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Reliance Jio Needs Tariff Hikes to Maintain Momentum Say Analysts

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 09:20 AM PDT

reliance-jio-needs-tariff-hikes-maintain-momentum Reliance Jio, the largest wireless operator in India recorded "robust performance" in its first quarter of the current financial year, say analysts. The oil-to-telecom conglomerate, Reliance Industries on Friday announced its first-quarter results with the company recording Rs 13,806 crores in consolidated net profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Reliance Industries highlighted that Jio Platforms, its majority-owned subsidiary, recorded Rs 3651 crore in net profit in the quarter, translating to a 44.9% year-over-year (YoY) growth. Crucially, the overall user base of Reliance Jio, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms is now at 44.06 crores, translating to a 4.23 crore YoY increase.

Analysts Expect Jio to Record Higher User Additions in Upcoming Quarters

Dolat Capital, a financial firm engaged in the trading markets on Saturday said in a note that Jio recorded "healthy" performance in a "Covid impacted quarter." The firm highlighted that Jio added 14.4 million users in its first-quarter while its average revenue per user (ARPU), a key financial metric, remained "stable" at Rs 138.4. "Jio's smartphone offer in Mar'21 shall have boosted additions," Dolat Capital said in its note on Saturday. "Launch of [the] Jio smartphone in Sep'21 and additional spectrum should help it accelerate its subscriber addition." Dolat Capital said that the largest wireless operator in India is "well-poised to benefit from improving industry scenario of increase in ARPU" and the Vodafone Idea "shutdown." The firm said that the second scenario has a higher probability in the "absence of relief" from the Supreme Court in the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) case. "We see Jio as a structural growth story for the next 4-5 years. This growth in our view will be a 2-phase process. In the first phase it would be a combination of subscriber growth and ARPU uptick," Dolat Capital said. The firm also expects Jio to "capitalize on alternate revenue streams" like Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), enterprise, healthcare and education "in partnership with other players that ride on the telcos infrastructure or by competing [with] them." Mumbai based, KRChoksey Investment Managers said that the growth recorded by Jio was "muted due to the second wave of lockdown related freebies that were doled out" in its first quarter. "We expect subscribers' base and ARPU to grow at [a] strong pace over [the] short-medium term given [the] lifting of lockdowns," KRChoksey said in a report on Tuesday. "We anticipate strong customer additions from Q2FY22, as customer-focused initiatives with strong growth in data and voice consumption, to enhance ARPUS over the short-medium term."

Reliance Jio Needs Tariff Hikes to Maintain Momentum Say Analysts

Meanwhile, ICICI Securities, a subsidiary of ICICI Bank on Sunday highlighted that the ARPU recorded by Jio was "flattish" on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis at Rs 138. The firm said that the recorded ARPU was "despite an additional day and growing FTTH subs who bring in much higher ARPU." "ARPU has been flattish QoQ despite growth in FTTH and enterprise revenues, which means the underlying mobile ARPU declined," ICICI Securities said in a report on Sunday. "We see limited scope for revenue growth for RJio in the absence of a tariff hike and rise in operating costs from InVIT payments and new spectrum." In a separate report, ICICI Securities said that the operator "needs tariff hikes to maintain earnings growth momentum" and that the recorded ARPU can be "attributed to higher Jiophone addition, which has much lower ARPU." Similarly, Motilal Oswal Financial Services on Sunday said that the operator "held its ground after the push from the Jio Phone launch" in the previous quarter. Reliance Jio in late February announced a new scheme for its JioPhone that provided users "unlimited services" for two years for Rs 1999. The operator in early March also unveiled five new data plans for the JioPhone priced at Rs 22, Rs 52, Rs 72, Rs 102 and Rs 152. It has to be noted that Reliance Jio in late June unveiled JioPhone Next, its upcoming smartphone "jointly developed" by Jio Platforms and Google. Motilal Oswal highlighted that the operator "aims to target" the 300 million "feature phone addressable subscriber base" with its JioPhone Next. "Given the lower ability of feature phone customers to pay, it will be interesting to see how RJio prices the device as well as its monthly plans to attract consumers," Motilal Oswal said in its report on Sunday. "However, the recent product showcased in the AGM underscores a higher success probability of the product." Crucially, the Indian diversified financial services firm said that the upcoming smartphone from Jio will enable the operator to record over 71 lakh user additions in its current financial year. "While this (JioPhone Next) could restrict ARPU improvements, given the focus on subscriber-led growth, we think the differentiated product in the Smartphone category could yet offer avenues for a tariff hike, but certainly not in the near term," Motilal Oswal said.

BSNL Letter of Intent Invites 5 Companies for 4G Services Trial

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 08:44 AM PDT

BSNL The public telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is otherwise good when it comes to data plans and offers on its prepaid plans. However, the Achilles heel for BSNL is its 4G network. The public telco is scrapping together a plan to launch its 4G network as soon as possible so that it can have the edge over the other private telecom companies. Along the same lines, BSNL had floated a letter of Intent on the first day of the ear, i.e. January 1, 2021, to five telecom equipment companies to test the quality of the gear for 4G services. Minister of State Devusinh Chauhan informed of this development to Lok Sabha on Wednesday. He also informed the Members of Parliament that Rs 24,084 crore for spectrum for 4G services had been set apart in the financial year 2021-22.

BSNL 4G Missing Catalyst For Telco

The revival plan of BSNL has been in the works for the last few years. Apart from states like Kerala, some parts of Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, BSNL has failed to establish a heavy 4G coverage which is the deal-breaker whenever a consumer wants to use data and voice services. This is also the reason why BSNL's churn rate has been in the negative, meaning that subscribers are leaving it faster than they are joining the telco's network.

Revival Plan Prepared by IIM-A

Talking about the revival plan of BSNL, Devusinh Chauhan said that the plan had been recommended by the board of MTNL and BSNL. It was prepared by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a consultant hired by MTNL for this very purpose. After further consultation with organisations, BSNL unions and other bodies, the plan has been set in action. From the government's side, a Sovereign Guarantee of Rs 8,500 crores and Rs 6,500 crores has been given to BSNL and MTNL, respectively. The minister of state further added that the money provided by the government had been used to retire the existing debt of BSNL, which is adding to its financial woes.

Tata Sky Channel Packs Under Rs 200 Offering Multiple Genres and Languages

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 07:44 AM PDT

Tata Sky When it comes to buying DTH services, the consumers often resort to popular brands like Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, and the likes. With the plethora of Set-Top Box options available with these DTH services, the subscribers of DTH feel comfortable with the freedom they get to exercise choice with features like OTT enabled box, SD quality, or HD quality. Tata Sky is a popular DTH operator and as such, for its subscribers from almost every part of the country, it offers multiple channel bouquet options. But, the insane amount of choices can be daunting for the subscribers as well. Therefore, we are summing up the available channel packs under the price of Rs 200, since this is where the most options are available.

Metro and Smart Packs of Tata Sky

The cheapest option available to the subscribers when they first look at the portfolio is the Metro and Smart packs. These Metro and Smart packs offer some of the most prominent channels in a particular language. For example, the Tamil Metro pack costs Rs 45.25/month and it includes the Best Of Entertainment, News, and the total SD channel count is 6. Similarly, the Marathi Smart pack costs Rs 53.45 per month and it offers 10 SD channels to the subscribers. The Hindi Bachat pack, which quite literally translates to "savings pack" offers a lot more than 37 SD channels in the Hindi language in the entertainment, news, and movies genre.

Tata Sky Basic Packs and More

On slightly higher up the ladder, there are the Basic packs which cost a little more than the previous Metro and Lite packs. The Tamil Basic Pack costs Rs 139.24 per month and it offers 63 channels in English News, Knowledge & Lifestyle, Sports, Tamil Regional. Similarly, the Malayalam Basic HD pack offers 17 HD channels and 23 SD channels in the Malayalam language and these include the genres of Entertainment, Movies, Sports, News, Kids, Music, Knowledge & Lifestyle. In other options, the subscribers have the leeway of choosing Lite pack, Lite Plus pack and some Super packs as well. The subscribers will have to pay the basic FTA fee of Rs 130 plus taxes besides the channel bouquet cost.

Apple Could Finally Employ Under-Display Camera Technology on iPhone 14

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 07:12 AM PDT

Apple It has been rumoured for quite some time that Apple could launch the iPhone 14, or the 2022 iPhone with a full-screen front body, free of notches or punch-holes. Whilst there have been no hints regarding the same, Apple on Wednesday patented under-display camera tech for Touch ID and Face ID, raising hopes for this report indeed being true. The Cupertino-based smartphone giant filed this patent with the USPTO, with the patent being in regards to the camera sensors, which could be embedded under the display.

Could the iPhone 14 Offer An Under-Display Camera?

The patent further describes that these specific sensors would be in use for biometric authentication systems, which, in the case of Apple are Touch ID and Face ID. For those of you unaware, Apple had mentioned that the current iPhone design makes use of image sensors placed next to the display alongside the notch, but this patent hints at a new way to house the camera underneath the display, removing the need for the dated notch that seems odd in 2021. Apple added that this system could be used for both Touch ID and Face ID, but, it would probably make sense to offer both rather than make a choice between the two. Previously, GizmoChina had reported that Apple could be bringing Face ID to its Mac device lineup in a couple of years. Coming back to the Apple patent, it could also spell some luck for in-display camera technology, as previous iterations have been prone to degraded quality and impeded viewing experience on displays, but this could finally make the feature available for commercial devices. Do keep in mind however that this is a patent and in no way is a confirmation of the same, but, if the brand does intend to launch the same, it could spell some amazing success for this technology, which in 2021, has failed to live up for its hype. This comes after we previously mentioned that the upcoming iPhone 13 could offer fast charging support for the device, to catch up to competitors, if not beat them out. Most users would be more than ecstatic to see the same, as fast charging has become increasingly common and waiting for the device to charge for an hour or two has seemingly become tedious.

WhatsApp Might Be Working on an Option to Transfer Chats From iOS to Android

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 06:24 AM PDT

WhatsApp Recent reports that surfaced on Wednesday revealed that WhatsApp was supposedly developing a simple method for its users to transfer their chat histories from iOS and Android. This comes at a time when WhatsApp has finally moved past a rough patch that saw multiple users migrate to alternatives such as Telegram and Signal, owing to privacy concerns and WhatsApp’s controversial privacy policy. The report which comes via 9to5Google and WABetaInfo is pretty important since it could fix one of the most major annoyances when it comes to WhatsApp, which, as of now, offers no official method of transferring your data and chat from Android to iPhone or vice-versa.

WhatsApp Could Allow Easy Transfer of Chats!

The details for the same have appeared earlier, but no official report had been spotted. The screenshots that were shared by WABetaInfo do show an option to Move chats to Android within the iOS app. Another screenshot highlights a screen with a prompt that asks the user to keep their specific iPhone unlocked with the WhatsApp app on, as a transfer was in place, So far though, evidence suggested that an iOS to Android transfer feature was going to be launched, but, WABetaInfo had reported chances of the vice-versa. This transfer tool could also play a role within the new Switch to Android iOS app that Google is working on, at least as per a report by XDA Developers. This would be quite similar to the Move to iOS app that Apple offers to allow for easy migration from Android to iOS, but, with this Android app, it could help ease the move to Android from iOS. Previous reports that checked on the Google app’s code mentioned that this WhatsApp transfer tool could be integrated within the same, so as to make it easier to move your data. This news comes a couple of days after WhatsApp announced that it had finally started beta testing multi-device support for its platform, which, as per the Facebook-owned messaging service could allow users to access their key conversations from multiple different devices without having to keep their smartphone connected at all times. Another WABetaInfo Report has mentioned chances of WhatsApp launching a new method to transfer chats between different phone numbers, but all of these features remain rumours, with no official hints or release data having been revealed.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Series Could Soon Get One UI 4.0 Beta Based on Android 12

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 05:54 AM PDT

S21 Ever since OnePlus started losing out when it came to the software side of things, Samsung seemed to have picked up the mantle for the best Android manufacturer in terms of software support. Samsung is, without a doubt the best brand in the Android camp when it comes to timely and stable updates and, by the looks of it, the company hopes to build on the same with Android 12 and its One UI version that is set to be based on the same. On Wednesday, a community manager on Samsung’s Korean forums, as was spotted by SamMobile confirmed that the Android 12-based One UI 4.0 beta build would be coming to the Samsung Galaxy S21 series pretty soon. The rep also posted an image in Korean that detailed the same.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Series to Soon Receive One UI 4.0 Beta!

Post translation it reads, be the first to experience the new Galaxy interface with Android 12 on the Galaxy S21 series! To add to this, the poster also lists out that this is applicable to carrier-locked as well as unlocked Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra devices. It also serves another purpose, which is to encourage users to pay a visit to the Samsung Members applications and finding out the banner or notice that is related to the One UI 4.0 beta, but, with this, there is no clarity on whether or not registrations have started and are on offer for Korean users, at least as of now. What this means is that One UI 4.0 beta is not far from an official launch and, it is also a welcome bit of news for S21 series users in areas like North America, Europe and India, since they might get the option to register soon. Given how Android 12 has been, One UI’s take on it could offer a colour extraction feature for the themes much like Stock Android’s Material You and a new Privacy Dashboard. For those of you who missed it, Android 12 comes equipped with a bold redesign that has been dubbed Material You. It has been subject to both criticism and love, but, what it is symbolic of is a revolutionary step that sees Google step out of its comfort zone. Do remember as we mentioned above that Android 12 as of now is available as a beta build and when companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus and Samsung do launch their versions of the same, the UI should look a bit different, if not something totally different, as very few companies, opt to keep bone stock Android.

Best 5G Smartphones in India Under Rs 30,000

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 05:08 AM PDT

5G Smartphones The Indian smartphone market is witnessing the launch of some of the premium 5G smartphones in 2021. All the latest launches by different companies are equipped with modern chipsets and features. To capture the budget-centric market of India, smartphone manufacturers like Oppo, Realme, OnePlus and many others have launched smartphones under Rs 30,000 price range. In this article, we will cover the best 5G smartphones available under Rs 30,000.

OnePlus Nord 2 5G

OnePlus was teasing the launch of Nord 2 5G for a long period. Now the smartphone is finally available for Indian users. OnePlus Nord 2 5G is available for Rs 29,999 for 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. Under the cover, the device is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI processor. The smartphone runs on a 4500 mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. OnePlus has also featured Haptics 2.0 that will make gaming and overall usage much better for the user. Talking about the camera specifications, the OnePlus Nord 2 comes with a triple camera setup and a 32MP IMX 615 selfie camera.

Oppo Reno6 5G

Oppo recently launched the Reno6 series that is packed with premium features and specifications. The Oppo Reno6 is priced at Rs 29,990 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant. The Oppo Reno6 features a 6.5-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 90hz refresh rate. Under the body, the smartphone is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset and designed to run on ColorOS 11.3 based on Android 11 out of the box. The smartphone is available in two colour variants which are Aurora and Stellar Black.

Realme X7 Pro 5G

The Realme X7 Pro 5G is available for Rs 29,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The Realme X7 Pro 5G features a 6.55-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. Also, the device features an octa-core Dimensity 1000+ chipset combined with a Mali-G77 graphics processor. The Realme X7 Pro 5G runs on a 4500 mAh battery and 65W super dart charging. Realme has also featured dual speakers in the X7 Pro 5G.

OnePlus Nord CE 5G

Another premium OnePlus smartphone on the list is Nord CE 5G. The smartphone is available for Rs 27,999 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. Under the shed, OnePlus Nord CE 5G is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chipset packed with Adreno 619 GPU. The smartphone has a 4500 mAh battery with support for Warp Charge 30T Plus.

New Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 SoC to Come With Upgraded ARM Cores

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 03:38 AM PDT

Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 Most of the Android phones these days come with Qualcomm chips as their primary processing drivers under the hood. Apart from some of the budget phones, most phones these days boast of a Qualcomm SoC. Hence, it becomes a headline event if Qualcomm launches a new chipset; although the launch of a new flagship chipset is slightly away, but there have been details of the new SoC that Qualcomm seems to be working on. Previously, the chipset in talks was the Snapdragon 895, but as per the new leaks on the issue, Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset is slated to be the Snapdragon 898. Along with the name, there are some more details available about this SoC; for example, it would feature an ARM X2 core.

New Design for Snapdragon 898

As per the reports on the Snapdragon 898 SoC, it would come with a layout of four clusters which would be designed in a 1+3+2+2 structure. Along with four efficiency cores, the two configured cores will be with a high-frequency clock and two with lower frequencies. The middle of the structure in the Snapdragon 898 would be the main performance cores. These cores, in turn, would be helped by a single peak performance core which is supposed to have the ARM X2 core, and if the reports are to be believed, it would be clocked at 3.09GHz.

Promising Geekbench Scores for New SoC

It's worth noting that for SoC enthusiasts who are expecting that only the peak performance core would get an ARM upgrade, that's not the case. While the peak performance core is supposed to be called the Kryo 780 Super, the standard Kryo 780 would still feature the ARM Cortex A710. As for the efficiency cores, which are also of the Kryo 780 series, they would be based on ARM Cortex A510. Also, the exciting thing about the new cores is that all of them are based on the 64-bit ARM v9 core architecture. The new Snapdragon 898 is expected to be a powerful beast as the Geekbench scores highlight a score of around 1,250 for single-core and 4,000 for multi-core.

ZEE5 and SonyLIV Now Available on PlayboxTV at Rs 129 Per Month

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 02:38 AM PDT

OTT Recently there has been an extreme proliferation of Over-the-Top Services in India. With the influx of good content from the likes of big production houses and foray of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, there has been a barrage of new services like this. Not only the foreign content platforms, but the domestic platforms in the country like SonyLIV and others have garnered significant growth amidst this phenomenon. It's only logical that applications and new services around OTT content would pop up and PlayboxTV is just that. The application bundles multiple OTT services under a single app. This allows the subscribers of PlayboxTV to access content from multiple sources in a single application and with a single subscription. The user does not have the hassle of keeping multiple subscription tracks and paying for different services.

Service Adds Two Major Names to Its Portfolio

In a new development, PlayboxTV has brought aboard two prominent services ZEE5 and SonyLIV. It's worth noting that SonyLIV is the OTT application from the prominent broadcaster Sony Pictures Network, and ZEE5 does the same job for Zee Entertainment Ltd. As for PlayboxTV, you should know that the application boasts of having 350+ channels that can be accessed live on the platform. Whereas, when it comes to OTT services, PlayboxTV boasts of having titles like Amazon Prime, SonyLIV, Voot, EpicON, ZEE5, and Shemaroo. PlayboxTV is the result of the partnership between Next Trillion Technologies, and Microscan Infocommtech.

PlayboxTV Filling In a New Gap in OTT Industry

PlayboxTV founder and CEO, Amir Mulani said that he is excited about the development that is happening in the OTT space along with the new development with PlayboxTV's partnership with prominent OTT content providers. He also added that PlayboxTV is evolving to cater to the needs of the consumers in the OTT segment, who are looking for a single aggregator where they can get all the content in one place. Vivek Arora, ZEE's head of alliance and partnerships also mirrored the same thoughts and remarked that the company is excited to ink a deal with PlayboxTV and provide its content to a totally new demographic.

Nothing Can Bring Global Tech Revolution

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 01:00 AM PDT

Nothing Nothing, a new consumer electronics brand yesterday announced its first ever product in India and globally called the 'ear (1)'. The ear (1) is priced at Rs 5,999 and at this price range has everything and more that a super premium truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphone has. Nothing is an exciting brand and its first product is a testament to the company's vision and power. If things go accordingly, Nothing can bring a major tech revolution in the market.

Nothing Plans on Bringing Other Category of Products

Talking with Lew Later, Carl Pei, Founder of Nothing said that Nothing won't be an audio only brand. The company has plans of venturing into other category of products as well but the audio segment seemed like a good spot to start. The ear (1) truly look different from any other TWS earphone out in the market. If Nothing has plans of launching smartphones, laptops, or other products, there's a big chance that it will be able to bring products that truly stand out in the market. The innovation that Nothing is pushing for will motivate other consumer tech brands to bring something new in the market. Today, most of the white TWS earphones look the same in design and perform the marginally different only. Carl Pei said that he didn't want the tech to feel 'cold' to the consumers. Pei's mission is to make tech more exciting, user friendly, and great in the eyes of the consumers. It is a great mission statement and something worth pursuing. Nothing's first product which is ear (1) is yet to hit the markets. The first sale of the ear (1) will start in India from August 17, exclusively via Flipkart for now. The product is expected to garner a lot of interest from consumers, but at the same time, a lot of people will be worried about just how good they are and would be worried about investing their money into a product from a very new brand.

Airtel Cheapest Plan Now Comes With Multiple Upgrades

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 12:12 AM PDT

Airtel Plan Bharti Airtel has officially discontinued the Rs 49 prepaid plan for the users. The second-largest telecom operator in the country had already stopped providing the plan in certain regions but hadn't announced anything. However, today, Bharti Airtel has officially announced that it is discontinuing the Rs 49 prepaid plan for the users from July 29, 2021. Post the concerned date, the cheapest prepaid plan that users will be able to recharge with is the Rs 79 plan. Let's take a look at what the users get with this plan.

Bharti Airtel's Cheapest Plan Is Not Rs 49 Plan Anymore

Bharti Airtel's new cheapest plan now costs Rs 79 instead of Rs 49 earlier. The Rs 79 plan is Rs 30 more expensive than the Rs 49 plan but offers 2x more data and four times more outgoing voice calling minutes to the users. The Rs 79 plan comes with Rs 64 worth of talktime and users are charged 1p/sec for calling. Further, users are provided with 200MB of data for a validity of 28 days. This move is in line with Airtel aiming for a higher average revenue per user (ARPU). Many users who were the fan of Rs 49 plan will now have to recharge with the Rs 79 plan instead. This should help Bharti Airtel improve its ARPU marginally since there's not a very big price difference between the two plans. Many users are already recharging with the Rs 79 plan since the Rs 49 plan isn't available in their area/region for quite some time now. Whether this is a good move by the telco or not, there's no saying. One thing that Airtel has made clear is that it doesn't want too many low ARPU customers in its portfolio. The telco is aiming to reach an ARPU of Rs 200 and with a tariff hike around the corner, its ARPU is going to grow even further.

Reliance Jio, Oppo Conduct 5G SA Trial Test in India

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 11:44 PM PDT

5G in India The renowned smartphone manufacturer Oppo India has revealed that it has conducted a 5G Standalone Network trial for the Reno6 series with the leading telecom operator in India, Reliance Jio. Reliance Jio and other telecom operators have initiated the 5G trials in select cities across the nation. Oppo commented on the latest development and stated that the 5G SA trials yielded highly positive results that will be beneficial for the development of the 5G network. For those who are not aware, the Oppo Reno6 series 5G smartphones are priced in the range of Rs 29,900 to Rs 39,990.

Oppo Reno6 Series 5G Bands Will Trigger the Development of 5G Device Ecosystem

Oppo has featured 13 5G bands in the Reno6, whereas there are 11 5G bands available in the Reno6 Pro. With the new offering, Oppo is eyeing to extend its share in the development of the 5G device ecosystem in India to aid users in witnessing the true potential and benefits of 5G when it will be available in the nation. Tasleem Arif, who is the Oppo Vice-President and Head (Research and Development), marked that Oppo India is extensively working to push 5G deployment in India and make it accessible for all. He also stated that the 5G Standalone Network trial for the Reno6 series with Reliance Jio is part of the in-depth research in the 5G ecosystem to provide an immersive experience to users. The successful 5G SA trials show the commitment of Oppo to provide cutting-edge technology to its users.

Oppo has Launched 6 5G Smartphones in Indian Market in 2021

The Department of Telecom has allocated spectrum in the mid-band (3.2 GHz to 3.67 GHz), the millimetre-wave band (24.25 GHz to 28.5 GHz) and in the sub-gigahertz band (700 MHz) for 5G trials in India. Oppo has revealed its commitment to laying the foundation for 5G SA network trials throughout its 5G innovation labs in India. This year, Oppo has launched 6 5G smartphones in the Indian market. Not only this, but the smartphone manufacturer has allocated an investment of Rs 2,200 crore to manufacture 5G smartphones at the manufacturing facility in Greater Noida. It is also expected that Oppo is going to make future investments in the fast-paced Indian market to bring better products and services for its customers.

Hughes Satellite Broadband to Connect 1800 Indian Banks

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 11:38 PM PDT

Hughes Satellite Broadband Hughes Communications India Private Ltd. (HCIPL), a leading provider of broadband satellite and managed network services and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), today announced its selection by the Bank of India (BoI) to provide satellite network connectivity to 1,800 bank branches across the country. The project brings satellite connectivity to Aryavart Bank, Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank (MPGB), Vidarbha Konkan Gramin Bank (VKGB), and BoI branches that serve rural customers.

Hughes JUPITER System to Power the Network

The network will be powered by the Hughes JUPITER System, including routers, gateways and network management designed for high performance and efficiency, using capacity on the GSAT11 and NSS12 satellites. The de-facto industry standard, the JUPITER System, is the most widely deployed ground network platform in the world. This award adds to HCIPL's robust portfolio of banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) customers, including more than 30 nationalised and private banks and connecting over 30,000 branches and 40,000 ATMs. Further, this is a great step towards the future of banks as well as satellite broadband connectivity in India. More players, including Tata Group, Starlink, Amazon's Project Juniper, Airtel's OneWeb, will make it to the Indian landscape by the end of next year. This will only boost the competition and innovation in the space. Satellite broadband connectivity use cases will make more sense for businesses/enterprise customers rather than retail customers. An average person living even in a Tier-2 city in India can get fiber broadband services at a very low cost. Thus it would render the use of a satellite broadband connection futile for the user. More Indian banks and firms will leverage satellite broadband connectivity to boost their daily operations and improve productivity. The only thing that every player in the market is waiting for is the government to come out with a set of policies regarding satellite broadband services.

Airtel and Other Operators Might Avoid 5G Spectrum

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 10:40 PM PDT

Bharti Airtel One of the things that has become a culture in the Indian Telecom space is the highly-priced spectrum. The debt-laden telcos are offered spectrum at the highest possible price which increases their network rollout cost and yet they have to offer data at the lowest rates possible to the consumers. Bharti Airtel had already clearly expressed that if the spectrum bands aren't fairly priced for the 5G spectrum auctions, it would avoid bidding much and just use 4G airwaves and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) to offer 5G services in India. The telco has already shown how it can do that in Hyderabad.

Vodafone Idea in No Capacity to Purchase 5G Spectrum

Vodafone Idea is in no capacity to purchase 5G spectrum from the auctions if the base price of the airwaves is high. According to an ET Telecom report, the sector regulator might not change the base price of the 5G airwaves in the 3300-3600 MHz band. The airwaves in this mid-band is very important for the telcos to rollout 5G services but if they are too highly-priced, it would increase the network rollout costs for the telcos multiple folds. However, a source related to the matter told the publication that the regulator might consider adding in airwaves in the premium mmWave bands (26 GHz) at a reasonable price to offer economic benefits to the telcos. This is not a good thing for the Indian Telecom space. The sector regulator should definitely consider the situation of the operators. Apart from Reliance Jio, none of the operators is really in a good position. Even though Bharti Airtel showed net profits in its previous year's results, the telco has a ton of debt on its shoulders and also has to incur costs for expanding its network. Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel might completely avoid the highly-priced spectrum. Even the 700 MHz band needs to be priced lower than before.

Reliance Jio’s Key to Subscriber Addition Is Something Other Than Cheap Data

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 09:28 PM PDT

Reliance Jio The Mukesh Ambani led telecom operator has been in the limelight for the last two years courtesy of the massive number of subscribers that it has amassed in such a short time. In comparison, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and Bharti Airtel have been in the telecom industry for a decade or more, but Reliance Jio, despite being a new entrant in this arena, took it by storm and the leading metric in its favour was the subscriber count. The telco first hit the headlines when it got to the 300 million mark. Now the next milestone of 500 million for Reliance Jio is not that far. Usually, people tend to think that cheap data prices are the driving force behind this growth, but there seems to be something else at work entirely.

Others Offering Cheap Data as Well

It is not that other telecom operators like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are not offering cheap data. On the contrary, Vodafone Idea is one telecom operator which is offering the most data and most offers to its subscribers. Despite these efforts, in the last quarter, Vodafone Idea lost subscribers, whereas Reliance Jio added another chunk of 14 million people on its network. Even in the network quality segment, Vodafone Idea tops the list with its upload speeds. Bharti Airtel's prepaid portfolio runs synonymously with Reliance Jio's but reasoning begs for a possible answer to the long strides that Reliance Jio has been making in subscriber count. The answer seems to be in the small device called JioPhone.

The Focus on Low Paying Population

One area which has gone amiss from the sight of every other telecom operator has been the rural population. While the consumption of data was aplenty in the urban centres, and this is where the most growth happened, the hinterlands of India stayed dormant on voice calls and legacy 2G networks. It wasn't that they were not ready for 4G services, but they simply did not have a device to access the 4G internet services since the feature phones dominated this market. But, with the coming of JioPhone, this changed as the JioPhone formed a bridge between the more sophisticated android ecosystem and the already proliferated feature phones. This is what seems to be driving the new subscriber addition of Reliance Jio.

The Stance of Other Operators

Another question that begs to be answered is why are the other operators not worried? And that is simply because, in the longer term, Reliance Jio has been seen as a late entrant in FTTH (Fibre to the Home) business, and the telco has been recently using those subscribers to ramp up its ARPU (Average Revenue Per User). Bharti Airtel, on the other hand, has reached this pedestal first and hence boasts of a better active subscriber base. Also, it is quite possible that the telecom companies see Reliance Jio's effort in the JioPhone segment as the initial spark required in these markets. Because, as feature phone manufacturers have highlighted, once JioPhone Next comes into play, there will be healthy competition in the hybrid feature phone, and budget Android segment as well. In a similar manner, the current amassing of JioPhone subscribers might just as well be readying of the playground for other telcos.

Indian Telecom Sector Might Get Relief from Government Soon

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 07:59 PM PDT

Indian Telecom The Indian government is thinking about offering relief to the ailing telecom industry. The telecom sector has seen multiple challenges in the last year owing to the increase in data consumption and rising network services demands. To fulfil the needs of the users, the operators have worked really hard and spent a lot of money on improving and expanding their network infrastructure. Adding to the high costs involved in improving the network, the operators also need to pay adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, license fee (LF), spectrum usage charges (SUC), and provide bank guarantees (BGs) against dues. According to an ET Telecom report, the government is considering ways through which it can help with improving the financial health of the telecom sector. A senior government official aware of the matter told the publication that if the financial health of the sector can be improved, it would help Vodafone Idea a lot as well. However, the matter will first have to be discussed with the finance ministry as it would affect the revenues of the government majorly.

AGR Dues Might Not Include 'Non-Telecom' Items

One of the biggest disappointments for the industry was when the telcos had to pay AGR dues on non-telecom items/revenues. It shot up the total AGR dues amount for the operators and stressed the industry. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea together owe the government Rs 1.02 lakh crores in AGR dues. This debt is slowly pushing Vodafone Idea out of the market. Further, the government might reduce the LF for the telcos and phase out SUC over time. The telcos might also be able to surrender their unused spectrum for a small penalty. Right now, the telcos can only trade or share the purchased spectrum. But if things go accordingly, they will be able to give it back to the government for a small penalty.

Airtel and Vodafone Idea Rs 499 Corporate Postpaid Plans Compared

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 06:35 PM PDT

Vodafone Idea Airtel has been offering some of the exclusive corporate postpaid plans that are packed with ample benefits and services. To increase the competition and expand the reach, Vodafone Idea has also launched new enterprise postpaid plans for corporate customers. Both the telcos have included an array of services and benefits in their corporate postpaid plans. While Airtel offers five different plans, Vodafone Idea has launched 4 different enterprise plans. In this article, we will compare the Rs 499 corporate postpaid plan offered by Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel.

Bharti Airtel Rs 499 Corporate Postpaid Plan

Airtel corporate postpaid plans are packed with exclusive corporate benefits that can be tailored as per the business needs of customers. Under Rs 499 postpaid plan, Airtel corporate users get 100GB of 3G/4G data along with 100 SMSes. Not only this but, unlimited local/STD/roaming calling benefit is also included in the postpaid plan. Talking about exclusive corporate benefits, corporate customers get Airtel call manager benefits. Not only this, but google workspace and Tracemate benefits are also available for customers. Customers opting for Rs 499 corporate postpaid plan also get Airtel Thanks Benefits, including Disney+Hostar, Shaw Academy and Amazon Prime Video Subscription. Airtel promises the best indoor coverage in all the corporate postpaid plans. Since international roaming calling benefits are also included in the plan, customers will not have to worry about bill shocks anymore.

Vodafone Idea Rs 499 Enterprise Postpaid Plan

Vodafone Idea has recently launched the Rs 499 enterprise postpaid plan that is packed with data, voice calling and business plus benefits. Under the postpaid plan, users will get 100GB of internet data and 3000 SMSes per month. Along with this, unlimited voice calling benefits is also included in the postpaid plan. The business plus benefits that are included in the Rs 499 postpaid plan are mobile security, location tracking, profile tunes via Vi Caller Tunes, Vi Movies & TV benefits. To capture the enterprise market, Vodafone Idea has also bundled a one-year subscription to Disney+Hotstar VIP subscription that is worth Rs 399 per year. If we compare the Rs 499 postpaid plan by Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, the data and voice calling benefits remain the same. There are minute differences in the exclusive benefits like OTT subscription. For instance, Airtel offers Google Workspace benefits that are not present in the Vodafone enterprise postpaid plan. However, users can reap ample benefits, and they can pick the operator as per their wish.

Ericsson to Help Virgin Media O2 With 5G SA Network Deployment

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 01:00 PM PDT

Ericsson virgin media 5G Ericsson has announced that it will be helping Virgin Media O2, a UK telecom operator with deploying its core 5G standalone (SA) network. The infrastructure that needs to be deployed is expected to support advanced use cases and applications such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and several other media experiences. Ericsson said that it would be deploying a container-based, cloud-native, dual-mode 5G standalone core on cloud infrastructure in the United Kingdom.

Ericsson Will Provide Complete 5G Solutions to Virgin Media O2

According to the agreement signed between the two companies, Virgin Media O2 will bring all of its 5G SA, 5G NSA, and 4G services into one fully integrated Ericsson dual-mode 5G Core which will be hosted with the help of Virgin Media O2's data centres via Ericsson cloud infrastructure. The solution being deployed by Ericsson will include automation, orchestration, performance management, enhanced fault, along with the Ericsson Traffic Monitoring and Analysis (TMA) solution so that any of the issues can be troubleshot in real-time and analytics can also be provided. Virgin Media O2 is taking the help of Ericsson to offer 5G SA network services to its users living in the UK. For the unaware, Ericsson has already been a partner of Virgin Media O2 in deploying 5G solutions since 2019 when the telco launched 5G NSA networks throughout the country. With the power of 5G SA networks, the digital economy of the UK will certainly get a strong boost. It will enable the customers of the telco to see the true potential of 5G and will also help in the transformation of industries. With the arrival of 5G SA networks, UK's mobile infrastructure will go to the next level and help the country in boosting its economy. It is worth noting that the merger between O2 and Virgin Media had only completed last month.

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