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• DoT Accepting PLI Applications for Telecom Vendors
• Realme Will Launch GT Series in June, Set Up 7 R&D Centres to Aid 5G Adoption
• WhatsApp to Get Multi-Device Support, Disappearing Mode and View Once Soon
• Connect Broadband New Plans Offer ISD Calling and OTT Benefits
• Nokia NetGuard XDR and MDR Services to Bolster 5G Security
• Spirent and AWS Team Up for Automated 5G Testing
• Ericsson and Partners Attain End-to-End Multivendor 5G Voice Call
• Bharti Airtel Deploys Additional Spectrum in Haryana
• Airtel Xstream Fiber Offers a Powerful Router That Can Connect Up to 60 Devices
• OnePlus Tag, Would You Buy a Tracking Device From OnePlus?
• Vodafone Idea Awarded Add-On Contracts to Huawei: Report
• Kodak Announces Unbelievable Prices for Smart TVs
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G Might Come in Three Variants
• Reliance Jio to Make 5G Affordable for India
• Get Your Home Broadband Connection Ready for WFH
• Aircel Lenders Approach Supreme Court Over NCLAT Order
• Google’s Upcoming Foldable Might Turn a Few Heads
• BSNL Has a Better Offering Than Jio’s Cheapest Plan

DoT Accepting PLI Applications for Telecom Vendors Posted: 03 Jun 2021 09:37 AM PDT The Department of Telecommunications or DoT on Thursday started accepting applications for telecom equipment and networking products manufacturers to apply for the PLI or production-linked incentive scheme under which ten large manufacturers, as well as ten MSMEs, will be chosen to receive incentives. As per the guidelines released on Thursday, Rs 12,195 crore will be disbursed as incentives to the ten qualifying companies in a five year period by achieving stipulated production targets. Out of this amount, Rs 1000 crore has been set aside for the ten MSMEs, three of which will be domestic. In case you missed it, back in April, the DoT had announced that companies like Ericsson and Nokia have been keen on expanding their existing operations in the country for global supply chains. Meanwhile, Samsung, Ciena, Cisco and certain engineering-manufacturing service companies such as Jabil USA, Foxconn Taiwan, Sanmina USA, and Flex USA have shown amounts of interest when it comes to setting up manufacturing units in India. Furthermore, local companies such as HFCL, Coral Telecom, Sterlite, Dixon and VVDN Technologies have the plan to expand their facilities. Bharti Enterprises has also said that it is forming a joint venture with Dixon in order to make telecom equipment as well as avail the benefits that are part of the scheme. What Do The Guidelines State According to the guidelines, non-MSMEs will also be eligible for incentives, ranging from a percentage of 4- 6% of incremental production in a year. The scheme offers a higher incentive of  4-7% to enterprises that are micro, small and medium, with an investment requirement of Rs 10 crore, whilst large companies have been provided with a threshold of Rs 100 crore. In terms of the duration, FY19-20 will be set as the base year, with the five year period beginning from April 1, 2021. The last date to apply is set for July 3, 2021. The scheme will cover products like 4G/5G next-generation radio access networks, customer premises equipment, IoT related products, routers and switches. The applications will be shortlisted from highest to lowest, on the basis of committed cumulative incremental investment during the scheme period. The investor must also achieve net incremental sales that are equivalent to three times the amount invested in that year to qualify for incentives. The upper ceiling for these targets is topped at 20 times the amount that will be invested. Talking about this, Lt. General Dr SP Kochhar from COAI stated that the body welcomes the issuance of detailed guidelines on implementation of the PLI scheme on telecom and networking equipment by DoT. Telecom is the backbone of a digitally connected India and this initiative will also boost local manufacturing, exports and also create employment opportunities. In terms of numbers, India is already the second largest telecom market globally and this will go a long way in making the country a global hub for telecom innovation. TEMA also complimented the Govt. stating that it is going to be a Landmark happening for Make in India in telecom. TEMA further complimented how this has come at the most appropriate time when the domestic industry is geared up for starting manufacturing within India. It is particularly happy that the threshold limits for investment are quite reasonable at Rs 10.00 Crores for MSME and Rs 100 crores for non-MSME.

Realme Will Launch GT Series in June, Set Up 7 R&D Centres to Aid 5G Adoption Posted: 03 Jun 2021 08:14 AM PDT Realme, one of India’s top-selling smartphone brands on Thursday revealed that it would be globally launching the Realme GT 5G in June, in addition to another Realme GT camera flagship phone slated for July. At the company’s inaugural 5G summit that took place earlier today, the company, in partnership with GSMA, Qualcomm and Counterpoint Research spoke about 5G developments within the organisation. With a specific theme by the name of "Making 5G Global: Accessibility for All,” Realme pledged on stage to make more affordable 5G-enabled phones accessible to approximately 100 million young consumers in a span of three years. Talking about its portfolio, it mentioned that in 2020, the smartphone maker launched 14 5G devices in 21 different markets, accounting for around 40 per cent of its products. By 2022, the tech company from China has aimed to increase the number to over 20, increasing the ratio to 70 per cent across a span of 50 markets. The company is planning to launch a 5G mobile phone at around $100 or Rs 7,200 in the next few years, a move that could accelerate the 5G development in the country. What Did The Event Mention The event started off by talking about the Realme GT 5G, a phone that debuted in China sporting Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset. In terms of key specifications, the smartphone uses a 64MP primary camera and houses a 120Hz AMOLED display. It also offers a 16MP selfie snapper and a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. The details regarding the aforementioned Realme GT flagship remain unknown. Furthermore, Realme India and Europe CEO Madhav Sheth, at the 5G summit said that Realme would help in setting up a broader 5G ecosystem in collaboration with the company's industry partners. Johnny Chen, the Brand Director at Realme also stressed the importance of 5G connectivity for the upcoming generations. The company has additionally announced plans to set up over ten 5G pop-up stores globally so as to allow customers a chance to experience 5G capabilities via methods like cloud gaming, ultra-clear AR, live broadcasting, and more. In order to support this Realme will also establish around seven R&D centres across the world in 2021. At the event, Mr Kalvin Bahia, the Principal Economista at GSMA Intelligence stated that the transition to 5G is inevitable across the world, adding that countries will still have to battle barriers such as affordability of the devices and costs of mobile data.

WhatsApp to Get Multi-Device Support, Disappearing Mode and View Once Soon Posted: 03 Jun 2021 07:05 AM PDT Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook recently confirmed that the messaging service WhatsApp would receive much-awaited features such as disappearing mode, multi-device support and view once in a short amount of time. Interestingly, this information is not dependent on leaks or rumours, rather, the CEO himself confirmed that these features would be rolling out soon. In a unique method to announce this, WaBetaInfo, a site famed for tracking all WhatsApp related updates and information was approached by WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss some of the upcoming features that are arriving at WhatsApp. The report starts by stating that some days ago WhatsApp reached out to the site to ask if we could move on to WhatsApp to discuss new features that are set to come on the application. What Do We Know About The Upcoming Features The users used WhatsApp to chat in a group that featured WhatsApp CEO, Will Cathcart. The site’s author started to site, but it felt weird because it was an amazing experience. The chat started with a message from Will, wherein he thanked the author for his work in reporting news and WhatsApp features. Zuckerberg, in his chat with WaBetaInfo, revealed that WhatsApp was the first global-scale messaging network to roll out end-to-end encryption but, now, the company is planning to roll out additional disappearing features on a global scale. Do note that WhatsApp already has the disappearing message features, but Mark mentioned how unveiling the disappearing mode which can turn on disappearing messages in all the chat threads so that the WhatsApp experience becomes ephemeral. Another new feature that will be rolled out to WhatsApp is the View Once feature, which is somewhat similar to the disappearing messages feature, as, when it is turned on, the message disappears once the person sees it. When Mark was enquired about the multi-device support, he mentioned that it's been a big technical challenge to get all of the user’s messages and content to sync properly across devices even when their phone battery dies but Facebook has solved this and they are looking forward to getting it out soon. Will Chathart also confirmed that the multi-device support would be rolled out as a public beta in a month or two.

Connect Broadband New Plans Offer ISD Calling and OTT Benefits Posted: 03 Jun 2021 05:33 AM PDT Connect Broadband is a rising Internet Service Provider (ISP) that only offers services in only two circles of India at the moment. The ISP has just announced new 'Entertainment Plans' that will come with over-the-top (OTT) benefits and also offer ISD calling minutes. On top of that, the new plans are poised to offer unlimited data at no extra cost. Major OTT platforms including ZEE5 Premium, Voot Select, SonyLIV, Eros Now and more will now be available for users with the new Entertainment plans for the company. Let's take a look at all the new plans which have launched today. Connect Broadband Plans That Offer ISD Calling and OTT Benefits There are five plans from the company which offer ISD calling and OTT benefits to the users. The interesting thing here is that all the five plans offer 100 Mbps speed only. These five plans cost Rs 799, Rs 901, Rs 1,001, Rs 1,301, and Rs 1,601. The Rs 799 plan offers no OTT benefits but there are 500 minutes of ISD calling to the USA/Canada included. The Rs 901 plan offers 750 minutes of ISD calling to the USA/Canada and there are OTT benefits of ShemarooMe, Voot Select, and Eros Now. Further, the Rs 1,001 plan offers 1,000 minutes of ISD calling to the USA/Canada and OTT benefits of ShemarooMe, Sony Special, Voot Select, and Zee5 Premium. Moving on to the Rs 1,301 plan, it offers 1,500 minutes of ISD calling to the USA/Canada and OTT benefits of Zee5 Premium, VOOT Select, ShemarooMe, EROS Now, EPIC ON, and Gaana Plus. Lastly, with the Rs 1,601 plan, users get 2,000 minutes of ISD calling to the USA/Canada and OTT benefits of Zee5 Premium, Sony Premium, Hungama Music, Hungama Play, VOOT Select, ShemarooMe, EROS Now, and EPIC ON. Note that all of these plans are currently available in Punjab. Users in Jammu & Kashmir will get plans different from the ones mentioned above. All of the plans come with unlimited data which has a fair-usage-policy (FUP) limit of 3.3TB or 3,300GB. Further, users are eligible to get a free STD voice calling connection with all the plans mentioned above. The price of all the plans mentioned above is exclusive of GST.

Nokia NetGuard XDR and MDR Services to Bolster 5G Security Posted: 03 Jun 2021 05:30 AM PDT   The reach of 5G networks is constantly growing around the world to provide high-speed internet and immersive experience to customers. To ensure complete safety for communication service providers (CSPs), the Finnish multinational company Nokia has launched the NetGuardXDR Security Operations platform and MDR services. The cloud-native platform suite will also cover revenue-enhancing security offerings. In case you are not aware, Nokia NetGuard XDR Security Operations is a cloud-native extended solution and response (XDR) platform suite which has nearly demonstrated 70% increased effectiveness in blocking threats in security operations network. Nations Around the World are Strengthing Security Infrastructure To make 5G networks risk-free, nations around the world are developing and strengthening the security infrastructure. Since communication service providers open their networks and industrial enterprises rapidly connect more of their crucial assets, security threats and challenges are growing worldwide. Both developed and developing countries are catering to the multiple security requirements to make the upcoming fifth-generation network safe for tech users. Nations like the UK, US, India and France are already meeting their security requirements for critical infrastructure. NetGuard XDR by Nokia is known for its complete effectiveness against harmful threats. The platform suite provides strong network defences that prevent threats before they weaken the system. The module of the platform includes machine learning, new analytics and automation functions to efficiently manage conditions and neutralise threats. Nokia Utilises XDR Capabilities To Offer Safe Passage in 5G Network To provide a threat-free network experience, communication service providers (CSPs) require additional expertise. The additional security requirements are covered by MDR. In fact, XDR is complemented by MDR. Under the MDR business model, Nokia fully capitalises on XDR and integrates the skill in its 24/7 security intelligence operations for finding out and resolving security threats. Nokia NetGuard XDR Security Operation platform supports subscription-based security services like endpoint protection for enterprise IoT devices, 5G slice monitoring and more. Raghav Sahgal, who is the President of Cloud and Network Services, Nokia, stated that the entity is showing its technology leadership in the critical security space. With NetGuard XDR and MDR, Nokia neutralises the threat for its CSP and enterprise customers.

Spirent and AWS Team Up for Automated 5G Testing Posted: 03 Jun 2021 04:45 AM PDT British Multinational telecommunications testing company Spirent has partnered with Amazon Web Services to allow service providers working on building 5G networks to leverage automated 5G testing capabilities. These automated 5G testing capabilities will help reduce operational costs and time-to-market, which is the time difference between when a product is conceived and when it is available for sale. With 5G budding at a rapid pace in countries worldwide, such partnerships enabling service providers to test their capabilities would definitely act as a catalyst and speed up work on 5G networks. The Partnership Will Help Validate Mobile Network Functions The newly formed partnership between Spirent and AWS would give service providers, or carriers access to Spirent's vendor-neutral Landslide 5GC Automation Package along with AWS's Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline. This will enable carriers to validate mobile network functions, services for performance, capacity and compliance, and other requirements. The solution involving elements from both Spirent and AWS can also support parallel testing. Spirent has stated the benefits of this partnership for carriers by saying that manually setting up all these tests could be not only time-consuming but also very complex for some organisations. This would cause a delay in building 5G networks as carriers would be forced into months-long testing and validating programs. Spirent also noted that by using Landslide on AWS, carriers would just need to trigger the tests and complete validation. Spirent Provides Testing Capabilities Through Various Cloud Providers Spirent's Senior Director of Product Management, Anil Kollipara, commented on the partnership by saying that Spirent already provides identical testing capabilities through several other cloud providers, virtual machine and container platforms. He added that any business providing 5G capabilities like VNFs, CNFs, NFVI, and services need to include test automation in their offering. Spirent's recognises AWS as an avenue where CSPs can consume their test automation software. The partnership between Spirent and AWS comes days after Telefonica validated AWS as an option for 5G SA core deployment in Brazil. That project also included Spirent as the provider for testing the end-to-end system. AWS has been actively working on 5G networks by collaborating with vendors like Verizon in the past few months.

Ericsson and Partners Attain End-to-End Multivendor 5G Voice Call Posted: 03 Jun 2021 04:00 AM PDT Ericsson conducted a trial to provide the 5G backbone that enabled the Voice over New Radio (VoNR) technology breakthrough. The Voice over New Radio (VoNR) technology will play a key role in enhancing mobile voice quality across vendors and enable new immersive video and extended reality services in the future. The demo trial was conducted at Deutsche Telekom's innovation lab in Warsaw, Poland, on its 5G standalone network infrastructure in test mode. The trial also included several other technology partners. The Test Would Enable Launch of Superior Quality 5G Voice Services The successful completion of the new offering by Ericsson marks an achievement that would be a step towards the commercial launch of superior quality 5G voice services. These 5G voice services would be on cloud-native 5G standalone networks and will offer improved HD voice and speech quality. It will also provide improved video calling quality and an opportunity to serve both 5G voice and 5G data services simultaneously. The test conducted has already showcased 5G voice and 5G data services running in parallel in this regard. It is expected that 5G VoNR will boost new revenue opportunities like immersive video conferencing and 5G interactive calling. These opportunities will come through augmented or virtual reality technologies. Ericsson Has Invested Heavily in the Development of 5G As part of the recently conducted trial, Ericsson provided its 5G solutions like its cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core platform. The technology company also showcased Ericsson Radio System products which included Baseband 6630 and Radio 4422 for mid-band 5G. In the recent past, Ericsson partnered with a subsidiary of the Deutsche Telekom group, T-Mobile US. The partnership aimed to deliver several 5G standalone milestones, including the first low-band 5G standalone voice call using an Evolved Packet System (EPS) fallback to voice over LTE (VoLTE), which enables high-quality voice services based on 4G LTE technologies in 5G standalone architecture. VoNR Demonstrates the Strength and Recognition of Cloud-Native 5G Core Network: Ericsson Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Services at Ericsson, Jan Karlsson, said that the end-to-end 5G VoNR going live with the first call in Deutsche Telekom network demonstrates strength and recognition of Ericsson's cloud-native 5G core network for standalone 5G networks. Deutsche Telekom's SVP of Strategy & Technology Innovation, Alex Choi, also commented on the trial by stating that high quality and seamless voice calling is an effective service for their customers in the 5G era. He added that the introduction of 5G VoNR could differentiate next-generation immersive applications that integrate high speed 5G data with high-definition audio.

Bharti Airtel Deploys Additional Spectrum in Haryana Posted: 03 Jun 2021 03:16 AM PDT Bharti Airtel has announced that it had deployed additional spectrum in Haryana. The company has been on the move deploying additional spectrum in multiple states and telecom circles around the country. Bharti Airtel subscribers living in Haryana will now get a better network experience even during peak hours of usage. Airtel, the second-largest telecom operator of India, deployed 20 MHz of additional spectrum in the state. After the recent deployment of additional spectrum, the telco now has a total of 71.2 MHz of spectrum holdings in the state. Airtel Boost the 2300 MHz Band in Haryana Bharti Airtel has deployed the complete 20 MHz of airwaves in the 2300 MHz band. As mentioned above, the operator now has 71.2 MHz of spectrum holdings in the state. Out of the 71.2 MHz of total spectrum, the telco has 40 MHz in the 2300 MHz band, 26.2 MHz in the 1800+2100 MHz band, and the remaining 5 MHz in the 850 MHz band. Bharti Airtel had acquired the additional spectrum that it deployed in Haryana in the recently held spectrum auctions. Just like it did in every other telecom circle, the telco has further deployed additional next-generation network solutions to set a base for 5G rollout in India. For the unaware, Bharti Airtel has over 5.38 million customers in the state. It is worth noting that the company's network covers 97.57% population of the state. With enhanced network capacity and better 4G speeds, Airtel users in Haryana will experience a seamless internet experience. This will help them if they are working from home or learning from home. Further, users will be able to play entertaining videos without any buffering. Bharti Airtel has been moving fast and is ahead of Reliance Jio in deploying additional spectrum in different states of the country. The company has already deployed additional spectrum in telecom circles, including Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and North East. All the above-mentioned circles are key markets for Airtel because of the number of customers it has there. The company is expected to deploy additional spectrum in multiple other telecom circles in the coming days. Airtel customers around the country will soon get better network services from the company.

Airtel Xstream Fiber Offers a Powerful Router That Can Connect Up to 60 Devices Posted: 03 Jun 2021 02:48 AM PDT Bharti Airtel has been expanding its fiber broadband business around the country. One of the best things about purchasing a new broadband connection from Bharti Airtel is that users can get a free router from the company. All of the Airtel Xstream Fiber plans come with a free router for the users. Since more and more smart devices are being launched in the market every day, the need for a powerful and seamless internet connection has surged. Understanding this, Airtel Xstream Fiber is now offering users a new powerful router that can allow them to connect up to 60 devices with a Wi-Fi network. Airtel Offers 4×4 Router With the Top Plan If you want to connect multiple devices with your Wi-Fi connection, it is important that you purchase a high-end broadband plan. The top plan from Bharti Airtel comes with 1 Gbps speed that is perfect if you are thinking about connecting around 60 devices with your Wi-Fi network. However, to facilitate such high speeds, users need a router that's capable of handling a 1 Gbps speed Wi-Fi network. The 1 Gbps plan from Bharti Airtel comes for Rs 3,999 per month. The company offers a 4×4 router with a 1 Gbps plan without charging the customer anything extra. The 1 Gbps plan coupled with the 4×4 router makes for the perfect combination for users who are looking to connect multiple devices with their Wi-Fi network. At the same time, multiple users can stream high-quality videos and download heavy files with the same Wi-Fi network if they have a capable router and a 1 Gbps internet connection. If the user wants, he/she can also opt for a Wi-Fi router that's not provided by the company. However, it is best advised that if Airtel is providing you with a free router with the connection, you should use that only. This is because the company is offering the most appropriate router for your connection, keeping in view the needs that a user has with a respective plan. The 4×4 router from Airtel can help you connect up to 60 devices with the Wi-Fi network easily.

OnePlus Tag, Would You Buy a Tracking Device From OnePlus? Posted: 03 Jun 2021 01:13 AM PDT OnePlus has become enormous in the last few years by launching some pretty exciting gadgets and garnering a huge fan base around the world. The company has expanded from just smartphones to multiple products such as earphones, power banks, Smart Watches, and more. Now the company might bring another smart product to the market, namely the OnePlus Tag. OnePlus Tag is expected to take on the Apple AirTag and Samsung Galaxy SmartTag. Both Apple and Samsung have launched their smart tracking devices at strangely reasonable rates. But if OnePlus were to come out with such a gadget, we are pretty sure it would eat up a huge chunk of Apple's and Samsung's market share for the concerned product, at least in India. OnePlus Tag Spotted OnePlus Tag was spotted by Neowin and DroidMaze. As per the listing, the company had filed for a trademark for the OnePlus Tag moniker on May 18, 2021. The company hasn't specified what a OnePlus Tag is, and there's no launch date available as well. However, going by the name, it is easily understandable that it would also be a smart tracking gadget much like the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag and the Apple AirTag. OnePlus hasn't even hinted once until now that it is working on such a product. However, it wouldn't be strange or surprising to see OnePlus coming out with such a product. The company has been investing in diversifying its range of products for a few years now. The filing for a trademark from OnePlus could just be for reserving the name for future purposes. When or where the company will launch this product is a mystery for now. However, the question remains, if OnePlus does come out with a product like that, would you buy it? There is an apparent need for a product such as that. If people can get a budget option for such a product that works as well as the premium products from Apple and Samsung, there would be no reason as to why one wouldn't want to buy the OnePlus Tag. However, for the product to be successful, people would want accurate results from the OnePlus Tag.

Vodafone Idea Awarded Add-On Contracts to Huawei: Report Posted: 03 Jun 2021 12:25 AM PDT It has just come to light that Vodafone Idea (Vi), India's third-largest telecom operator awarded Huawei add-on contracts worth Rs 400 to Rs 450 crore. Huawei is a Chinese equipment vendor that has helped Indian Telecom operators in rolling out new generation networks for more than a decade now. However, the government of India has been in a row asking the operators to avoid partnering up with Chinese companies to do anything officially since March. According to an ET Telecom report, Vi had awarded Huawei add-on contracts which are not new contracts. Vodafone Idea's Latest Contracts for Huawei Not New Ones As per the publication, the latest contracts awarded to Huawei by Vi weren't new contracts. Instead, they were just add-on contracts that were offered to supplement the existing projects. Huawei is only helping Vi upgrade the network in the circles where it was already the supplier for the company. However, Huawei is careful and is supplying equipment to Vi on a limited basis since the telco still already owes the Chinese vendor around Rs 850 crore. Going by the report, Huawei is helping Vi in wireless and wireline upgradation. Huawei received this order from Vi around the same time Bharti Airtel awarded the Chinese vendor a contract. However, it is worth noting that the add-on order from Vi had already been offered to Huawei before the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) asked the operators to keep Chinese companies at bay. The operators needed the help of the existing supplier Huawei to upgrade networks before the government came out with the order to ignore Chinese vendors. The most embarrassing thing for Vi here is that Huawei is fulfilling orders in limited quantities. The Chinese vendor doesn't trust Vodafone Idea to pay back the due amount completely, and that is why it is cautious with how much money it is getting stuck with the company. Vi gets 4G wireless equipment from Huawei in seven circles of India, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Kerala, and Delhi. The government is yet to announce the trusted vendor's list. Most likely, Huawei and ZTE are expected to be excluded from the list. Since the list has not been finalised yet, Huawei would be working, hoping that the Indian government includes it in the list as well.

Kodak Announces Unbelievable Prices for Smart TVs Posted: 02 Jun 2021 11:46 PM PDT Kodak, better known for selling professional cameras also indulges itself in the Smart TV market. The company currently offers some of the most affordable Smart TVs in India. In a recent announcement, Kodak has said that it is reducing the price of its Smart TVs for a limited period. The company is offering a bumper sale to the people in India where one can get a new TV starting at just Rs 8,999. Users can also get a 4K Smart TV for a discount if they want to consume content in very high quality. Let's take a look at the prices of the TVs. Kodak CA and 7XPRO Models Receive Limited Period Discounts Kodak has reduced the price of several TVs under the bumper sale. Mentioned below is a table and which lists the model number and the old and new price of the TVs under the sale. Brand Model Normal Day Price Event Price 4th-8th June Kodak 24HDX100S 9499 8,999 Kodak 32HDX900s 11999 11,999 Kodak 32HDX7XPRO 13999 13,799 Kodak 42FHDX7XPRO 21499 20,999 Kodak 43UHDX7XPRO 26999 26,499 Kodak 43CA2022 29999 26,499 (4th – 6th June) Kodak 55UHDX7XPRO 36499 35,499 Kodak 55CA0909 39999 38,499 Kodak is offering two UHD resolution Smart TVs and 2 CA series Smart TVs that are equipped with 4K HDR10 resolution support at a discounted price during the sale. In the CA series Smart TVs, there is further support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Vision, and DTS TruSurround. Further, the CA series Smart TVs from Kodak comes with multiple connectivity ports including HDMI ARC/CEC, USB 2.0, and Bluetooth 5.0. The CA series Smart TVs run on the Android TV 10 platform and let users access all the applications that are there on the Google Play Store. Powering the CA series Smart TVs is a chipset from MediaTek. There is also support for Chromecast which users can leverage to mirror the content of their mobile to the screen of their Smart TV. The bumper sale will start on June 4, 2021, and will end on June 8, 2021. The products will be available on online retail portals of Amazon, Flipkart, Reliance Digital, and Tata CLiQ. However, as mentioned in the table, the 43-inch model (43CA2022) CA series Smart TV will only be available for a discounted price until June 6, 2021.

OnePlus Nord CE 5G Might Come in Three Variants Posted: 02 Jun 2021 11:09 PM PDT OnePlus Nord CE 5G is a smartphone that the whole world is waiting to launch. What's exciting about the product is its price to value proposition. OnePlus launched the first generation of the Nord series last year during the same period as now. The smartphone became a super hit because not only it was priced low, but it also came with powerful specifications. Now people expect the OnePlus Nord CE 5G to be equipped with the same features. Looking at the recent developments, the smartphone might launch in three different variants in India. OnePlus Nord CE 5G Variants (Expected) Yesterday, MySmartPrice revealed an exclusive report in which the publication said that the device might come in two different variants – 6GB+64GB and 8GB+128GB. However, looking at the Geekbench platform for the upcoming Nord device, a 12GB RAM variant might launch as well. Thus, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G might retain the same variants structure the OnePlus Nord series came with to India. The OnePlus Nord was also launched in three variants in India – 6GB+64GB for Rs 24,999, 8GB+128GB for Rs 27,999, and 12GB+256GB for Rs 29,999. As per an earlier leak from @heyitsyogesh, the device is expected to be at least Rs 2,000 cheaper than the OnePlus Nord launched last year. If that is true, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G will become one of the best smartphones in the mid-range segment in India. OnePlus Nord CE 5G Specifications (Expected) According to the same MySmartPrice report, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G is expected to come with a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with support for 90Hz refresh rate. Honestly, if OnePlus could equip the device with a 120Hz display, it would make the smartphone more appealing. Anyhow, the device is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC. Further, the device might come with a triple-camera setup at the rear. The primary sensor at the back is expected to be a 64MP lens paired with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies and video calling, the device might come with a 16MP sensor at the front. The smartphone is further expected to come with Warp Charge 30T support.

Reliance Jio to Make 5G Affordable for India Posted: 02 Jun 2021 10:35 PM PDT Reliance Jio has been very vocal about how it wants India to be at the forefront of the digital revolution. The telecom operator has developed its indigenous 5G solutions to make India self-reliant for the next-generation connectivity requirements. According to a PTI report, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), the parent company of Jio Platforms, announced that Jio is accelerating the rollout of the next-generation indigenously developed 5G stack. The report further highlights the vision of Jio to keep India ahead of other nations in the 'global digital revolution'. With the help of indigenous technology and the scale at which it can deploy the solutions, Jio can make 5G very affordable for India. Jio and Qualcomm Reached 1 Gbps Speed Milestone Reliance Jio had earlier partnered with Qualcomm to test its 5G solutions which helped the company reach a milestone of 1 Gbps speeds. Radisys Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms Limited (JPL), along with Jio and Qualcomm, has developed a next-generation 5G solution with a virtualised Radio Access Network (vRAN). This help the telecom operator in accelerating the rollout of 5G in India. The annual report from the RIL noted that Jio is working to accelerate the rollout of indigenously developed 5G stack and digital platforms. The company's aim is to make the technology affordable for everyone and also available everywhere. With the recent spectrum purchase, the telco can add up to 300 million more users on top of the 426 million existing users on its network. The report from the company said that Reliance Jio is all ready to touch up to a billion lives in India through its digital offerings. While many companies faced losses during the previous financial year because of the lockdowns and other restrictions due to the pandemic, Reliance Jio managed to raise up to Rs 1,52,056 crore from global institutional investors, some of which include companies such as Google and Facebook. The telecom operator has partnered up with Samsung to conduct 5G trials on which it will also use its own developed products to test how they perform in real-life scenarios. It is still a long way to go for India to see a live and commercial 5G network. Looking at the pace at which things are going on at the moment, it will take at least until 2022 for India to get 5G.

Get Your Home Broadband Connection Ready for WFH Posted: 02 Jun 2021 09:30 PM PDT In the year 2020, when the pandemic hit the world and brought down everything along with it, many businesses took a hit as they had to shut down all their offices across locations following government protocols. Even though offices were to remain closed and non-functional, business never stops. This led to companies exploring alternate working model like Work-From-Home. Back in the day when COVID-19 wasn't a thing, work from home (WFH) was just mandatory compliance by companies to ensure a healthy and smooth Business Resiliency Plan, and now, it has become the only option to keep the business running. Countries all around the world are still imposing restrictions on the opening up of commercial offices. If you are a new employee and this is your first job amidst these lockdowns, here are a few ways to ensure your broadband connection at home is well suited for working from home. Broadband Speed Should Be Fast Enough The most important aspect when it comes to ensuring smooth working from home experience is adequate speed. The speed you require will depend on the nature of your work. If your work involves just sending a lot of emails and light internet usage, then 10 Mbps speed would be sufficient for you. However, if your work is requiring a lot of data for video calling, downloading and uploading large files, then you would require higher speed internet. You could either choose to strategise your internet usage at home or consider upgrading your internet plan altogether. Your Computer Needs Streamlining There are many applications that you might not actively use but can drain not just your computer's battery but also use bandwidth unnecessarily and make your internet slow. These can include program updates, security scans, media player pop-ups, media-rich web pages and chat notification. Before you start working, make sure you close all these pop-ups, applications and windows so that you receive the bandwidth you require for work. This will free up the bandwidth of your home broadband connection and make things faster. Router Set-Up and Placement must be Accurate It is popularly known that higher frequency bandwidths have lower wavelengths. Even though you chose a high-speed internet plan for your home broadband connection, an accurate setup and placement of your router will ensure that you receive that speed and a stable connection. You should make sure that your router is always connected to the master socket and not an extension. Once that is done, the next step is to ensure that the router is positioned upright and in the middle of the house to remain unobstructed from walls and other blocking elements. Make sure to keep your router away from other electronic devices as such devices can disrupt your Wi-Fi connection as well.

Aircel Lenders Approach Supreme Court Over NCLAT Order Posted: 02 Jun 2021 09:17 PM PDT The Committee of Creditors (CoC) of Aircel has approached the Supreme Court (SC) to overrule the order of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) that restrict them from selling the spectrum before the overall dues of the company are cleared. Because of the order, Aircel might have to move towards liquidation, which will hurt all of its lenders who are trying to recover their money from the company. To recall, the NCLAT order came back in April 2021, and it affected not only Aircel but also RCom, which is in a similar battle of paying dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). SBI and Other Creditors Approach Supreme Court to Go Against NCLAT Order A senior State Bank of India (SBI) official told ET Telecom that the bank has moved to SC for going against the NCLAT order. As per the report, other parties involved with Aircel, including UVARCL, which has the National Law Company Tribunal's (NCLT) permission to take over the assets of the company along with the resolution professional Deloitte, will soon move to the SC separately to complain against the NCLAT order. For the unaware, NCLAT gave an order which said that companies would need to clear all their dues without which they cannot utilise the spectrum they hold. The only way for companies like Aircel to clear dues is to enter the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Procedure (CIRP) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). This would force Aircel to go into the liquidation process. It is worth noting that RCom is also in a similar battle with the DoT over dues. RCom owes the government Rs 26,000 crore in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, while Aircel owes Rs 12,389 crore. DoT has asked for Rs 14,000 crore from Aircel. But since DoT is an operational creditor of the company, it won't get what it is looking for. The operational creditors, along with DoT, have already been provided with Rs 28.50 crore, which is only 0.16% of the Rs 17,462 crore they wanted to recover. The creditors have moved to the SC to seek the reversal of the NCLAT order. Spectrum is a big asset for the company, and it can help a ton with the resolution plans. If the NCLAT order isn't reversed, SBI would be the one to lose out on most of the money.

Google’s Upcoming Foldable Might Turn a Few Heads Posted: 02 Jun 2021 08:00 PM PDT Google as a company has been responsible for multiple advancements and products, be it the Google search engine, the Android operating system or Youtube, the world’s largest content hub. But, one thing that is often swept under the radar is Google’s hardware prowess, which is often seen playing second fiddle to the company’s immaculate software advancements. The Pixel series of devices were launched with the aim of showcasing what Google feels Android should look like, given how OEMs tend to apply skins or modifications to the bone stock Android which is the base of the device. But, in doing so, Google has time and again failed to, for lack of a better word, highlight the hardware that it has had to offer. From the original Pixel all the way up to the Pixel 5, the company has been offering simplistic, basic yet functional hardware. Leave aside the bathtub notch on the Pixel 3XL, the components used for the build and, especially the back panel on the Pixel, which, until recently was a dual-tone affair has always oozed a sense of luxury. The coloured power button, providing a sense of colour in a rather bland side panel was also something that most people did notice but failed to appreciate. Now, it seems that Google is hard at work to bring it’s first foldable to take on the likes of Samsung and, to do so, it might make use of its opponent’s biggest strength. Google’s Upcoming Foldable Might Use Samsung’s Panel Whilst not a lot of things are known in regards to this mystery foldable, a recent report has mentioned that Samsung could supply its ultra-thin glass or UTG to Google, as per ETNews. As of now, the only electronics to make use of the UTG are owned by Samsung themselves. In case you missed it, Samsung debuted the ultra-thin glass for the cover window on the inner screen on the Z Flip, which later got transferred to the Z Fold 2. What this display did was allow for easy flexibility, with slightly fewer creases and higher durability than that found on the older foldables. Now, if Google does plan to use this display, it could be working on a device that could really take the fight to Samsung, since it can easily keep the company at bay when it comes to software, especially with the new Android 12 UI, which would look fantastic on a foldable screen, which would obviously spread out to provide a larger canvas to that found on a regular 16:9 panel or 21:9 panel. This, when coupled with Google’s aforementioned premium-grade yet ergonomic hardware could result in a product that would be able to undercut its most popular rivals and be slightly more durable and easier to use, as has been the case with Pixels and their matte finish backs which make it a breeze to use the device without any fear of accidental drops.

BSNL Has a Better Offering Than Jio’s Cheapest Plan Posted: 02 Jun 2021 06:33 PM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) hasn't been able to deploy 4G service PAN-India at a time when the other operators are planning to move to 5G. However, the state-run telecom operator still offers prepaid plans that are quite interesting. One particular plan from the telco beats the cheapest prepaid plan from Jio. For the unaware, Reliance Jio brought back its Rs 98 prepaid plan from the grave a few days back. The plan was discontinued a year back due to unknown reasons. However, users who are excited to purchase the Rs 98 plan from Jio must check out the Rs 97 plan that BSNL offers to its users. This is because the Rs 97 plan from BSNL is not only Rs 1 cheaper but also offers more benefits. Here's a side by side comparison for you so that you can make your mind. BSNL Rs 97 Plan Against Reliance Jio's Rs 98 Prepaid Plan Starting with the voice calling benefits, note that both the companies offer truly unlimited voice calling to the users around the country. In terms of validity, the Rs 97 plan from BSNL comes for 18 days, while the Rs 98 plan from Reliance Jio comes for 14 days only. Then in the data department, the Rs 97 plan from BSNL offers users 2GB of daily fair-usage-policy (FUP) data while Jio's plan offers 1.5GB daily data. In total, with the Rs 97 plan from BSNL, users get 36GB of data for more days, while with Jio's plan, which is Rs 1 more expensive, users get 21GB of data for fewer days. There are a few areas where Reliance Jio is ahead of the BSNL's concerned plan. Firstly, since Jio has a better network infrastructure, its users will get better coverage and speeds around the country when compared with the BSNL's network. Second, BSNL's users might be getting 3G speeds most of the time because the telco doesn't have a widespread 4G network around India. Third, there are other benefits included with Reliance Jio's plan, such as JioCinema, JioCloud, JioTV, and more. BSNL's plan comes with free access to the Lokdhum content, which not a lot of users really appreciate. Both the plans have their pros and cons. At the end of the day, in terms of benefits, BSNL's plan is ahead of Jio's plan. However, if you are more concerned about the network quality and the data speed, you should consider going with Reliance Jio's plan. If you are a user who just makes calls and uses data for average needs, you can settle with BSNL's Rs 97 plan without any hesitation.

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