all the benefits of these plans. Vodafone Idea Rs 99 and Rs 109 New Plans Vodafone Idea has started offering two new prepaid plans to its customers. These plans cost Rs 99 and Rs 109 each. Note that the benefits of the two plans are largely the same. The difference between the two plans is in the price they come for and the validity they carry. Starting with the Rs 99 plan, it comes with a truly unlimited voice calling benefit. Along with the voice calling benefit, users get 1GB of total data with the plan. The validity of this plan is 18 days. However, there is no outgoing SMS benefit offered with the plan. Moving on to the next plan, it comes for Rs 109. This plan offers users the same benefits as the Rs 99 plan. There is 1GB of data, unlimited voice calling and SMS benefits. However, this plan comes with a larger validity of 20 days. Neither of the plans allows users to send any SMS for free. If the users want to send SMS to others, they will have to purchase more expensive plans. Both the plans will offer cheap access to unlimited voice calling to the users along with 1GB of data for very few days. However, the biggest drawback of these plans is that there are no outgoing SMSes. So for services and applications which verify through an outgoing SMS from your registered phone number won't work with these plans. These plans will cater to the needs of a select few and others will go for plans that come with basic SMS services at least.

Bharti Airtel Upgrades Network Performance in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:10 AM PDT Bharti Airtel has been radically upgrading its 4G networks across the country. Now the telco has deployed additional spectrum in two states, namely Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. For the deployment, the telco has leveraged L900 technology which will help with boosting the indoor network coverage for the users. The telco has upgraded a total of 10,000 sites across the two states to enhance its 4G coverage and network performance. Bharti Airtel Now Has Largest Spectrum Bank in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh With the spectrum deployment, Bharti Airtel now has the largest spectrum bank in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The telco has a total of 65.4 MHz of spectrum across several frequency bands, including 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2300 MHz bands. With the spectrum holdings, the company is very well positioned to offer 5G services to users living in the circles in the near future. With the recent move from Bharti Airtel, now the customers of the telco will get superior network services in the two states. The indoor connectivity is also expected to recover with the said move. The recent spectrum deployment focused on adding frequencies in the 900 MHz band. This sub-GHz band will help the operator in boosting its network coverage throughout the two circles. Even travellers on the highways and trains will be able to get uniform network services from Bharti Airtel. It is worth noting that Bharti Airtel has over 3.1 crore (31 million) subscribers living in the two circles. Further, the mobile networks of Bharti Airtel cover 97% of the population in the two states. The improved network services will help subscribers of the telco living in the concerned circles with a better experience of working from home. Also, video conferencing and other things such as over-the-top (OTT) video consumption experience are also expected to become better. To recall, Bharti Airtel had become the first operator in the country earlier this year to successfully demonstrate a live 5G commercial network in Hyderabad. The telco is also testing its 5G network in the Cyber Hub of Gurgaon and has been able to achieve download speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

BSNL Poor Financial Performance Even More Evident Now Posted: 28 Jun 2021 11:12 PM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) hasn't been performing financially well for years now. It is not something that the market or the government doesn't know. However, the recent action or rather inaction from BSNL just even makes it clearer for the country to understand its dire situation. According to a TNN report, the state-run telecom operator has been unable to pay off the salaries of its employees for the month of May 2021. The employees were due to receive their salaries from the company of May in June. But June is about to end and no salary has been credited into the accounts of the employees. BSNL's Delay in 4G Launch Causing Financial Troubles BSNL is behind other telecom operators of the country quite significantly. One can map out several reasons for why they wouldn't want to get a mobile network connection from BSNL and absolutely no reason as to why they should. The elephant in the room that BSNL hasn't been able to address yet is the rollout of 4G networks. The telco has been working hard to ensure that its 4G rollout process is as quick as possible. But even if BSNL manages everything in time, the latest that it can bring live 4G networks in the country is in late 2022. BSNL has already communicated with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) about how desperately it needs live 4G networks in the country to survive. It is interesting to note that at a time when the telco doesn't have money to pay off existing employees, it has been considering hiring back the employees who left under the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) as consultants. It is hard to imagine how the telco would generate the cash flow to pay the existing employees and the re-hired employees at the same time. Regardless, one thing is for sure, BSNL wouldn't be able to survive without two things – a) government support, and b) 4G networks. There's no way BSNL can directly invest in 5G SA networks. It will need to build a base of 4G networks with the capability of shifting to 5G as soon as possible with simple upgrades. At the same time, the government really needs to help BSNL with its plans and also provide financial assistance. Without these two coming in at the same time, there's just sorrow for the telco ahead.

Telecom PLI Scheme Manufacturing Driven, Not Innovation: Opinion Posted: 28 Jun 2021 09:40 PM PDT The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme introduced by the government for several sectors is a good thing for the Indian economy in the long run. The telecom sector's PLI scheme is also live since April 1, 2021, and multiple companies such as Nokia, HFCL, and other big vendors want to be a part of it. The scheme is worth Rs 12,195 crores and will provide big companies with incentives of between 4% to 6% and small companies with incentives of up to 7% if they hit the target. However, I feel there's one issue with the telecom PLI scheme and not just the telecom PLI; this might be the same problem with the PLI scheme for other sectors as well. The problem is that the PLI scheme focuses more on asking companies to manufacture more, not innovate more. Telecom PLI Needs Innovation as Well The telecom sector's PLI scheme is giving incentives to the companies when they hit their manufacturing targets within the country in a given time frame. This would motivate companies to assemble and manufacture more products and equipment. However, it is not going to drive innovation in the industry. I am not saying that the scheme is not good. I agree that it will add to the economy of the country in one or more ways. But while that's good, innovation is equally important. This is something that the companies need to consider themselves. Even the local Indian companies participating in the telecom PLI scheme will be geared to make more products. It is easy to manufacture in India and innovate in some other country for big multinational companies such as Nokia and Ericsson. But most of the Indian companies have all their resources and facilities locally set up. Further, most of the local companies have far less money and experience than big international corporates. This means they can either completely focus on manufacturing in the telecom PLI scheme to hit the target. Or, they can risk putting resources and money in research and development (R&D) and might not hit their goal of receiving incentives from the government. The thing is, the Indian government should also bring in incentives for innovation. I know it is hard to quantify innovation by the companies, but there are several other ways in which innovation can be rewarded. If the government can come up with a brilliant scheme such as the PLI, it can also come up with a scheme that focuses on innovation.

5G Will Boost E-Sports Industry Posted: 28 Jun 2021 08:46 PM PDT 5G is the next-generation connectivity technology that Indians have been waiting for a long time now. While several foreign nations have live commercial 5G networks, Indian operators are currently in the testing phase, which is expected to carry on for another 5 months from here. One industry that's seen rapid growth during the pandemic and the lockdowns is the e-gaming industry. People are going crazy for games like PUBG Mobile (now Battlegrounds Mobile India), Call of Duty, and more. However, a noteworthy thing here is that not everyone gets to experience these multiplayer online games in a seamless manner because of their internet connection. 5G to Change How People Play Games Online 5G will change the e-sports gaming culture in a big way for the users. While a strong 4G network connection is good enough to help you play a game such as PUBG Mobile, the chances of the network getting congested is pretty high. But with 5G, this won't be an issue. The capacity of 5G networks will be much more than that of 4G networks. Further, users won't have to worry about real-time gaming. With 4G networks, most of the times, latency keep on fluctuating between high and low. But 5G will offer ultra-low-latency to the users. This would mean that games such as PUBG Mobile and other games which involve multiple players from different parts of the world or cities would be able to play in real-time seamlessly. 5G Would Enable Cloud Gaming One of the things that 4G can't do is process game data by sending signals to cloud servers from where it comes back with updated information. This is because servers are located quite far from most of the gamers, which means the time taken by the 4G network to send a signal to the server and it coming back would be high. This is why most of the game's data processing is done locally on smartphones. But once 5G networks come, because of the lightning speed of up to 1 Gbps, cloud servers could be leveraged to process data. This way, servers won't even need to synchronise a ton of individual devices. Since all the data would be coming to the cloud servers, the real-time gaming experience for the users will be much better than what it is now. All of this would boost and bring more players to the e-sports industry.

Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber Get Stiff Competition from BSNL Posted: 28 Jun 2021 06:30 PM PDT Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber are the broadband arms of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Both the telcos have expanded their business in the fiber broadband market quite fast. Especially through the pandemic, the fixed-line broadband business for both the top telecom operators grew in India. However, there's also Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in the competition, whose biggest strength is the number of places and circles its services are available in. On top of that, the broadband plans from BSNL are quite similar to the plans offered by Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber. Airtel Xstream Fiber, JioFiber and BSNL Bharat Fibre Plans Quite Competitive Airtel Xstream Fiber, JioFiber, and BSNL Bharat Fibre all provide plans to their users with close to an identical amount of fair-usage-policy (FUP) data with almost every plan. Each operator provides 3.3TB data with most of its plans to the users, which is more than enough for a large family. In terms of over-the-top (OTT) benefits, both JioFiber and Airtel Xstream Fiber provides users with a plethora of options, with JioFiber taking the lead marginally as it offers a free subscription to more number of OTT platforms. But BSNL Bharat Fibre provides its users with the kind of OTT benefit that none of the other fiber service providers offers. That is the benefit of Disney+ Hotstar Premium. Every other operator offers a Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscription to the users. But BSNL offers the Premium subscription for one year. Further, every operator, including Airtel, Jio and BSNL, offers its users a free landline connection. There is no limit on the number of calls users can make through the landline connection. In terms of speeds offered, Airtel and Jio take the lead from BSNL when it comes to super-high-speed plans such as 500 Mbps and 1 Gbps. The maximum speed a BSNL Bharat Fibre plan provides to the users is 300 Mbps which is quite low than the maximum speed plan offered by Jio and Airtel, which is 1 Gbps. Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber have been adding new subscribers at a very good rate. BSNL can bank on the subscribers that live in the rural areas and offer them strong entry-level broadband plans with OTT benefits. Overall, in an area where all the three operators are providing services, BSNL Bharat Fibre can give strong competition to the broadband plans offered by Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber. The only thing that BSNL needs to improve is the consistency of services and after-sales support.

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