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• Vodafone Idea ARPU Drops Significantly in Q4 FY21
• BSNL Directed to Use Latest Solar Panel Backup to Ensure Constant Connection
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Breaks Sales Records Within First Week of Launch
• Mi India, Cult.Fit Partner Up to Promote Health and Fitness
• 5G Sustainability and Strength Focus Points for Qualcomm’s Green Network Research
• Apple Adds Component Suppliers in Preparation of More mmWave 5G Based iPhone 13s
• Close Competition Expected For 5G Launch in India
• This Networking Solution By Nokia Will Utilise Unlicensed Spectrum
• 900 MHz Deployment by Airtel Will Improve Indoor Coverage in This State
• 5G, Wi-Fi 6 Ready Software From STL to Allow Easy Shift to XaaS Model
• BSNL Can’t Do 5G Straightaway, 4G Required: Opinion
• Dish TV HD Channel Packs Worth Buying Today
• Mavenir, L&T Partner for O-RAN and 5G Test Automation Solutions
• Reliance Jio 5G SA Core Network Validated by Spirent
• Bharti Airtel Revising Postpaid Plans, Will Offer More Data
• Bharti Airtel Gearing Up for 5G With Ciena
• Internet of Everything or IoE Is the Future of Connectivity
• Tata Sky Broadband Allowing Users Big Savings on High Speed Plans

Vodafone Idea ARPU Drops Significantly in Q4 FY21 Posted: 30 Jun 2021 08:52 AM PDT Vodafone Idea (Vi) has become infamous in the market for its poor performance for a long time. The company's financials just can't seem to take a break. The telco just released its financial reports for the year ending March 31, 2021. Vi has registered a significant drop in average revenue per user (ARPU) in the last quarter of FY21. From an ARPU of Rs 121 in Q3 FY21, the number dipped to Rs 107 in Q4 FY21. Further, the telco saw a higher subscriber churn rate of 3% in the last quarter as compared to 2.3% in the Q3 FY21. The drop in ARPU is significant but not surprising given the removal of Interconnect Usage Charges (IUC) from January 1, 2021. Vodafone Idea's Loss Increased With the lowering ARPU and higher subscriber churn rate, the loss for the third-largest telecom operator of the country has increased. Vodafone Idea had posted a loss of Rs 45,408 million in Q3 FY21. But the loss has increased to Rs 69,851 million in the last quarter. The telco has incurred a total loss of Rs 442,331 million in the entire FY21 and its net worth stands negative at Rs 382,280 million. In the report that Vodafone Idea submitted to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the telco said that it is currently in talks with potential investors over fundraising. For the unaware, Vi's board had already approved a Rs 25,000 crore fundraising plan last year. But the telco has been unable to garner interest from any institutional investor who would be happy to lend the proposed amount. Vodafone Idea's Adds 4G Subscribers Regardless of everything that went bad for the telco in the last quarter, it has been able to add new 4G subscribers. As per the report released by Vi, its 4G subscribers stood at 113.9 million at the end of Q4 FY21 as compared to 109.7 million at the end of Q3 FY21. However, the telco's total subscriber base dropped to 267.8 million at the end of Q4 FY21 from 269.8 million at the end of Q3 FY21. The biggest highlight and the sign of worry for the telco is its dropping ARPU. Hopefully, the telco can recover fast on the back of its high capacity and fast 4G networks.

BSNL Directed to Use Latest Solar Panel Backup to Ensure Constant Connection Posted: 30 Jun 2021 08:00 AM PDT It is no wonder that people these days are more dependent on the internet and smartphones than ever before and, why should they not be? In today’s day and age, amidst a global pandemic, the need to stay connected has gravely increased, with tasks such as schooling and office related work having been moved to the online medium. From old people to youngsters, all of them have had to adjust to this digital age, in one way or the other. In a step that will ensure that tribal areas are brought closer virtually, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the government-owned telecom operator BSNL to replace the currently outdated solar backup technology to fix the issue that is related to inadequate bandwidth caused by poor electricity supply in remote and suburban areas of the state. What Does the Court Have to Say? A division of bench of Justices comprising of Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Chander Bhusan Barowalia stated that they were informed by the official of the BSNL that even though the telco has solar back up but the same is based on outdated and obsolete technology using a lead-acid battery. The next hearing of the matter has been listed on July 26, with the judge observing that it seems that one of the major issues of inadequate bandwidth and/or broadband signal is the erratic supply of electricity in backward and far-flung areas of the state, more particularly the tribal areas. He further mentioned that in the given circumstances, the court is of the considered view that old and outdated technology needs to be phased out gradually, and the batteries need to be replaced with the latest technology in a phased manner. The court further directed BSNL to prepare a roadmap that should comprise of the installation of the latest solar panels initially with a focus on the 191 towers that are situated in the backward areas of Himachal Pradesh and then get the same approved via the quarters concerned within a period of one month starting Monday as well as report compliance on the next date of hearing. The judges also found the rates for laying cables in the state to probably be the highest in the country at Rs 1,600 per metre. In regards to this, Advocate General Ashok Sharma was given four weeks time to inform the court in regards to this aspect.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Breaks Sales Records Within First Week of Launch Posted: 30 Jun 2021 07:30 AM PDT In the past, Xiaomi has been known for its flash sale launches and breaking sales records within the first few days of the launch of its smartphone. In a recent update, India's leading smartphone and smart TV brand has announced that their latest smartphone offering in the Mi 11 series, namely the Mi 11 Lite, has crossed sales worth INR 200 crores. This milestone in sales comes within the first week of the phone's launch across offline and online platforms combined. Mi 11 Lite Received Encouraging Response from Mi Fans and Consumers Xiaomi has been offering some great budget smartphones with flagship-like features for the past couple of years. The company advertised its Mi 11 Lite smartphone as the slimmest and lightest phone of 2021. Mi 11 Lite is an addition to the Mi 11 series, which includes other smartphones like Mi 11X 5G, Mi 11X Pro 5G. Mi 11 Lite is the most budget-friendly option in the series. Business Lead for Mi Smartphones Dr Vivek Kumar has commented on the milestone by stating that while Mi continues exploring different facets of technology to introduce best in class innovations, their endeavour has always been to prioritise consumers' feedback and requirements. He further added that the Mi 11 Lite introduces the perks of a flagship-level experience featured in an ultralight and slim form factor for younger audiences. He said that the 200 crore milestone testifies to the support the company has received from its fans and consumers when they try something new and exciting. Expressing his gratitude, he said that he is overwhelmed by the response and that Mi will continue exploring their potential to continue bringing nothing less than the best for all their Mi fans. Mi 11 Lite Features AMOLED Display with 90Hz Refresh Rate The Mi 11 Lite is designed to offer a premium experience on a budget. It comes with a 6.55 inch 10-bit AMOLED DoT display along with a 90Hz refresh rate. Living by the advertised slimmest and lightest tag, the phone is only 6.8mm thick and 157gms in weight. Under the hood, it packs the Snapdragon 732G chipset with a triple camera setup, including a 64MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide lens and 5MP tele macro lens. Other features include IP53 certification for accidental splash resistance and 100 per cent dust ingress protection.

Mi India, Cult.Fit Partner Up to Promote Health and Fitness Posted: 30 Jun 2021 07:13 AM PDT The Covid-19 pandemic has made people realize the importance of health and fitness in our daily lives. During lockdowns, people across the country leveraged online platforms to start their journey towards a healthier lifestyle. A partnership named 'Active with Cult by Mi' has been announced between Mi India, which leads the smartphone market in the country, and Cult.Fit, which is a leading platform for health and fitness. Owing to the demand, the partnership will enrich and enhance one's mental and physical health by focusing on taking small conscious decisions. Xiaomi's Wearable Technology to Be Integrated to Cult. Fit's Workout Culture Mi has been a leader in terms of fitness bands and smartwatches in the budget segment in India. The company recently launched Mi Watch Resolve with a challenge called #WatchfulLiving, which promoted its users to start their journey towards healthy living. Mi India's partnership with Cult.Fit is another effort in its journey of making its consumers lives better every day. The 'Active with Cult by Mi' partnership will assist people to stay fit by making small changes in their lifestyle. These changes would centre around exercise, food and mindset. It will also introduce fitness regimes with conscious incremental improvements. In the mental health space, the partnership will focus on functional watchful living, body positivity and home workouts while complying with the social distancing norms. The Fitness series will be released by Cult. Fit under this collaborative effort and will feature Dance and Fitness Expert Simran Nazare along with Naveen Sharma, who is a yoga expert and many more such experts. Live Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions will also be conducted with personalities like Shwetambari Shetty, along with others. Xiaomi's Mi Watch Resolve Active Promotes Watchful Living The recent smartwatch offering by Xiaomi, named Mi Watch Resolve Active, stands for watchful living through the smart tech embedded inside. The smartwatch comes in a 32gm lightweight design with health-related features like SpO2 monitoring, LifeQ health algorithm and advanced inbuilt GPS with Galileo. Mi Watch Resolve Active comes with 117 sports modes with automatic workout detection and a long-lasting battery. The smartwatch also keeps a check on users' vital stats at all times, which makes it an ideal choice for those seeking an active lifestyle. Mi India is known to identify the importance of a healthy lifestyle and has been working actively to encourage a healthy way of living and adding value to consumers lives by introducing relevant technology. Mi India also comes up with fitness challenges and forms innovative partnerships in this regard.

5G Sustainability and Strength Focus Points for Qualcomm’s Green Network Research Posted: 30 Jun 2021 06:40 AM PDT Technology is an ever-growing industry and is consumed at a large scale. The subsequent energy consumption from the tech industry is also hitting peak levels. The technology industry has been working towards a sustainable future. Under the telecommunications industry, players like Qualcomm have proposed a complementary approach for reducing power consumption. Qualcomm's approach states that power consumption can be optimised even when the network is actively transmitting. Power Amplifiers Are a Major Source for Power Inefficiency Qualcomm's approach suggests that by improving the efficiency of a network's power amplifier, the power consumption can be optimised. Power amplifiers are used with many margins to operate so that non-linear distortion can be avoided. This makes power amplifiers a major source of power inefficiency. Signal quality will be compromised if power amplifiers are moved to a more power-efficient operating point by reducing the margin. Qualcomm showed a combination of signal processing techniques to improve power amplifier efficiency. This alternative was demonstrated in existing base station hardware which goes to show that these solutions can be deployed without a hardware upgrade. Digital Post Distortion is One of the Signal Processing Techniques According to the Senior Director of Technology at Qualcomm Gideon Kutz, digital post distortion is a signal processing technique that, if used, can allow the power amplifier to move to a more power-efficient operating point. Using the digital post distortion method, the non-linear distortions created by power amplifiers in the base station can be rectified in the mobile station. Thus, the signal quality will not be impacted. Gideon also stated that if Qualcomm's approach is extrapolated across a network, there can be a genuine impact on both an operator's operating expenses and at a large enough scale on environmental sustainability as well. Gideon Kutz also revealed that in many cases, it was observed that signal quality is actually better than the baseline, which allows for an increase in spectral efficiency. Qualcomm's demonstrations are a part of the vendor's larger efforts to encourage different vendors and companies to develop algorithms that can be applied to a common energy consumption model for base stations. Such algorithms can provide a better network experience for users, lower operating expenses for operators and a more sustainable world for everyone.

Apple Adds Component Suppliers in Preparation of More mmWave 5G Based iPhone 13s Posted: 30 Jun 2021 06:28 AM PDT Apple, the Cupertino giant had recently revealed the 2020 iPhones, all of which offered support for 5G and, going by the launch event for these devices, it was clearly evident where Apple’s priorities lay, at the time of launch, considering as to how most companies have shifted to an all-5G flagship lineup to cater to the needs of the consumers. The Cupertino giant however was a bit late to this trend, like Samsung, Xiaomi and even Oppo beat the company to the launch of the first 5G handset. It seems however that this was strategical in nature and going forward, Apple is focusing more and more on 5G, as it has now selected five different component suppliers so as to allow the upcoming iPhone 13 series of devices to include the faster mmWave 5G in more and more areas. What Do We Know About Apple’s Plans As mentioned earlier, all iPhone 12 models do come with 5G, but only those sold in the US come with the faster mmWave version. Now, it seems that buyers in certain international countries can expect mmWave in the upcoming iPhone 13 series of devices, as Apple is improving its component orders. As per a report by Digitimes, Apple has now placed orders with the Austrian manufacturer AT&S. The company had previously supplied Apple with mainboards and SiPs or System in Package for the iPhone, but its new role will see it produce AiPs or Antennas in Package for the 5G based handsets. The report mentions that five suppliers will now be providing AiP substrates for the next iPhone, the names of which as AT&S, LG Innotek,  Semco, Kinsus Interconnect Technology and Unimircon Technology. It is believed that each of these five suppliers will receive the same number of orders from Apple, with unspecified sources stating to Digitimes Asia that around 60% of iPhone 13 models will support mmWave, which accounts for approximately 90 million smartphones, give or take. Each of these mmWave 5G supporting iPhones will need four separate AiP components, meaning a total order across the five suppliers of approximately 360 million Antenna in Package substrates will take place. Do note that DigiTimes has usually provided accurate information from the Apple supply chain, but it has a notably weaker track record for predicting Apple’s product plans, so this could stand true, as the report is regarding the former and not the latter.

Close Competition Expected For 5G Launch in India Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:57 AM PDT Indian telecom operators are in "rush to become the first player to launch 5G" and "it is expected to be a close competition," says Deepa Dhingra, senior telecom analyst at GlobalData. Dhingra told TelecomTalk that the "major" telecom operators in India including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are all "highly competitive" and that these operators "have been carrying out 5G trials." In early June, it emerged that Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have been carrying out 5G trials across select locations in India, with Airtel recording over 1 Gbps on Speedtest in its trials. 5G Commercial Launch in India in 2022 Says Analyst The senior telecom analyst at GlobalData said that the company expects 5G commercial launch in India to happen in 2022. "We expect Jio to become the first operator to launch 5G with help of its technology partners Google, Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson," Dhingra told TelecomTalk in an email interview. Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries chairman at the company's annual general meeting on Thursday, said that Jio has "received the necessary regulatory approvals" and the "trial spectrum for initiating 5G field trials." "We are confident of being the first to launch full-fledged 5G services," Ambani said at the annual general meeting on Thursday. "And because of our converged, future-proof architecture, JIO’s network is uniquely positioned to quickly and seamlessly upgrade from 4G to 5G." Further, Ambani said that the largest telecom operator in India has "successfully demonstrated speeds well in excess of 1 Gbps" in its 5G trials. Ambani also said that Jio has installed the 5G standalone network in its data centres across India and also at its trial sites in Navi Mumbai. However, Edelweiss Research, a leading domestic institutional brokerage house on Thursday said that it expects a "limited 5G launch" from Jio in 2022, with a "larger rollout in 2024-25." "The company did not give any timelines and we expect the meaningful rollout to begin in 2023-24 and will be subject to maturity of the ecosystem, in terms of user devices, use cases, operator technology ecosystem, etc," Edelweiss Research said in its report. "We also note that historically choice of technology, with respect to compatibility with various stakeholders, has been [a] key determinant of the success of operators." It also has to be noted that Ambani at the annual general meeting highlighted that Jio is now "working with leading global partners to develop a full range of 5G-capable devices." "The Jio 5G technology is well-positioned to create compelling applications for consumers and enterprises spanning healthcare, education, entertainment, retail and other key verticals of the economy," Ambani said. Further, Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer at Google and Alphabet at the Reliance Industries annual general meeting announced a "new 5G partnership between Google Cloud and Jio." "It will help more than a billion Indians connect to a faster and better internet, support businesses in their digital transformation and help Jio build new services in sectors like health, education and more, laying a foundation for the next phase of India’s digitization," Pichai said at the Reliance Industries annual general meeting. Google Partnership will Help Jio Monetize 5G Services Says Analyst Dhingra highlighted that the largest wireless operator in India will "utilise Google's cloud services to power its home-grown 5G solution." "Furthermore, Jio and Google have [sic] reportedly developing an affordable 5G smartphone to accelerate the adoption of 5G services post the commercial 5G network launch in 2022," Dhingra said. The senior telecom analyst at GlobalData said that Jio and Google are "working to develop a portfolio of 5G edge computing solutions” for multiple industries including healthcare and education. "We believe that Jio's ambition are not limited to providing 5G consumer services, its partnership with Google will help it monetize 5G services by offering a variety of services for [the] business segment," Dhingra said. Jio Platforms, a Reliance Industries subsidiary and the holding company of Jio has since announced that it will take advantage of NXP Layerscape Processors to build its new 5G NR O-RAN small cells solution. In a release on Tuesday, it was said that the new 5G solutions enabled Jio to record over 1 Gbps data rate when tested at 100 MHz channel bandwidth in 3.5 GHz spectrum. "This translates to increased performance for a wide range of segments, enabling innovative applications in smart cities, smart homes, health and education, and significantly enhanced user experience in data download rates for all mobile users," NXP Semiconductors and Jio Platforms said in a release. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel on June 21, 2021, revealed a "strategic partnership" with Tata Group for "implementing 5G networks solutions for India" "Tata Group has developed a 'state of the art' O-RAN based Radio & NSA/SA Core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the Group capabilities and that of its partners," Bharti Airtel and Tata Group said in a release. "This will be available for commercial development starting Jan 2022." Further, Airtel on Tuesday said that it has deployed Ciena's photonic infrastructure designs to nearly triple its optic fiber network capacity for "delivering a world-class 5G experience" to its users. It was said that the second largest operator in India by implementing Ciena's 600G and 800G solutions in the large cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata will enable Airtel to accelerate 5G.

This Networking Solution By Nokia Will Utilise Unlicensed Spectrum Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:33 AM PDT Popular Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia on Wednesday stated that its MultiFire Alliance or MFA certified 4.9G/LTE private wireless networking solution, called the MulteFire router 700 user equipment was now available for deployment via the use of the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud. Nokia said that its MulteFire private wireless solution was suitable for two kinds of deployments, namely permanent networking and temporary deployments, useful in areas such as media broadcasting, sporting and other such use cases. In case you were wondering, MulteFire is an LTE-dependent technology that works in unlicensed spectrum, which includes the global 5GHz band. Nokia has mentioned that the pre-integrated solution will allow for carrier-grade 4.9G/LTE private wireless hosting for a ton of new users. What Do We Know About MulteFire? It also underlined that the solution was now available for global deployment, so it can be used by customers who, currently have no access to licensed spectrum. It can be also be used to add additional capacity over a 5GHz unlicensed spectrum. Stephan Litjens, the Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, Nokia Cloud and Networking Services added that being first to the market with the only fully industry-approved MulteFire solution now available will allow Nokia to set new standards for wireless broadband convenience and affordability in the mass market conditions. Nokia’s unique MulteFire UE solution further extends the company’s market-leading portfolio of industrial-grade connectivity solutions, and by doing so, further brings Industry 4.0 one step closer for small and medium-sized enterprises added Stephan. Will Townsend, the Senior Analyst, Security, Carriers and Enterprise Networking, Moor Insights and Strategy added that MulteFire has the potential to contribute in a significant manner to private wireless networking adoption given the ability to deploy over unlicensed spectrum. Nokia’s focus in terms of easing deployment on a plug-and-play approach should make it a compelling consideration for enterprises concerned about the complexities of managing cellular networking infrastructure. In other Nokia related news, it had recently introduced the new ReefShark SoC, which promises to deliver up to eight times more throughput and can serve up to 8x more cells compared to older generations. They are also very easy to install and simplify the upgrade and extended operation of all AirScale deployments. Nokia's baseband module can support a whopping 90,000 connected users at the same time and deliver 84 Gbps throughput. The highly efficient ReefShark SoC further helps in reducing power consumption by up to 75%. Nokia's modular AirScale baseband enables telecom service providers to scale capacity flexibly and efficiently and as their 5G business evolves.

900 MHz Deployment by Airtel Will Improve Indoor Coverage in This State Posted: 30 Jun 2021 05:02 AM PDT Bharti Airtel, today said that it has upgraded its mobile network in Himachal Pradesh to deliver the best indoor network experience for its customers by deploying 9.6 MHz in 900 MHz spectrum band for high-speed data services. The high propagation and reach of 900 MHz spectrum enables wider network availability and improved data speeds along with better coverage inside homes and buildings in urban and rural areas. This upgrade complements the recently deployed 17.4 MHz additional spectrum across Himachal Pradesh, and will further strengthen the network capabilities benefitting the access of high-speed data services to customers. Manu Sood, Hub CEO – Upper North, Bharti Airtel, said, "The deployment of 9.6 MHz in 900 MHz spectrum band for high-speed data services is in line with our endeavour to deliver deep indoor & wider reach to our customers across Himachal Pradesh. We continue to invest aggressively on network upgrades and new spectrum to deliver world class service experience at a time when our customers need it the most." Airtel has the largest spectrum bank at 70 MHz in Himachal Pradesh with 40 MHz in 2300 MHz band, 20 MHz in 1800 MHz + 2100 MHz bands, and 10 MHz in 900 MHz band. Following the pandemic, the adoption of the work from home, online classes, video streaming has witnessed a massive surge. Airtel's intervention to build additional capacities will go a long way in helping customers stay connected. Airtel has also deployed advanced network technologies and tools such as pre-5G Massive MIMO, 4G Advanced and Carrier Aggregation to step up high speed network capacity and coverage.

5G, Wi-Fi 6 Ready Software From STL to Allow Easy Shift to XaaS Model Posted: 30 Jun 2021 03:53 AM PDT STL, an industry-leading integrator of digital networks on Wednesday launched an all-new Network Software portfolio under the name of NSW 2.0, with the new generation of software solutions from the company tipped to offer multi-tenant, micro-services based architecture which is cloud0native with a hyper-scaler certified approach that should allow telcos to jump towards an Everything-as-a-Service or XaaS economy. At this moment of time, the telecom industry is at an inflation point and is currently witnessing a shift in terms of its consumption and pay-as-you-go model. There is also an increased need for the unlocking of new revenue streams and infrastructures, as well as the adoption of agile business models. A report that was recently has suggested that approximately 72% of 5G revenue growth is dependent on the transformation of OSS/BSS. However, the shift to the better suited XaaS model is obstructed by data security, integration complexity and costs. STL's new NSW 2.0 portfolio will enable Communications Service Providers or CSPs to make use of the rapid evolution when it comes to open architectures, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, cloud models. What Do We Know About STL’s Plans With this next-gen portfolio in place, CSPs will be able to gain the ability to scale via reduced CapEx and faster time-to-market. It will also lead to the acceleration of their transition to open and cloud-native platforms as well as dead to the simpler and faster digital renaissance. This innovation is enabled by STL's deep telco tribal knowledge in terms of software development capability and mission-critical deployments. STL's NSW2.0 portfolio offers support for multi-vendor plug-and-play components via a standardised TM-Forum compliant API suite. This consists of Digital+, API-first, Cloud-Native and Pro-Edge so as to help digital service providers monetise features like 5G, Wi-Fi 6, platform fiction, and seamless Business As Usual. Saikat Mitra, the COO of Network Software stated that for communication and digital service providers, the company has designed everything stack for Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) economy with the new STL NSW 2.0 portfolio. With this portfolio, we are confident that CSPs would be able to leverage the company’s enhanced portfolio that is using state-of-the-art technology and architecture. Accelerating 5G monetisation for CSPs requires an evolution of BSS/OSS, and the company and its employees are already 5G ready.

BSNL Can’t Do 5G Straightaway, 4G Required: Opinion Posted: 30 Jun 2021 02:28 AM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), regardless of its falling reputation, is loved by many in India. One thing that's become evident from the statements of the government is that the telco won't be privatised and its 4G networks will be leveraged to make it profitable again. There are many who question BSNL's attempt to roll out 4G networks when it is on the verge of becoming a legacy network and believe that the telco should invest in 5G instead to gain the upper hand over the other operators. But it isn't as simple; let me explain. BSNL Can't Invest on 5G Directly One thing that you need to understand about 5G is that there will be two types of 5G networks available in India – 5G standalone (SA) and 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks. In simple words, 5G NSA, as the name suggests, will operate with a 5G radio being dependent on a 4G core and 4G network while 5G SA will operate independently where the 5G radio will be directly connected to the 5G core. Now, why is this important to understand? Hear me out. BSNL has two options here, either jump to 5G directly or go with 4G. The telco can't go with 5G because – a) it doesn't have an existing 4G network to roll out 5G NSA network; b) 5G SA is way more costly than deploying 5G NSA, and c) BSNL doesn't have the money to invest 5G SA on top of which the lack of experience of Indian vendors and proven technology in the area is a problem. Understand that even if the government gives BSNL a lot of money to roll out 5G SA networks, it might not be any different in speeds than 5G NSA because of the frequency or the airwaves the networks might be operating in. So it won't even make sense for the cash-strapped telco to waste its money on a network that might be as good as 5G NSA. What Can BSNL Really Do? BSNL can keep its focus on 4G. This is because a successful 4G rollout will ensure that BSNL can upgrade its networks to 5G NSA. Note that it's entirely possible for the telco to migrate from 5G NSA to 5G SA in the future if it has the required resources. BSNL added subscribers in the months of January and March 2021 on the back of 3G networks. Just imagine how the telco's fortunes might change once 4G networks are live. The only thing that BSNL can really do here is try to retain its existing customers by rolling out excellent promotional offers and, in the backend, keep working on rolling out its 4G networks. The state-run telco is doing what it can to survive. But it just isn't enough for the long-term. BSNL needs 4G as soon as possible so that it can think about 5G in the first place. If BSNL is unsuccessful in rolling out 4G networks by the next 14 months and there are further delays in its plans, the telco's future looks very grim.

Dish TV HD Channel Packs Worth Buying Today Posted: 30 Jun 2021 01:20 AM PDT Dish TV offers some of the best channel packs and deals to its users. The company keeps on introducing new channel packs at regular intervals and also keeps removing the old ones that don't garner user's interest. If you are someone who loves watching his/her favourite content in High Definition (HD) quality, Dish TV has got a lot of offers for you. You can navigate to the company's website and search the Dish TV HD channel packs combos. These HD channel pack combos start from Rs 78 and range up to Rs 417 per month. Let's take a look at all the Dish TV HD channel packs that are worth your money today. Dish TV HD Channel Packs Dish TV offers HD channel packs or combos with different language preferences. Users can choose from Hindi, Bangla, Odiya, Marathi, and Gujarati combos. We are going to list a few plans here that are worth your money from each of the different languages the company provides combo packs in. Starting with Hindi, there's a Rs 281 'MAXI SPORTS HSM HD' pack that users can purchase. It comes with a total of 70 pay channels under which 25 channels are HD and 45 channels are SD. It covers channels from entertainment, news, sports, and kids genres. Note that the price mentioned here and anywhere ahead in the article is exclusive of network capacity fee (NCF) and taxes all of which will be applicable at the time of the purchase. Moving ahead, under the Bangla category, there's a 'SUPER FAMILY BANGLA HD' plan that costs Rs 290 and offers users 60 pay channels under which there are 27 HD channels and 33 SD channels. This channel pack includes popular kids and infotainment channels along with some Hindi and all of Bangla channels. If you are looking for an Odiya HD channel pack combo from Dish TV, you can go for the Rs 310 'MAXI SPORTS ODIA HD' pack. It comes with 66 pay channels under which users get 25 HD channels and 41 SD channels. This pack includes all Odia, Hindi, kids, and infotainment channels. Talking about the Marathi HD channel combo pack from Dish TV, you can choose the Rs 276 pack which is 'SUPER FAMILY MARATHI HD' pack. This pack comes with 58 channels where there are 28 HD channels and 30 SD channels. With this pack, users get all Marathi channels along with some Hindi, popular kids and infotainment channels. Lastly, if you are looking for a Gujarati HD channel combo pack, you can purchase the 'MAXI SPORTS GUJARATI HD' pack for Rs 281. It comes with 67 pay channels where 25 channels are HD and 42 channels are SD. It is a good channel pack for you if you love sports and also want Gujarati, Hindi and other entertainment channels.

Mavenir, L&T Partner for O-RAN and 5G Test Automation Solutions Posted: 30 Jun 2021 12:28 AM PDT L&T Technology Services (LTTS) Limited today announced a strategic partnership with Mavenir for delivering end-to-end 5G automation services. For the unaware, Mavenir is a network software provider that aims to build the future of networks with cloud-native software that can run on any cloud. The partnership for automation services between the companies will include Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) automation of the 5G ORAN portfolio of DU/CU/RU products, together with the Cloud Native 5G NSA and SA core network products, for global frequency bands supporting FDD and TDD technology. LTTS to Contribute to Mavenir's Cloud-Native Product Roadmap With this partnership, Mavenir stands to increase the market share of its cloud-native products in the 5G telecom landscape. LTTS's long history in the delivery of telecom equipment and products and services and rising portfolio of ready-to-use 5G components played an important role in the formation of this agreement between the two companies. LTTS will add to the acceleration of Mavenir's cloud-native product roadmap driving increased market share for the company in the 5G telecom landscape. This partnership between Mavenir and LTTS also makes possible a unique opportunity for co-creation and adds to the joint go-to-market strategy driving innovation in the 5G space towards enterprises and communications service providers (CSPs). Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO of Mavenir, said that this partnership between the companies would help Mavenir in enhancing and improving its go-to-market strategy. Amit Chadha, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of L&T Technology Services, said 5G ORAN solutions are disrupting the market's traditional methods of looking at providing network services to consumers and several objects across the industry verticals. Chadha said this partnership will enable both the companies in driving better solutions to the market and serve the increasing global demand for connectivity and enriched services. Chadha further said that LTTS is looking forward to providing Mavenir with world-class and comprehensive automation solution and help the company in accelerating its innovation in the 5G space.

Reliance Jio 5G SA Core Network Validated by Spirent Posted: 29 Jun 2021 11:41 PM PDT Reliance Jio recently announced that it had partnered with Spirent Communications, one of the leading companies in testing, assuring, and analytics solutions for next-generation networks and devices. The partnership between the two companies focused on validating the cloud-native 5G standalone (SA) core network of Jio for real-world traffic conditions and workload leveraging Spirent's Landslide. Spirent's Landslide Successfully Validates Jio's 5G Core Network Landslide from Spirent was successful in validating Jio's 5G core network for heavy data plane workloads and heavy signalling using hardware acceleration technologies, in addition, to support for falling back to LTE and providing support for HD voicer over NR (VoNR) at the same time. Reliance Jio used Landslide for performing core network capacity tests, measuring data throughput from the device, and check a wide variety of complex end-user behavioural mobility scenarios and call models. The successful results have helped Reliance Jio in subjecting its "all IP Network" to 5G and VoNR-based standalone and adjacency tests – which is perceived by the company as a big achievement for its 5G core functions. Landslide also validated Jio's 5G SA core solutions compliance to 3GPP functions. Peter Tan, Spirent's VP and General Manager for the APAC region said that Spirent's portfolio of solutions can test from the core of the network to the edge of the RAN and because of that, Spirent is able to support individual node emulation capabilities to perform adjacency tests. Tan said this further helped Reliance Jio in verifying the performance, interoperability, conformance, and security of its 5G and IMS networks. Jio further said that it will be looking to leverage Spirent's Landslide technology to validity several use cases of its 5G networks and solutions as well. For the unaware, Reliance Jio has already started testing 5G networks in Mumbai using airwaves in the mid and mmWave bands. India's number one telecom operator is using homegrown and indigenous solutions to test its 5G networks. In terms of numbers of 5G sites deployed in Mumbai for trials, Reliance Jio is conducting a bigger 5G trial as compared to its rival Bharti Airtel. It is still a long time to go for India to see live commercial 5G networks.

Bharti Airtel Revising Postpaid Plans, Will Offer More Data Posted: 29 Jun 2021 10:51 PM PDT Bharti Airtel is soon going to revise its postpaid plans' benefits and prices. The change won't affect every plan, but only the select ones.  Industry sources told TelecomTalk that Airtel will be increasing the price of its add-on postpaid SIM plan for inviting a family member and the benefits of one of its popular family postpaid plans. The plans in concern here are the Rs 249 and the Rs 999 plan. The Rs 249 plan is offered to the customers so that they can invite a family member as an add-on connection which will now come with more data benefits. Further, the Rs 999 plan will also see a change in benefits, but not price. Bharti Airtel Rs 249 Add-On Postpaid Plan Now Offers More Data Bharti Airtel's Rs 249 add-on postpaid SIM plan will see a price hike of Rs 50. The new price of the plan will become Rs 299 per month. However, along with the price, the benefits of the plan will also be increased by Bharti Airtel. The Rs 249 plan offered users 10GB of data. But with the price increasing to Rs 299 per month, Airtel will be increasing the quota of monthly data to 30GB for the users. Airtel's Rs 999 Family Postpaid Plan Benefits to be Revised Further, Bharti Airtel will be revising the benefits of its Rs 999 postpaid plan. Currently, the second-largest telecom operator in India offers 150GB of monthly data to the user with this plan along with a data rollover facility. Users also get 100 SMS/day along with unlimited voice calling. There are over-the-top (OTT) benefits of Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Airtel Xstream Premium, and other Airtel Thanks benefits as well. Since this is a family plan, users get 4 family add-on connections with this plan. However, after the revision, the data benefits offered by the plan will be increased but the number of family add-on connections will drop from 4 to 3. The industry source didn't mention how much extra data will be offered by the plan, but it will be clear soon once Airtel makes the changes officially. Bharti Airtel will be changing the benefits of the plans in order to help people working and learning from home who require more data.

Bharti Airtel Gearing Up for 5G With Ciena Posted: 29 Jun 2021 09:37 PM PDT Bharti Airtel is working with Ciena to upgrade its networks to prepare for the arrival of 5G in India. The telco has recently deployed Ciena's 600G and 800G photonic solutions in multiple metro cities of India, including Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi. This will help the operator in increasing the overall fiber optic network capacity by up to 3 times. Thus, once 5G networks are commercially live, the increased capacity will help Airtel a ton in providing seamless connectivity services to its customers. ET Telecom's report suggests that the deployment will also be useful when it comes to supporting high-growth cloud applications and, at the same time, will also be lowering the cost per bit. Bharti Airtel and Ciena's Partnership to Build India's Largest Photonic Control Plane Network For the unaware, Bharti Airtel and Ciena went into a partnership back in January 2020 for deploying Ciena's coherent optical and intelligent software platforms to create one of the biggest Photonic Control Plane networks that India has. With the increased optic fiber capacity, Bharti Airtel will be able to handle the spike in the data demand that the Internet-of-Things (IoT), businesses, and consumers will drive with the arrival of 5G in India. Bharti Airtel is already testing its 5G network in Gurgaon's Cyber Hub, where the telco was able to deliver a throughput of 1 Gbps. Further, last week, Bharti Airtel had announced that it was entering into a strategic partnership with the Tata Group for purchasing and deploying Tata's homegrown Open-RAN based 5G radio and core solutions. Airtel said that it would be deploying Tata's indigenous network solutions in January 2022 to support its plans of launching 5G services in the year ahead. Bharti Airtel's networks around the country are 5G ready. It is worth noting that Airtel became the first telecom operator in the country to demonstrate a live 5G network in the city of Hyderabad using Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology and leveraging airwaves in the 1800 MHz band. As per the publication, Airtel has deployed WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optics in addition to Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller for improving the efficiency of the networks and supporting high-bandwidth services.

Internet of Everything or IoE Is the Future of Connectivity Posted: 29 Jun 2021 08:53 PM PDT With the arrival of 5G, one of the major leaps in the connectivity industry would be the enhanced use-cases of Internet-of-Things (IoT). However, IoT has a limitation, it can only connect 'things' or 'machines'. While that is still advanced and would ease industrial processes and even the way people do most things on a daily, the real game-changer will be the Internet-of-Everything (IoE). What is IoE? To make it simple for you, IoE is a step above IoT. IoT can be a narrow way of looking at connectivity while IoE is a wider vision. IoE takes its foundation from IoT and builds on that to connect more things and people. The term IoE was coined first by a major telecommunications equipment vendor Cisco. As per Cisco, IoE will look at connecting people, processes, data and things. IoT on the other hand only focuses on connecting machines. With a better-connected world, the experience of communicating and sharing data will be enriched and this would be a big thing for businesses at a base level. IoE Works on Four Pillars There are four pillars on which IoE works – a) People, b) data, c) process, and d) things. These four elements connected would make the world an even smaller place and it would surpass everything humans have ever thought about connectivity. IoE would stand to completely change how businesses and people behave at a base level and would reinvent multiple industries. With IoE, the world will take a major step ahead in terms of connectivity and the digital age. However, note that IoE is not possible as of yet. IoE Still Years Away The 5G networks are capable of delivering high-speeds and ultra-low latency to the consumers. However, they are not enough for IoE. IoT can be powered and boosted by the 5G networks, but for IoE to become a reality anytime soon, the world will have to wait for 6G. It will be live 6G networks which will have the true capacity to empower connectivity of everything that is essential to collect data from. With the power of 6G, IoE should become a part of the world by at least 2030 or some more years away. If IoT can help industries in a big way, it is unimaginable what IoE will be able to do. With the advent of the digital age, data has become money and IoE will be a big push towards making everything digital.

Tata Sky Broadband Allowing Users Big Savings on High Speed Plans Posted: 29 Jun 2021 06:32 PM PDT Tata Sky Broadband has been growing at a decent pace in India. Tata Sky is a company that is largely known for offering Direct-to-Home (DTH) services; however, its broadband arm is getting recognition in the circles it provides services in. The only sort of negative about the Tata Sky Broadband is that its plans are a little on the expensive end when compared with the plans of JioFiber and Airtel Xstream Fiber, two of the leading fiber broadband service providers in the country. But Tata Sky's plans become cheaper when users purchase them for the long term. Here's how you can save up to Rs 7,200 with a Tata Sky Broadband plan. Tata Sky Broadband Plans for Long-Term Bring Hefty Benefits Tata Sky allows its users to save on long-term plans. But the long-term plan benefits are offered to the users when they at least purchase a 100 Mbps plan or more. With the 100 Mbps plan, users can save up to Rs 3,000 when they purchase a 12 months plan. As with the 1 Gbps plan, users can save up to Rs 7,200 on the purchase of the 12 months plan. The company also offers 150 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 300 Mbps, and 500 Mbps plans, all with discounts on long-term purchases. However, there is no discount on the long-term purchase of the 12 months plan. There are benefits on purchase of the 100 Mbps plans and above for 3 and 6 months as well. It makes sense for the users to go with the long-term plans from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) because the monthly plans are quite expensive. One of the things that Tata Sky Broadband still misses out on is offering over-the-top (OTT) benefits to the users. If it can do that, its plans will really become competitive. However, there's still free installation that the company offers, and the users also get a free dual-band router from the company, which can support high-internet speeds. The data that the users get with Tata Sky's plan is 3,300GB or 3.3TB per month. Note that if you are purchasing a 50 Mbps or a one month plan from the company, you will have to pay a 100% refundable security deposit of Rs 1,000 at the time of purchase. Also, internet plans that offer 300 Mbps or more speed are only available in select circles of the country where the company provides services in. Users can also request a free landline connection; however, the instrument/telephone needs to be purchased separately from a third-party retailer or company.

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