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• Realme Pad Renders via OnLeaks Reveal Dimensions, Key Details
• DTH Mandatory Channel Increase Means Less Space for Consumer Favourites
• D2h Adds Sony TEN 4 SD Channel and More Ahead Of Tokyo Olympics
• Verizon 5G Business Internet Customers Get $1,500 Advantage on Moving to Service With 10 Year Price Lock-In
• BSNL Offering 5TB Data at 300 Mbps Under Special FTTH Plans
• Best TWS Earphones That Fit Your Budget for July 2021
• Ericsson Benefitted from Ousting of Huawei, ZTE in India
• AT&T 5G Ecosystem has More than 250 Million People in the US
• Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea Might Have Good News Coming In!
• WhatsApp May Soon Allow Encrypted Cloud Backups for Android
• BSNL Super Star 1 Broadband Plan Makes Lot of Sense
• mmWave 5G to Soon Hit More Airports in the US

Realme Pad Renders via OnLeaks Reveal Dimensions, Key Details Posted: 17 Jul 2021 06:31 AM PDT Realme started teasing its first tablet, the Realme Pad earlier last month during the launch of the Realme GT smartphone in Europe, post which it was spotted being tested in public and stopping by at certain certification sites. To date, however, we have not seen any renders of the same. That is set to change today, as, 91Mobiles and industry insider Stever Hemmersofffer, from @onleaks have presented the Realme Pad renders to showcase how the upcoming tablet will look like, with each and every angle in view, complete with key details such as screen size, dimensions and I/O having been revealed as well. As per the renders shared by @onleaks, Realme Pad will opt for a display that will be roughly 10.4 inches in size. The renders also show that the tablet will resemble a slab like structure, with a single rear camera protruding from the back coupled with flat sides, the design of which is quite reminiscent of the iPad Pro 2020. What Do the Renders Reveal? Realme’s branding can be seen on the rear, alongside a straight line that goes past the camera module to offer a dual-tone finish to aid the design. Towards the front, the thick bezels that are in a uniform fashion and surround the bezel are quite visible, with a single selfie shooter to the middle. Coming to the frame, on one side, it features the Power button as well as two speakers, whilst the other side houses the USB Type-C port and two additional speakers. For those of you wondering, the volume rocker is present on the frame, quite close to the camera module. There also seems to be a MicroSD slot for expansion. One of the most interesting things to keep note of here is the addition of a slot at the frame that also houses the USB port, which going by the render will likely be the housing area for the stylus that the Realme Pad will ship with, out of the box. Dimension wise, the tablet will measure 246.1 x 155.8 x 6.8mm, with the thickness a bit higher at 8.4mm, which is calculated by taking the protruding rear camera into view. The tablet can be seen in a Greyish-Black colour scheme, with other colours expected on launch. As of now that is all that is known about the Realme Pad, with the only other addition being the presence of a 7,100 mAh battery and the model number BLT001. Further details about the processor or storage are yet to surface.

DTH Mandatory Channel Increase Means Less Space for Consumer Favourites Posted: 17 Jul 2021 05:36 AM PDT The new Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) National Tariff Order has changed a lot of things. However, the change was so big that it was opposed by a lot of broadcasters and consumers as well. We continue to see the effects of the NTO and the revised version of this order, NTO 2.0, even now. Under this rule, the subscribers are first required to buy the channel "slots" from the cable operator, which is called the Network Capacity Fee, fixed at the maximum of Rs 130. At this price, the consumers get access to 100 channels, which can be either FTA or paid as a-la-carte. But, in these 100 channels, 25 were being occupied by the mandatory channels, but now this has changed. The NCF Story and Mandatory Channels As per this rule, when the subscribers buy 100 channel slots from the cable operator, they are eligible to add fee FTA channels in those, hence keeping their monthly payment constant at Rs 153 (included taxes), or if they wish to pay more and watch certain channels, they can add paid channels from certain broadcasters as well. Now the presence of 25 mandatory channels means that the subscribers only get 75 slots to fill in their choices for channels that they want to watch. If their choices exceeded this number, then they would have to pay more NCF to increase their channel capacity to 200. Split of Rajya Sabha TV the Cause Now, with the split of Rajya Sabha TV and Lok Sabha TV, which were one channel a few months back, this mandatory channel number has been increased to 26. Subscribers of all DTH companies like D2h, Tata Sky, and others are seeing this change. This means that subscribers now have one less slot to put in their channel of choice. The total number of independently selectable channels in the Rs 130 NCF cost has come down further to 74. It's worth noting that the government has floated tender for a new channel called DD International, which if goes live and is added to the mandatory list, then the open channel slots in the same NCF price will go down to 73.

D2h Adds Sony TEN 4 SD Channel and More Ahead Of Tokyo Olympics Posted: 17 Jul 2021 05:00 AM PDT D2h is one of the most popular DTH providers in the country. When it comes to an affordable cost, attractive NCF offers and very attractive Set-Top Box prices, D2h is usually the go-to solution for a lot of subscribers. However, the subscribers of D2h had been requesting for some channels to be added to the list of available options in the channel a-la-carte list. Now it seems that D2h has recently added two channels to its list of available channels. These channels come at the right time and are probably missing from some of the other DTH providers' platforms like Airtel Digital TV. Sports and Movie Channels Added to D2h D2h has firstly added the much sought after Sony TEN 4 channel which is available in SD quality at the LCN (Chanel number) 525. Since the Tokyo Olympics are just around the corner, the addition of this sports channel to the D2h portfolio means that consumers will be able to enjoy their sports entertainment easily. Another addition to the list of added channels includes Box Cinema. Box Cinema has been added to the 236 LCN and is a general entertainment channel offering movies to subscribers, just like the name foretells. To recall, a few months back D2h had pulled Box Cinema from the list of its available channels. It is also noteworthy that back in June and at the start of July, D2h had also removed Disha TV and Power TV from its channel list respectively. D2h Also Adds Odia Channels The subscribers of D2h should also note that the company has recently updated its mobile application and now the subscribers will be able to enjoy it in a more seamless manner. In another related development, D2h also recently added an Odia news channel Argus at LCN 834 on its channel list. It goes without saying that D2h is on a spree to offer more and more channels to its subscribers and to march ahead of the competition. Like we noted above, some of these channels are not yet available on other platforms yet.

Verizon 5G Business Internet Customers Get $1,500 Advantage on Moving to Service With 10 Year Price Lock-In Posted: 17 Jul 2021 04:35 AM PDT Verizon, a prominent name in the North American telecom business has been doubling down on its 5G Business Internet service. The telecom company has announced that the 5G Business Internet service, which is an enterprise-level wireless internet service for companies is now available across 42 cities in the USA. Previously, Verizon had launched this service only in 24 cities across the country. It's worth noting that 5G Business Internet is a service that is available for businesses of all sizes and is not really meant for the end consumers, unlike the normal 5G or 4G LTE network. Verizon has lately been making multiple strides on the back of the 5G network which is available to it in the USA. 5G Business Internet to Offering Interesting Advantages To attract customers, Verizon is offering interesting caveats to its customers if they subscribe to the 5G Business Internet service. Firstly, for businesses that might already be on another service from another provider, Verizon is offering its customers $1,500 termination compensation. This means that the customers who might have to shell out to end an internet partnership before the signed period can use this amount to safeguard themselves from another expense. Not only this, but the service customers will also get a 10-year price lock-in meaning that if they subscribe to Verizon's 5G Business Internet, they will be eligible to pay the same bill for the next ten years regardless of any increase in price thus safeguarding them against any increase in the service price during this tenure. Verizon Signs Deals With Ericsson The 5G Business Internet service is based on 5G Ultra Widebandand which includes professional installation with no digging and a fast timeline to deployment. In other related development, Verizon has also signed a massive $8 Billion+ deal with Ericsson to deploy 5G technology all across the United States, which would include Cloud RAN, MassiveMIMO, and mmWave among others. This deal will be for multiple years and will see the deployment of 5G network which is currently available in some major cities under Verizon's tag.

BSNL Offering 5TB Data at 300 Mbps Under Special FTTH Plans Posted: 17 Jul 2021 04:00 AM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is on an offer frenzy as it has been on a streak of launching new offers not only for its prepaid subscribers, but the public telco has been bullish on its broadband plans as well. BSNL is not only paying attention to FTTH subscribers but has also been launching offers for its old ADSL broadband customers. Now, it has been in BSNL's tradition to launch plans for the esteemed Members of Parliament of the country as well. These plans come with nice attractive benefits, a lot of data, and high speeds. Being the lawmakers of the country and due to the pandemic, a lot of committee meetings and important proceedings have been conducted online. In line with this, BSNL has launched new plans for MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Here are the details of these plans. Plans With 300 Mbps Speed Contrary to the old plans, which used to offer landline and broadband connection separately, these plans bundle both under one tag, and the subscribers will just have to pay one bill for both. Under this offer, the first plan is the SANSAD 1500 ULD which offers 300 Mbps speed till 5000GB data, and after that, it offers 10 Mbps speed for an additional 900GB of data. This plan is available for an FMC of Rs 1,829, in which Rs 1,500 is for broadband and Rs 329 is for a landline connection. Plans With 200 Mbps Speed Another plan under this tag is the SANSAD 1000 ULD plan which is available for Rs 1,329. In a similar manner as the above-mentioned plan, this one also comes with a landline connection. The speed in this plan is limited to Up to 200Mbps till 300GB and up to 2Mbps after 400GB additional. If the MPs want to only subscribe to a landline, then they can choose the LL Fibre plan, which is available for Rs 449, offering unlimited calls anywhere. It's worth noting that there are variations of these plans, which are available for ADSL and old broadband customers as well, but they come with lesser speeds of 100 Mbps, 50 Mbps, and even 10 Mbps and are lower on the copper wire connections. To relay these plans, BSNL has partnered up with LCOs and other local franchisees; earlier, the telco used to offer these plans directly.

Best TWS Earphones That Fit Your Budget for July 2021 Posted: 17 Jul 2021 03:00 AM PDT Truly Wireless Earbuds segment witnessed unprecedented growth in the recent period. Some time back, consumers were attracted to wired earphones. However, due to design flexibility and premium, TWS earphones has become the first choice of consumers. There are ample companies in the market such as OnePlus, Realme, Noise and more that offers premium TWS earphones under a modest price range. In this article, we will mention all the affordable TWS earphones that you can purchase to fulfil your entertainment or work needs. OnePlus Buds Z OnePlus has garnered immense respect and recognition in the tech industry. The company is known for its dynamic approach and offering in the market. OnePlus jumped in the TWS earphone by launching OnePlus under the Rs 5000 range. However, to tap the mid-range market, OnePlus also launched the Buds Z version for Rs 2,999. With a decent sound, modest battery life and comfortable design, OnePlus Buds Z has become of the finest TWS earphone available on the market. OnePlus Buds Z comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and dynamic stereo powered by Dolby Atmos. As of battery life, users get 5 hours of playback and 15 hours with the case. Ear detection and the IP55 rating are also present in the OnePlus Buds Z. Realme Buds Air 2 Realme Buds Air 2 features up to 25dB of noise cancellation for an immersive experience. Realme also offers excellent app support, Bluetooth 5.2, AAC and SBC codec support and punchy bass. Once charged, Realme Buds Air 2 provides 5 hours of playback and 25 hours with the case. Currently, Realme Buds Air 2 is available for Rs 3,299, which is surprisingly cheaper if compared with the benefits. Noise Elan Noise Elan provides environmental noise cancellation and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. As for audio, the buds are equipped with a 6mm titanium driver and support for Qualcomm aptX adaptive sound. The Noise Elan buds can last up to 8 hours and 36 hours with the charging case. Users get complete touch control features with perform operations like manage tracks, adjust volume and more. The price of Noise Elan buds is Rs 3,499. Amazfit PowerBuds Amazfit PowerBuds was originally launched for Rs 6,999. However, now the TWS earphones are just available for Rs 2,599. The Amazfit PowerBuds features great battery life, signature sound design and PPG sensors to monitor blood flow and produce a heart rate reading. Users can get up to 8 hours of playback time on a single charge. The sound is delivered from 9mm drivers with rich bass and clear treble.

Ericsson Benefitted from Ousting of Huawei, ZTE in India Posted: 17 Jul 2021 02:21 AM PDT The Chinese telecom vendors, including Huawei and ZTE, who have played a crucial role in helping with the development and roll-out of legacy networks in the country, have slowly been ignored for the 5G plans. The telcos aren't even looking at awarding new 4G projects to the Chinese vendors because of security concerns arising from their alleged ties with the Chinese government. While this is a bad thing for the Chinese vendors, European companies, including Nokia and Ericsson, stand to benefit a lot from this. India Becomes Major Source of Revenues for Ericsson According to a PTI report, Ericsson has doubled its share of global sales from the Indian market in the first six months of 2021. Ericsson's sales share from India has grown to 4% from the earlier 2% in the same period in 2020. This has made India one of the prime countries for Ericsson to do business in. The United States (US) remains the biggest cash cow for Ericsson, where its global share of sales stands at 34%, followed by Japan at 5%. It is worth noting that earlier, the second-largest market for Ericsson was China. But now China has fallen to the fifth position. This is understandable since Europe doesn't want Chinese vendors; even China won't be too welcoming of the European companies. The primary factor for the increase in sales for Ericsson in India was continued investments in LTE (4G). With the inevitable exit of Chinese vendors from the Indian landscape, both Finnish gear maker Nokia and Swedish vendor Ericsson have a good opportunity to generate huge revenues from the sub-continent. Even the South Korean tech giant Samsung has good room to grow in the telecom equipment business. Ericsson is already working with multiple operators in India to help them with the 5G trials. Continued investment of Ericsson in India is expected for the coming years, with 5G being the main component.

AT&T 5G Ecosystem has More than 250 Million People in the US Posted: 17 Jul 2021 01:28 AM PDT The renowned American multinational entity AT&T is rapidly expanding its 5G coverage in the US region. After one year of launching 5G services in the US, AT&T 5G is now used by more than 250 million people. Not only this, but the AT&T 5G+ is now present in 38 cities and 20 venues across the US. The company is also expecting to expand the reach of 5G+ technology in parts of 40 cities and 40 venues by the end of the year. Kevin Hetrick, who is the VP of Construction and Engineering at AT&T, stated that 5G is a mission for the entire team, which is being worked upon because of the value proposition that it offers to customers and communities. AT&T 5G+ is Being Deployed in More Stadiums, Airports and Cities AT&T is heavily investing in the 5G ecosystem to offer premium services and benefits to its customers. While other firms like Verizon and others are building a single 5G network, AT&T is also offering a super-fast 5G+ network in more stadiums, airports and cities across the country. In case you are not aware, AT&T 5G +, which is a mmWave 5G, is providing customers with a high-speed 5G network and enhanced connectivity in parts of 38 cities and more than 20 venues across the US. Mo Katibeh, SVP, Network Infrastructure and Build at AT&T, stated that AT&T 5G+ is advancing the fan experience by providing enhancements that help make the game come alive. Not only this, but 5G networks will allow viewers to witness an unforgettable experience. AT&T Eager to Deploy 5G Network Over C-band Spectrum AT&T 5G+ network will be available at major gates and areas inside the Tampa International Airport. Also, by the end of the year, AT&T is planning to expand the reach of the super-fast 5G network to major US airports, universities and hospitals. Recently the company has also acquired 80 Mhz of C-band spectrum in the FCC auction. AT&T is eagerly waiting to deploy the 5G network over the C-band spectrum when the first 40 Mhz is available to them later this year. AT&T has already completed the C-band field test earlier this year.

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea Might Have Good News Coming In! Posted: 16 Jul 2021 10:20 PM PDT Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Tata Teleservices had earlier sought the help of the Supreme Court (SC) for the reassessment of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. The telcos had argued that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had made several mistakes while calculating the total AGR dues. As pointed by the operators, the government made arithmetical mistakes including double counting of the dues on certain occasions. Now, according to an ET Telecom report, the SC may hear the case for the reassessment of AGR dues by the concerned telcos on July 19, 2021. Vodafone Idea to Benefit the Most If SC Rules in Favour of the Telcos If the SC agrees to the plea of the telcos and asks the DoT to recalculate the AGR dues, and if the recalculation based on the inputs provided by the operators proves that the amount they had to pay was more than what they actually owed will benefit the industry a lot. But most of all, Vodafone Idea will be benefiting out of the decision from the SC. Vi has a ton of debt on its shoulders. Because of the debt, the telco is unable to push aggressively on network expansion around the country. But if a certain percentage of the dues is laid off, it will help the operator a ton. As per DoT's calculation, Vi had to pay a total of Rs 58,400 crore as AGR dues while the other operators including Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices had to pay Rs 43,980 crore and 16,798 crore. But as per Vi's calculation, the telco only has to pay Rs 21,533 crore as AGR dues which is more than 50% less than the amount proposed by DoT. Even Airtel's self-assessment proved that the telco had to pay only Rs 13,004 crore instead of the DoT's proposed amount of Rs 43,980 crore.

WhatsApp May Soon Allow Encrypted Cloud Backups for Android Posted: 16 Jul 2021 08:00 PM PDT WhatsApp has been under immense scrutiny due to certain security-related concerns by users, which led to the popular messaging service losing out its key users to alternatives such as Signal and Telegram, both of which promised to offer greater security for the user, something that seemed to be lacking on the Facebook-owned messaging service. Despite all this negativity, WhatsApp took out full-page ads to make users aware of how it was ensuring security for the users and their chats. To add to this, the company’s newest rules had a lot of users worried, and, thankfully, it was cancelled later so as to protect the interest of the user. Now, in case you did not know, WhatsApp has always maintained that the messages that are going through are end-to-end encrypted, which basically means that predators will not be able to see them as easily, but, if the same backup is stored in the cloud, authorities can make use of a search warrant to search the data, with the two cloud services being Google Drive and iCloud. How does this new Feature Work? WABetaInfo had previously reported that WhatsApp was indeed working on the technology that would allow the user to independently encrypt their backups in the cloud, stating that in the most recent beta build on Android (2.21.15.5), the advancement has finally been enabled. There is one thing you should keep in mind, since, if you opt to keep your chat history and media backed up for security, there is one major caveat, which occurs if the user forgets the 64-digit recovery code or passcode, as they might be locked away from the same for a  permanent time frame with not even WhatsApp being able to help. So, if you are fine with this risk, then you can enter the beta test group or wait for a proper stable build, to check out this new feature. The Facebook-owned service has also been working on a version of the software that works on multiple devices, without sacrificing end-to-end encryption even if you do not have a phone. If you are part of the beta, you need to check your version as there are reports suggesting that this feature is expanding rapidly. You cannot call or message someone from the companion device if the user is on an old version of the application.

BSNL Super Star 1 Broadband Plan Makes Lot of Sense Posted: 16 Jul 2021 06:33 PM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) still offers users normal broadband connections (not fiber) all across the country. The telco does a major chunk of its business with its landline broadband services. BSNL has been recognised as one of the major Internet service providers (ISPs) in India because of its presence across the telecom circles. One of its ADSL broadband plans namely the Super Star 1 makes a lot of sense even in the era of fiber broadband. Let's understand why. BSNL Super Star 1 Broadband Plan Against 100 Mbps Fiber Plan BSNL's Super Star 1 plan is an attractive offering against the 100 Mbps plan that it offers to users under the Bharat Fibre. Both the plans are closely priced. The Super Star 1 broadband plan comes with 779GB of data and offers 10 Mbps speed. Beyond consumption of 779GB of data, the speed for the users will drop to 2 Mbps. With the Super Star 1 plan, users are also eligible to get a free fixed-line voice calling connection along with an over-the-top (OTT) benefit of Disney+ Hotstar Premium. This plan is priced at Rs 779 per month. So basically BSNL is offering users 1GB of data for Rs 1 with this plan. Coming to the Bharat Fibre 100 Mbps plan, it costs Rs 799. Even though it costs Rs 20 more than the Super Start 1 plan, it offers users 100 Mbps speed and 3.3TB or 3,300GB of data. This is a great deal for many users. There is a free voice calling connection included as well. However, there is no OTT benefit offered to the users. What Really Makes the BSNL Super Star 1 Plan Really Good? First of all, note that I am not saying that this is the best plan available for users throughout the industry. However, that doesn't mean this plan isn't good on its own. BSNL's Super Star 1 plan makes a lot of sense because of three reasons. First, even though the speed offered by the plan is only 10 Mbps, it is more than sufficient for a large group of users who have basic browsing needs. Second, the data offered by the plan is not less in any way. A majority of users can live comfortable with as much as 779GB of data at their disposal. Third and lastly, the Super Star 1 plan offers a free OTT benefit of Disney+ Hotstar Premium which currently none of the other ISPs in India do. Even the 100 Mbps plan from the telco doesn't offer the said OTT benefit.

mmWave 5G to Soon Hit More Airports in the US Posted: 16 Jul 2021 01:24 PM PDT The United States (US) already has multiple live commercial 5G networks throughout the country. One of the areas where users need strong internet connectivity is when they are travelling. To ensure that airports in the US get good 5G connectivity, telecom operator AT&T along with the internet company Boingo is going to expand the reach of mmWave 5G. The number of travellers is going to increase as the vaccination drive in the US keeps getting bigger and more people are vaccinated. It is only a matter of time when the pre-pandemic number of travellers soon start hitting the airports in the US. Thus, AT&T has partnered up with Boingo to expand the availability of mmWave 5G or '5G+' in the US airports. 5G+ or mmWave 5G to be Pushed Looking at Users' Needs According to an RCR Wireless report, the telecom operator aims to understand the needs of the users, including the passengers and the employees at the airport, so that it could push the network connectivity in areas where it is required the most. It is worth noting that AT&T has already deployed 5G+ at the Tampa International Airport in January this year. Further, the carrier has plans of expanding the mmWave 5G networks at seven major airports in the country by the end of this year. AT&T has expressed its goal of reaching at least 25 airports with mmWave 5G by the end of 2022. Initially, the operator would keep its focus on New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. There are more airports on the radar of the telco, including Dallas Love Field airport, Denver International airport, Los Angeles airport, and Chicago O'Hare International and Midway International airports. The presence of mmWave 5G would let the users and the airport employees get their work done faster and also bring new use cases for the 5G technology inside the airport to life.

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