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• Tata Sky Music Revamped, Now Available for Rs 2.5 Per Day Only
• Google Assistant Will Get This Key Usability Feature Soon
• Airtel Xstream Fiber Crushes Spectra’s 1 Gbps Broadband Plan
• Mauritius’ First Satellite MIR-SAT1 Docked at ISS Post 26 Hour Journey
• 5 MHz Spectrum in 700 MHz to Be Allocated to Indian Railways: Centre
• 5G mmWave Trial by US Cellular Achieves New Distance Record
• Releasing Movies Directly on OTT An Experiment Say Indian Multiplexes
• Skylo-Inmarsat to Enable World’s First Commercial Narrowband IoT Over Satellite
• France Witness 3.7 % Increase in 5G Authorised Sites
• Masmovil 5G Network Extends Reach to 340 Spanish Cities
• Role of Internet in Revolutionising Education
• Reliance Jio Offering Users New Ways to Recharge Online
• Reliance Jio Pushing for ‘Make in India’ 5G
• Vodafone Brings 4G O-RAN to Two New Rural Sites
• Broadband Companies Should Offer Standard Plans
• JioPhone Users Will Now Be Able to Make WhatsApp Voice Calls
• Spectrum Fight Between Telcos and Satellite Broadband Companies Emerge
• Realme 8 5G vs Poco M3 Pro 5G: Which One Should You Pick
• SITI Broadband Almost Beats Jio, Airtel in This Category

Tata Sky Music Revamped, Now Available for Rs 2.5 Per Day Only Posted: 09 Jun 2021 09:45 PM PDT Tata Sky offers very creative and innovative services to its customers. The company's Binge service is a testament to the fact that Tata Sky wants not only wants convenience for its customers but also wants them to get it for cheap. The company offers a plethora of entertainment services to users. One of those services is its music service. Earlier, Tata Sky used to offer Tata Sky Music and Tata Sky Music+. But now, the company has announced a revamped music service that will integrate the best parts of both the Tata Sky Music and Tata Sky Music+. The revamped music service from the company will be called Tata Sky Music. Tata Sky Music Subscribers Will Get Hungama Music Pro for Free Users who subscribe to the Tata Sky Music will get the Hungama Music Pro subscription for free. For the unaware, the Hungama Music Pro costs Rs 99 per month. Further, users will get to stream songs from 20 different audio stations and 5 video stations as well. One of the best things about purchasing the Tata Sky Music subscription would be the ad-free experience that the user will get. Further, if users are accessing the service through their smartphones, they can also download songs for offline listening. There is no limit on offline downloads, so users can download as much as they want. It is worth noting that users can access the Tata Sky Music service both on their smartphones as well as TVs. There will be different kinds of music available, including regional, international, ghazal, devotional, hindustani, and more. This is an excellent proposition from Tata Sky because it is only available for Rs 2.5 per day. It is much cheaper than some of the other music platforms out there and offers more content than them. Tata Sky Music is also good for a family because it offers a 360-degree affordable family plan. For utilising the service on your smartphone, you can download the Tata Sky Mobile app both on your Android and iOS device. Customers who are already subscribed to the Tata Sky Music and Tata Sky Music+ will be upgraded to the revamped service automatically.

Google Assistant Will Get This Key Usability Feature Soon Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:00 PM PDT Google has been known to provide some great tools over the last couple of years, from Android as an operating system to the Google search that is one of the best search engines in recent times. Another key tool that Google has provided in recent times is the Google Assistant, which is the most well known AI assistants in recent times. This is quite a feat considering how Apple beat the tech giant to the first AI assistant by launching Siri. Despite the delay, it is common knowledge that Google’s offering is leaps and bounds ahead of Apple’s when it comes to key features like ease of use, accessibility and voice control. Now, it has been revealed that Google will be bringing a key change to the assistant that will make using it even more easy, especially for users who do not want to say the keyword that is “Hey Google”. What is This New Feature? Google announced recently that a bunch of features will be coming to the Assistant during Google I/O 2021 as part of the Android 12 update, one of which is shortcut expansions. Furthermore, a teardown of the latest Google App with the version v12.22.5 which was conducted by XDA Developers has revealed a new feature that will be added to the Assistant in some time. This new feature, which will be called quick phrases will allow users to interact with the Google Assistant without having to say the “Hey Google” keyword. According to the aforementioned report, the feature will work for the most common voice interactions, which will include uses such as cancelling a ringing alarm or an ongoing timer. The feature is currently available under the code-name”guacamole” and was initially spotted in April of 2021 when the “voice shortcuts” page appeared in Google Assistant’s settings for certain users. Along with this, the latest Google App will also include strings that are related to the dynamic shortcuts feature which was announced in May. Once it is rolled out, the assistant will start suggesting shortcuts based on the user’s app usage and the context on hand. This feature, which was first introduced with Android Nougat in order to allow developers to provide context-specific actions within their apps. The new Chips for suggestions will appear at the bottom of the Assistant UI, much like the existing action suggestions. Both of these features will be rolled out to the top Android devices in the near future, with the ability to switch off your phone via the assistant coming as well.

Airtel Xstream Fiber Crushes Spectra’s 1 Gbps Broadband Plan Posted: 09 Jun 2021 06:32 PM PDT Airtel Xstream Fiber is the fibre broadband arm of Bharti Airtel. The company already has millions of broadband customers across India and is expanding to more locations as fast as possible. Bharti Airtel offers a series of broadband plans, but its fastest plan comes with 1 Gbps speed. If you are one of those people who wants a 1 Gbps broadband plan, you might be confused about which company should you go with, especially when you can get the 1 Gbps plan at different rates from different companies. Today we compare the Airtel Xstream Fiber's 1 Gbps plan with Spectra's 1 Gbps plan to see which company offers better value. Airtel Xstream Fiber 1 Gbps Plan Airtel Xstream Fiber offers the 1 Gbps plan for Rs 3,999 per month. This plan comes with 3.3TB fair-usage-policy (FUP) data along with a free voice calling connection. Users can also pay Rs 1,500 and get the Xstream Box from the company. The Rs 1,500 paid for the Xstream Box will be completely refundable. The plan offers over-the-top (OTT) benefits of Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Airtel Xstream Premium, Wynk Music, and other Airtel Thanks benefits. Users further get a dual-band router from the company, which is capable of facilitating 1 Gbps speeds to the connected devices. Spectra 1 Gbps Plan Spectra's 1 Gbps plan comes for a monthly cost of Rs 2,499 only. There are no data restrictions for the users meaning you can consume as much data as you want. Users get symmetrical speeds with the plan, and the company provides the user with a broadband router that is capable of delivering 1 Gbps speeds. However, there are no OTT benefits at all with the 1 Gbps broadband plan from Spectra. There's one thing you should note; the company will take a total of Rs 9,309 for the connection when you purchase it. This will include Rs 2,499 (base price of the plan) + Rs 2,000 (installation fee) + Rs 2,000 (refundable router charge), and Rs 2,000 (unknown charge) and Rs 810 in taxes. Which Company's Plan is Better? While Spectra's plan is cheaper after the first month, it is still not that cheap to exclude OTT benefits completely. Further, the company charges a lot of money when purchasing the connection, which is a big commitment that might make a lot of users a little nervous. Airtel offers a ton of OTT benefits, enough data, free installation, voice calling benefit, and a great uptime of the connection. Airtel Thanks benefits also include a subscription to platforms such as Shaw Academy for 1 year and more.

Mauritius’ First Satellite MIR-SAT1 Docked at ISS Post 26 Hour Journey Posted: 09 Jun 2021 09:16 AM PDT Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Republic of Mauritius The Mauritius Ministry of IT, Communication and Innovation on Wednesday released information in relation to the launch of Mauritius' first satellite that is called Mauritius Imagery and Radiotelecommunication Satellite 1, which has finally docked at the International Space Station after travelling a span of 26 hours onboard the SpaceX-CRS22 Cargo Dragon. The data from the satellite will be put to use for various purposes which will include maritime surveillance of the exclusive economic zone, climate change adaptation, weather forecasting as well as road traffic management. This marks a historic move for Mauritius which has wished to engage in the spheres of space and satellite technology as part of the national development agenda. The ministry announced that the debut Mauritian nanosatellite MIR-SAT1 had docked at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX-CRS22 Cargo Dragon rocket on Saturday 5 June 2021. The spacecraft travelled for approximately 26 hours prior to reaching the ISS, after it took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, in Florida, United States, on Thursday, on the 3rd of June at 17:29 UTC (21:29 Mauritian time – GMT+4). What Will the Nanosatellite Do? The Mauritian nanosatellite will be sent into low earth orbit from the space station by 22 June. This marks a historic move for Mauritius which envisions engaging in the spheres of space and satellite technology, as mentioned earlier. The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Deepak Balgobin and other key dignitaries saw the SpaceX-CRS22 Cargo Dragon rocket take off from the Government House in Port Louis. Amongst those present were members of the Board of Directors of the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC), which is the Government agency operating the pioneering nanosatellite project in Mauritius. Minister Deepak Balgobin stated that after two years of hard work, the nanosatellite had now reached the ISS. This springboard to space will open up new opportunities and initiatives for the country via space and satellite technology and gives new impetus to socio-economic development. Mauritius made the first big step into space science and technology, with this being a momentous achievement and reflects the vision of the Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, of a knowledge-based economy. Even if the satellite is small in size, just like the island, today's launch indicates that the giant leap has been successful and poses Mauritius high in the sky. Furthermore, the MRIC has set up a ground station at Ebène in order to receive data from low-orbiting MIR-SAT 1. This data will be used for various purposes such as maritime surveillance of Mauritius' vast exclusive economic zone, climate change adaptation, weather forecasting and road traffic management.

5 MHz Spectrum in 700 MHz to Be Allocated to Indian Railways: Centre Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:24 AM PDT The Indian Government on Wednesday announced that it had approved the allocation of 5 MHz spectrum when it comes to the 700 MHz band to the Indian Railways, which will ensure public safety and security services at stations and within the trains. In a statement by the government, it was mentioned that with the 700 MHz band spectrum, Indian Railways has planned on providing LTE. better known as Long Term Evolution based Mobile Train Radio Communication on the route. The estimated investment in the project is going to be more than Rs 25,000 Crore. The project will be completed in the next 5 years. Furthermore, the government has mentioned that the LTE will provide and allow for secure and reliable voice, video, and data communication services that can ensure safety and security services perform at optimum levels. Additionally, the spectrum that will enable LTE will also be leveraged when it comes to modern signalling and train protection systems, as well as to properly provide seamless communication between loco pilots and guards. What Does The Statement Mention? This will also allow the railways to take a step further and enable the Internet of Things or IoT dependent remote monitoring of coaches, wagons, and locomotives coupled with the live video feed of CCTV cameras in the train coaches, as per the statement. It further mentioned that the spectrum charges might be levied based on a formula basis as prescribed by the Department of Telecommunications for Royalty Charges and License Fee for captive use as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. To add to this, the Indian Railways has also approved TCAS, better known as Train Collision Avoidance System, which is an indigenous system that has been developed in addition to ATP or Automatic Train Protection System, which will help prevent train collisions. Tony Verghese, Partner of J Sagar Associates, commented that this decision of the government would contribute significantly to the modernization of the railway communication infrastructure and improving the safety of travel as well as the quality of signalling for operations. The recommendations of TRAI in 2019 seems to have been accepted with the spectrum being allocated specifically for captive usage and not commercial use, with a royalty charge and license fee applicability payable to the Department of Telecommunications. Due to this, the Wi-Fi enhancement capabilities for end customers will not be a focus, for now, however the implementation of safer and faster journeys, resulting in increased revenues."

5G mmWave Trial by US Cellular Achieves New Distance Record Posted: 09 Jun 2021 06:30 AM PDT In a new trial conducted by US Cellular in collaboration with Nokia and Qualcomm, the telecom operator has achieved a new distance record over 5G mmWave. The three companies were able to achieve an extended range connection of more than 10 kilometres over the 5G millimetre wave. This comes just weeks after US Cellular demonstrated sustained average downlink speeds of about 1 Gbps and a peak speed of 2 Gbps in its live network at a distance of 7 kilometres. 5G mmWave Trial Recorded Downlink and Uplink Speed of 1 Gbps and 57 Mbps Respectively The 5G mmWave trial was in partnership with Nokia and Qualcomm as it utilized Nokia's AirScale Baseband and mmWave Radios in the 28 GHz (n261) band and Qualcomm's Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Platform generation 1. FWA is a method through which homes and business receive wireless connectivity through radio links between two fixed points. The FWA method does not need any fibre and cables for last-mile connectivity. Qualcomm says that FWA enables mobile operators to address connectivity gaps in under and unserved communities. The 5G mmWave trial conducted by the three companies have also achieved other milestones along with the 10 Km distance record. They recorded average downlink speeds of about 1 Gbps, and uplink speeds reached 57 Gbps approximately during the trial. 5G mmWave Technology Can Provide High Performance 5G US Cellular's Executive Vice President, Mike Irizarry, has stated that these latest trial results indicate the important role that fast, reliable wireless service plays in keeping people connected irrespective of where they live or work. He further added that with 5G mmWave technology by Nokia and Qualcomm, US Cellular could provide its customers with leading-edge capabilities of high performance, ultra-low latency 5G. US Cellular will also be able to offer an even wider range of communications services to enhance their wireless experience. President of Mobile Network at Nokia, Tommi Uitto, also commented on the trial and said that the results demonstrate what 5G mmWave will bring to customers, enterprises and industries. He also said that extending the reach of 5G mmWave technology without giving up on speed or latency will deliver an exceptional 5G experience to even wider areas.

Releasing Movies Directly on OTT An Experiment Say Indian Multiplexes Posted: 09 Jun 2021 06:25 AM PDT Radhe, an Indian film starring Bollywood actor Salman Khan was a "big experiment" says Kamal Gianchandani, chief executive officer at PVR Pictures, the film production and distribution arm of the PVR Group. Gianchandani in the fourth-quarter earnings call on June 2, 2021, said that Radhe was the "first big film to go the pay-per-view route" in the country. However, the PVR Pictures CEO said that the pay-per-view (PPV) model is "not a popular platform" in India and that Radhe "experiment has not worked." In the second week of May, Radhe, the "much-awaited" movie was released on Zee5, the over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) and Zeeplex, Zee's PPV service. In the week ahead of the Radhe release, Zee5 unveiled a "Radhe Combo" package that offered users one year Zee5 subscription along with "Radhe Zeeplex ticket" for Rs 499. PPV Model "Widely Accepted" in US, Europe Gianchandani said the Indian market has been "fairly insulated" as compared to the western markets despite select films releasing directly on streaming platforms. "Unlike the US and European market, where pay-per-view is widely accepted and there are experiments in the past which have worked quite decently," Gianchandani said in the fourth-quarter earnings call. "India, unfortunately, is not in that category. I would only end this point by saying that it is unlikely that any other big film would adopt this experiment or this route going forward." The PVR Pictures CEO said that the country is not a "homogenous market" like the US as the multiplex owners "depend on Hollywood films" along with the "Hindi film industry" and regional film industries. Meanwhile, Ajay Bijli, PVR chairman, said in the fourth-quarter earnings call that the majority of a movie monetization "still happens from the theatrical exhibition." Bijli said that multiple upcoming "big movies" like Sooryavanshi and 83 are "ready to wait" for a theatrical release. "If people want to sort of experiment, it is fine," Bijli said in the fourth-quarter earnings call. Similar sentiments were also shared by Kapil Agarwal, joint managing director at UFO Moviez India in its fourth-quarter earnings call in late May. Agarwal said that there has been a "huge pent-up demand" to release movies through a theatrical release. "Reliance has very openly declared that they will not go to OTT and will only release it in the theatres," Agarwal said in the fourth-quarter earnings call. "In four months, when the restrictions on Cinemas were lifted, around 900 movies were released, and going forward there’s a huge lineup of 300 plus movies which had already declared their release dates or intention to release." Agarwal said that UFO Moviez, a company with over 3600 screens across 1200 cities in India expects "gradual revival in the theatrical business." "When TV was launched, people said that the cinema industry will shut down, [when] OTT came people said the same, DVD player too but the cinema industry is growing worldwide," Agarwal said. "And all predictions of [the] death of [the] cinema business due to OTT and other platforms have been proven wrong." Analysts Say OTT Platforms to Offer Increased Competition to Multiplex Meanwhile, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, an Indian diversified financial services firm on Thursday said in a report that the OTT platforms could offer "increased competition" to multiplexes like PVR. "The rising trend of movie releases over OTT platforms since the onset of COVID-19 and the strong growth in subscriber base raises concerns of increased competition from OTT platforms in the medium to long term," Motilal Oswal Financial Services said in a report. In late February, the firm said that the OTT platforms in India are recording an increase in viewership-driven by an increase in data penetration. However, Prabhudas Lilladher, a research-based financial services company, on Thursday said that the closure of single screens across India would reduce competition for PVR. Gianchandani said that the country has about 9000 screens with around 3000 said to be multiplex screens while the rest are single screens. "Roughly 10% single screens may not reopen," Gianchandani said. "But, we will have to wait and see once cinemas are permitted to reopen and once all states start opening cinemas, only then there will be validation of this number but, at this point, the way we stand looks like 10% of single screens may not reopen." ICICI Securities, a subsidiary of ICICI Bank, on Thursday, said that the movie pipeline for the multiplexes like PVR "remains healthy." "Globally, the performance of multiplexes post normalisation of the covid-related situation has been encouraging, and we expect the same to happen in India in course of time," ICICI Securities said in a report.

Skylo-Inmarsat to Enable World’s First Commercial Narrowband IoT Over Satellite Posted: 09 Jun 2021 05:19 AM PDT Skylo, a popular satellite-based narrow-band or NB IoT solution company, announced on Monday that Inmarsat would be providing the satellite capacity backbone in order to deliver the company’s IoT solutions for connecting machines and sensors. The agreement couples Inmarsat's extremely reliable global satellite network with an easy-to-use and complete IoT solution that is capable of providing even remotely located application users with real-time actionable insights which will help improve efficiencies, increase profits, improve sustainability as well as save lives. This solution is now available in India via a partnership with BSNL and expansion plans are expected to be announced later this year. Rajeev Suri, Inmarsat CEO said that the most effective IoT solutions require a truly resilient and flexible network that can scale as demand grows. He further mentioned that Inmarsat's industry-leading L-band network aims to provide a unique capability that will enable the billions of connected IoT devices in India and the world that are being deployed at an extraordinary speed. The company is delighted to work with Skylo in order to provide the IoT fabric that matches their ambition. In terms of Skylo, its CEO and co-founder Parth Trivedi mentioned that Skylo makes simple, reliable IoT connectivity available to everyone at disruptively affordable rates. Even more attractive than a sharp increase in adoption due to low barrier-to-entry, the company is deploying critical new business capabilities as machine data becomes readily available and accessible. Skylo’s global IoT connectivity fabric will make way for thousands of life-changing applications, from managing vaccine efficacy during delivery to advancing precision farming, to providing early warnings in the event of natural disasters. Mr Trivedi mentioned that Skylo looks forward to expanding globally and making its platform available to small and large enterprises, companies deploying new sensors, systems integrators, distributors, Governments and OEMs. When it comes to global connectivity, it is rapidly expanding beyond people to connect billions of machines and devices. Like this, more operations are requiring increased connectivity. Satellite IoT connectivity is also changing the face of how smart 'things' are connected, by enabling real-time data transmission, greater reliability and cost-effectiveness. In terms of Skylo, it connects machines by enabling users to benefit from continuous and real-time data transmission via the Skylo Hub which is a small, rugged terminal hotspot capable of reading sensors and transmitting data to the Skylo Satellite Network.

France Witness 3.7 % Increase in 5G Authorised Sites Posted: 09 Jun 2021 05:00 AM PDT France's spectrum agency ANFR has recently released the latest information on the number of 5G authorised sites in the country. According to the information, the number of France's 5G authorised sites stands at 25,105 as of June 1. Out of these 25,105 5G authorised sites, local mobile operators have declared that 14,484 sites are currently technically operational. The number of 5G authorised sites in France saw an increase of 3.7% in May compared to the previous month. Almost all of France's 5G Sites Authorised on Existing Cellular Sites: ANFR ANFR has revealed that almost all the 5G sites have been authorised on existing cellular sites. These sites are already being used by 2G, 3G and 4G technologies and have now been authorised for 5G as well. Telecom Operators in France are currently providing 5G services through three frequency bands – 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz and 3.5 GHz. A further bifurcation of sites in these frequency bands shows that 16.683 locations are authorised in the 700 MHz bands (Free Mobile), out of which 9,954 are technically operational. In the 2.1 GHz frequency band (Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR), 3,846 from a total of 8,376 sites are technically operational. This number is just slightly higher at 3,973 technically operational sites in the 3.5 GHz frequency band (Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR), which has a total of 8,550 sites. Some 5G Authorised Sites Shared by Mobile Operators When it comes to the previous generation mobile network – 4G, 53.634 sites were authorised for the mobile network technology in Mainland France as of June 1. The number of sites in service for 4G networks was noted to be 49,066. ANFR has stated that some of the 5G authorised sites in the county are shared by mobile operators. In this regard, French telco Orange already has 5G services in 160 cities in the country. In December 2020, Orange had launched its commercial 5G services in 15 municipalities. Free Mobile, a subsidiary of Illiad, launched its commercial 5G services in the country in December 2020. It uses the 700 MHz band and 3.5 GHz frequency bands that the company had acquired in the French Spectrum Auction in 2020. Bouygues Telecom has also launched its 5G services in 20 cities across France at the same time as its French rivals.

Masmovil 5G Network Extends Reach to 340 Spanish Cities Posted: 09 Jun 2021 04:30 AM PDT Customers of Yoigo, a sub-brand of Spanish telecom Masmovil, have now been provided access to 5G services by the company across cities and towns. The customer base of Masmovil's sub-brand is spread across 340 towns and cities in 39 provinces across Spain. Masmovil's 5G services will be offered in a combination of its own infrastructure and an agreement with Orange Spain, a rival operator of the Spanish telco. Masmovil Aims to Continue Deploying 5G Infrastructure Currently Masmovil has 80 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band for the provision of 5G in the country. With access to these bands and spectrum, the carrier has been able to offer its 5G services to Spanish cities that include but are not limited to Alicante, Almería, Asturias, Ávila, Badajoz, Baleares, Barcelona, Cáceres, Cádiz, Cantabria, Ceuta, Córdoba, Coruña, Granada, Guipúzcoa, Huelva, Huesca, Jaén, Las Palmas, La Rioja, León, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Melilla, Murcia, Navarra, Orense, Palencia, Pontevedra, Salamanca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sevilla, Vizcaya, Valencia, Valladolid, Zamora and Zaragoza.The Spanish operator has also revealed that it aims to continue expanding its current coverage by deploying 5G infrastructure in the coming few months. Masmovil Signed an Agreement with Orange Spain in October 2019 An agreement was signed between the rival operators Masmovil and Orange Spain in October 2019 that revolved around aspects like mobile, fibre and broadband technologies. This 5G deal extends Masmovil access to Orange Spain's entire 5G network. A virtual active sharing mode agreement enables Masmovil to deploy its 5G networks in 4,500 locations across Spain. These locations will cover 35% of the Spanish population across 40 major cities. The 5G deal between Masmovil and Orange Spain is valid up to 2028, and it is also extendable by an additional 5 years. Orange Spain Expects to Reach 90% of Spanish Population by 2022 At present, Orange Spain has its 5G services being offered in 298 towns and cities in 38 provinces across Spain. By the end of 2021, Orange Spain aims to deploy 1,500 new sites in the country. This will help the operator reach its goal of offering its 5G services to 400 cities by the end of this year. Orange Spain will use a combination of non-standalone (NSA) 5G and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technologies to reach its target that will constitute 51% population coverage. Further down the future, the Spanish telco plans and expects to reach 90% of the population of Spain by 2022.

Role of Internet in Revolutionising Education Posted: 09 Jun 2021 03:40 AM PDT Education in India has always been seen in a very traditional way. The sacred bond between a teacher and student in a classroom environment was thought to be irreplaceable. Cut to 2021, where schools are shut, and every student in the country is sitting at home for his/her education, their future is at stake. The internet has played a critical role in revolutionising education and showed us how technology could simplify and facilitate learning sitting at home. Learning through the internet is very engaging, interactive and enables children to learn faster. It promotes curiosity and a self-learning model. Here's how the internet has changed learning from traditional methods to new modern methods. Online Classes Through Video Calls In today's locked up world, classes are being held on video calls. This enables educators and teachers to keep track of the attentiveness of students in a class. Online classes on video calls allow students to learn from the comfort of their homes. Educators can also use various methods to present interactive content to their students making learning more fun. Leveraging Visual Mediums for Learning A crucial element that had been missing in the traditional ways of education was not being able to visually present what is being taught. This promoted a textbook culture where students could only see pictures of what is being taught to them in class. With learning through the internet, educators can create interactive visual content regarding the topic at hand. Augmented Reality has enabled almost everything to be created visually, and this has been increasingly leveraged in online learning platforms. Conducting Online Tests Online tests offer several benefits over traditional ways of examinations. It requires no invigilator to keep a check on students while conducting tests. It has a positive environmental impact as it saves the paper resources required for offline examinations. The internet has also promoted taking real-time surprise tests as educators can use the platform in which they conduct their classes to ask students questions about a topic as soon as it finishes. This makes taking tests a fun process than a tedious one. Online Learning Promotes Customised Learning Many studies have shown that every child's learning pace is different. In the traditional way of classroom learning, 30-40 children, on average, were taught the same thing at the same time by a single teacher. However, now children can choose courses on the internet that support their pace of learning. Students can also choose to learn subjects and topics that interest them rather than what is prescribed to them in the education system. The internet has played a critical role in providing customised learning material available for students.

Reliance Jio Offering Users New Ways to Recharge Online Posted: 09 Jun 2021 03:14 AM PDT Reliance Jio is now offering new ways in which people can recharge their SIM cards online. Not only that, but users can also access other services of the company using this new method. Jio has integrated its services with WhatsApp and now the company's customers will be able to access services such as recharging SIM card, raise a number porting request, and more through WhatsApp itself. ET Telecom first reported the development and said that customers can also avail support from the company regarding services related to JioFiber and also JioMart. Reliance Jio Will Allow Users to Recharge Directly Through WhatsApp Reliance Jio will let users directly recharge their SIM cards through WhatsApp. Users can send a text message to '70007-70007' and get multiple online payment options such as e-wallets, credit cards, debit cards, and more. The company has rolled out the service in two languages only – English and Hindi. But Jio is working to bring this service in other regional languages soon. It is worth noting that much recently, JioPhone users also got a very useful WhatsApp feature. Now JioPhone users can make voice calls directly through WhatsApp using the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. For the unaware, Vodafone Idea (Vi), the third-largest telecom operator in the country also launched an artificial intelligence (AI) powered bot virtual agent called VIC on multiple digital platforms of the company. The virtual bot was also extended to help the company's users in WhatsApp. Vi users can also recharge their SIM cards (postpaid and prepaid) directly through WhatsApp. Further, Vi's customers can also seek customer care support through the platform of WhatsApp itself. This is another step by Reliance Jio in making the journey of the customer with the company fruitful, convenient, and easy. The future of the telecom industry lies in making the customer experience as easy and premium as possible. All the operators are continuously investing in new digital solutions to modernise the way people engage with their apps and services. More exciting announcements related to Reliance Jio will come your way once RIL's AGM for 2021 kicks off. Jio might announce something major related to 5G during the event and some of its new products as well.

Reliance Jio Pushing for ‘Make in India’ 5G Posted: 09 Jun 2021 01:39 AM PDT Reliance Jio is the number one telecom operator of India purely because of its forward-thinking and amazing execution of the plans. The telco revolutionised the way people connected in India by bringing in the world's most affordable 4G plans and providing PAN-India network coverage in no time. Now, Jio is looking to do the same with 5G in India. But this time, Jio will go a step further and will not rely on foreign companies for the network equipment. For rolling out 4G networks, Reliance Jio took a lot of help from Samsung. However, with 5G, Jio has been vocal about how much it wants to develop indigenous products and manufacture all of them within the boundaries of the country to make India 'self-reliant'. Reliance Jio Will Build 5G Equipment in India With a Global Technology Giant Reliance Jio's vision is to reduce India's dependency on foreign companies for sourcing equipment for network rollout. The company has already built an end-to-end 5G stack which includes 5G radio and core network solutions. A few days back, news came to the surface that Jio is working with one of its investors namely Qualcomm to manufacture 5G equipment locally in India. Qualcomm has all the experience a company can have in producing equipment. Being an investor in the Jio Platforms, the company will be helping Jio with local manufacturing of the 5G equipment. With this move, Jio will save a ton of costs on equipment because manufacturing on its own will allow the company to take the benefit of the economy of scale. Further, the company can control the production as per its demand. On top of this, it is expected that Jio will also be manufacturing solutions and equipment for other operators within the country and outside India as well. This will result in India importing a little lesser and exporting more. For the unaware, Reliance Jio had earlier partnered with Qualcomm to develop and test Virtualised RAN (vRAN) with open and interoperable interface compliant architecture based 5G solutions. Both the companies were able to hit a milestone of achieving over 1 Gbps of speed on the Jio 5GNR solution. Reliance Jio Testing 5G The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has allocated dedicated spectrum for the telcos to conduct their 5G trials. For conducting the tests, Reliance Jio has chosen to take the help of Samsung which already has had a long partnership with the company in the past. Reliance Jio is expected to announce more about its 5G plans later this month at the RIL's AGM.

Vodafone Brings 4G O-RAN to Two New Rural Sites Posted: 09 Jun 2021 12:19 AM PDT Vodafone, one of the largest telecom operators of the U.K. recently announced that it has switched on 4G Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) in two rural locations of Cornwall. The two concerned locations are St Keverne on The Lizard and the Fistral Beach in Newquay. It is worth noting that the newly added two locations are only the second and the third places in all of the U.K. to receive O-RAN 4G networks. How Does O-RAN Help Vodafone? Generally, when a mobile operator wants to build a network, it can purchase the equipment and other important components for the network from a vendor such as Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, and more. However, O-RAN changes this completely. With O-RAN, instead of depending on a single company like Ericsson, operators can purchase different components of the network from different companies. This gives operators more control over the quality and the cost incurred for rolling out the new networks. With O-RAN, companies can purchase their hardware and software from different companies for rolling out a new network. Vodafone's Big Plans For Rolling O-RAN Across the U.K. Last year, Vodafone had announced that it is looking to rollout O-RAN networks across the U.K. The company has plans of switching 2,600 sites, mostly in South West England and rural Wales to O-RAN. However, Vodafone will start with full deployment in 2022 which will carry on until 2027. The company has delayed the deployment a little because the technology and equipment around O-RAN is still developing and thus it is only logical to wait for a little. By 2022, more suppliers are expected to come to the market with their O-RAN offerings. The investment of the company in O-RAN in Cornwall will act as a foundation or base as the groundwork that will follow up with all the future deployments in the U.K. On its note, Vodafone didn't reveal which companies and suppliers it partnered with to deploy 4G O-RAN in Cornwall. If the company got the deployment executed in the right manner, it will be able to save a lot of costs and provide even better network coverage in the near future.

Broadband Companies Should Offer Standard Plans Posted: 08 Jun 2021 11:14 PM PDT While there are only four telecom operators in India, there are several more internet service providers (ISPs), and the number just keeps on growing as days pass by. Because of the pandemic, all of the ISPs got a boost since the demand for fixed-line fiber internet connection grew. Private operators such as Excitel and other lesser-known companies expanded their services in new parts of the country to gain a bigger market share in line with the growing demand for the service. There's one thing though that all of the new private ISPs need to consider, and that is whether their broadband plans are standard or not. What Are Standard Broadband Plans? Standard broadband plans are simply plans that offer the same benefits and come for the same price in all of the circles. To make it simple, JioFiber offers all of its plans for the same price and benefits in all of the telecom circles. Thus, JioFiber offers 'standard' plans in all of India. For the sake of it, instead of calling them standard plans, let's call them 'consistent plans'. Consistent broadband plans are much better than plans that offer varied benefits in different circles of the country. Why Are Standard/Consistent Broadband Plans Better? Standard or consistent broadband plans are better because they psychologically offer safety and comfort to the user. Further, it helps the user in not feeling cheated. For example, if a user living in Delhi gets a 100 Mbps broadband plan from a hypothetical company called 'XYZ' for Rs 1,000 and another user living in Mumbai at the same time gets the same plan from the same company for Rs 700; the user living in Delhi would feel slightly cheated. The fiberisation costs, infrastructure development costs, and other operational costs for the companies might differ in different regions. Regardless, broadband companies should focus on delivering plans that offer standard plans to users across the nation. With standard/consistent plans, users also are comfortable switching or transferring their connection to a different city or circle if they are changing their house. This is why plans from companies such as JioFiber, Excitel, Airtel Xstream Fiber, BSNL Bharat Fibre look very good. At the same time, plans from ACT Fibernet seems to be very confusing, and that is the case with plans offered in maximum cities by You Broadband.

JioPhone Users Will Now Be Able to Make WhatsApp Voice Calls Posted: 08 Jun 2021 10:48 PM PDT JioPhone is used by millions of Indians because of its affordable nature and the excellent recharge plans that the company offers for feature phone users. For the unaware, JioPhone runs on the operating system called KaiOS. It is an operating system (OS) that runs on feature phones like the JioPhone around the world. In a recent announcement, WhatsApp announced that feature phones running on KaiOS will now be able to make WhatsApp voice calls. This feature wasn't available for the users until now. JioPhone Users Can Make VoIP Calls With WhatsApp WhatsApp said that KaiOS devices will now support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. This means that now JioPhone users will be able to make voice calls through WhatsApp if they have an active Wi-Fi or data connection and are connected to a mobile network. If you are a JioPhone user, ensure that your WhatsApp is updated to the latest version of 2.2110.41 for the device. How Can JioPhone Users make WhatsApp Voice Calls? JioPhone users can make WhatsApp voice calls by simply going to the chat window and clicking on the Options button. Then they will see a 'Voice call' button for making the call. It is also possible for the users to receive voice calls in WhatsApp the way they receive normal calls. But the calls won't go and come until and unless the user is connected to a cellular or a Wi-Fi network. This is a good move from WhatsApp since now JioPhone users won't have to feel behind others and they can also utilise a good Wi-Fi network for making a VoIP call if they don't have strong mobile network connectivity. It is important to note that not just JioPhone users, but any user who has a device running on KaiOS will now be able to make WhatsApp voice calls. Most of the KaiOS devices already come with WhatsApp pre-installed. In fact, the application is said to be the most popular non-system application throughout the world. WhatsApp had introduced the voice calling feature for smartphones way back in 2015. However, the feature has been now extended to the feature phone such as JioPhone six years after in 2021.

Spectrum Fight Between Telcos and Satellite Broadband Companies Emerge Posted: 08 Jun 2021 09:53 PM PDT Spectrum is a very important resource for telecommunication and satellite connectivity companies. These companies use spectrum in varied frequencies to provide seamless services to their customers. For the unaware, spectrum is a scarce resource, and the government oversees its allocations. With 5G on the way, telecom companies want spectrum in the millimetre waves (mmWave) bands which is also sought by the satellite companies. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to put 50% of the airwaves in the 28 GHz spectrum band, which will range from 27.5 GHz to 29.5 GHz for 5G services. However, the satcom industry doesn't want this to happen. Satellite Services Will be Hurt if DoT Gives Away 28 GHz Frequencies to Operators As per an ET Telecom report, the satcom industry is of the view that if the telecom department decides to give away 50% of the valuable airwaves in the 28 GHz frequency band to the telcos for 5G, it will hurt the satellite services in India. Satcom Industry Association of India (SIA-India), Director General Anil Prakash also expressed that the satellite companies will be hurt if these airwaves are suddenly taken away from them. At the same time, the telecom service providers (TSPs) need these airwaves to roll out 5G at an affordable cost. The operators had urged the DoT to include the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands in the spectrum auction for 5G. It is worth noting that just a few days back, SIA-India had urged the DoT to reserve the airwaves in the 28 GHz band for the satellite industry only. The satcom body had suggested the telecom department to provide the operators with the spectrum in the 26 GHz band for 5G. SIA-India had said that if the telecom department takes away the spectrum in the 28 GHz band for 5G, it will leave a lot of investments made by local and foreign multinational companies in the satellite industry impaired. DoT is yet to come out with the updated National Frequency Allocation Policy (NFAP), for which the whole connectivity and internet industry has been waiting for a long time. It is expected that DoT will listen to SIA-India and might only provide operators with frequencies in the 26 GHz band.

Realme 8 5G vs Poco M3 Pro 5G: Which One Should You Pick Posted: 08 Jun 2021 08:00 PM PDT It seems that the craze for 5G devices is starting to catch up in India, with a constant influx in 5G devices in the last couple of months. The budget market too is seeing competition that offers 5G, despite not having support for the same in the country. Today, Poco joined this group by launching the Poco M3 Pro, which is one of India’s cheapest 5G devices as of now. This feat was initially achieved by Realme post the launch of the Realme 8 5G, which is priced exactly the same as the new Poco M3 Pro. This might result in doubts as to which one is better, so, read on ahead to know which one should be your choice of 5G budget smartphones. Poco M3 Pro 5G vs Realme 8 5G: Design Both devices have the ability to grasp your eyeballs due to their unique designs. The Poco M3 Pro 5G and Realme 8 5G both make use of modern designs that opt for larger than usual camera modules. The former retains the bold design that was present on the Poco M3, under the name of Switchblade. It is available in blue, yellow and back to attract various crowds. The latter goes for a stylish yet subtle design with a rectangular camera module to the back and a toned-down hue in black and blue colours, neither of which is quite as commanding as the options on the Poco device. Furthermore, in design-related aspects, the M3 Pro offers a P2i coating to protect against splashes, whilst the Realme 8 5G has no such certification or rating. Overall, for those of you looking for a subtle design, the Realme will be more attractive, with the flashier crowd tending to move towards the M3 Pro. Poco M3 Pro 5G vs Realme 8 5G: Display When it comes to the display, both the Poco M3 Pro 5G and the Realme 8 5G make use of a 6.5-inch display with a punch-hole on top. The displays offer a resolution of FHD+and a refresh rate of 90Hz. Do note that on paper, the Poco M3 Pro 5G does manage to inch out the Realme 8 5G due to the DynamicSwitch feature that allows the user to change the refresh rate from 30Hz to 90Hz depending on the content that is being consumed, which will also aid in battery savings. Poco M3 Pro 5G vs Realme 8 5G: Key Specifications The Poco M3 Pro and the Realme 8 5G share spec sheets by quite a major margin, with both devices being powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip which is based on the 7nm process. The chips are coupled with the ARM Mali-G57 GPU. In terms of storage, the Poco offers  4+64GB and 6+128GB variants, with the Realme device offering three variants, namely 4+64GB, 6+128GB and the top tier 8+128GB option Optics are also quite similar to the Poco M3 Pro 5G featuring a 48MP primary camera coupled with a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The Realme 8 5G offers the exact same configuration. The selfie snappers do differ, with the former featuring an 8MP selfie shooter, with the latter making use of a 16MP snapper. Both devices make use of the same 5,000mAh battery and support 18W fast charging. The Poco M3 Pro comes with MIUI 12 out of the box based on Android 11, whilst the Realme 8 5G comes with Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11. When it comes to the security side of things, both devices offer side-mounted fingerprint sensors and face unlocking. Poco M3 5G vs Realme 8 5G: Pricing This is the key differentiator, with the Poco M3 Pro 5G having been priced at Rs 13,999 for 4+64GB variant and Rs 15,999 for 6+128GB variant. In contrast, the Realme 8 5G  starts at Rs 13,999 for the 4+64GB variant, with the 6+128GB variants being priced at Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,999 for 8+128GB variant.

SITI Broadband Almost Beats Jio, Airtel in This Category Posted: 08 Jun 2021 06:30 PM PDT SITI Broadband is a fairly small Internet Service Provider (ISP) when compared with the two giants that are Reliance Jio (JioFiber) and Bharti Airtel (Airtel Xstream Fiber). However, the company still offers broadband plans that are very competitive to the plans offered by the two top ISPs of India mentioned above. Note that SITI Broadband only provides services in select circles of the country. Today we are taking one high-speed broadband plan from the company and comparing it with the plans offered by Airtel and Jio. The plan that we will take from SITI Broadband is 200 Mbps. Let's see what's special about it. SITI Broadband Plan That Comes Near to Beating Jio and Airtel's Plans SITI Broadband offers a 200 Mbps plan to its users living in Delhi, India. The plan can be purchased for Rs 899 per month (exclusive of taxes). There is an applicable fair-usage-policy (FUP) limit on the amount of data that users can consume. However, the FUP limit hasn't been mentioned by the company on its website, which is strange. Users can purchase this plan for the long term as well. Upon purchasing the plan for 6 months, users will be eligible to get one month of service free from the company. When users purchase the plan for 10 months, they will get two months totally free, which will mean that their plan will be valid for a complete one year. The company takes activation charges from the customers, and it is non-refundable. However, if the customer decides to use his/her own modem/router for the connection, they will be exempted from paying any activation cost. Let's take a look at why this plan almost beats Jio and Airtel. How Does 200 Mbps Plan from SITI Broadband Compare to Jio and Airtel's Similar Plans? Jio and Airtel both offer a Rs 999 plan where Jio offers users 150 Mbps speeds while Airtel offers 200 Mbps speeds. So, it is quite evident that the plan offered by SITI Broadband is much cheaper than the plans of Jio and Airtel and also offers good speed. But SITI Broadband's plan stays a little behind the plans of Jio and Airtel. With Jio and Airtel, users also get a ton of over-the-top (OTT) benefits, including Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Amazon Prime Video, and more. Further, users are also eligible to get voice calling benefits from the company. But SITI Broadband doesn't offer any voice calling benefit to the users. On top of that, there's also a mystery here, and that is the FUP data offered with the plan. If users get less FUP data than Jio and Airtel's plans, then there's no point of the SITI Broadband plan.

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