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Asianet Broadband Offering Truly Unlimited Data for 5 Months In Onam Gift Plan

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 11:54 AM PDT

Asianet Apart from the major players in the broadband segment with the likes of BSNL FTTH, Airtel Xstream Fiber, JioFiber, and more, there are several other ISPs that ship great broadband plans for their users. Usually, we hear a lot about plans from ISPs like ACT Broadband or Tata Sky, but in a new innovative move, Asianet, which is a major player in the Kerala region, has launched an offer which the subscribers will definitely be interested in. Since the festival of Onam is just a few weeks away, Asianet has named this offer as the Onam offer. Here are more details about the Onam offer from Asianet.

Asianet Broadband Onam Offer

The first thing that the subscribers should know about this offer is that it is a long-term offer and will be available to the customers who opt for the subscription of broadband for five months. The Onam offer will be available for Rs 2,499 for five months of subscription. This meant, effectively, the subscribers would be paying around Rs 500 per month, but they would have to pay for five months together in advance. As for the benefits of this plan, the subscribers will get 60 Mbps speed, and the data will be truly unlimited. The unique thing about the offer is the truly unlimited data which is usually unheard of in a lot of broadband plans. The interested customers should also note that there is a plan activation fee of Rs 500.

Other Plans by Asianet Broadband

Asianet Broadband is also offering some other very interesting plans if the subscribers are not interested in the long-term plan. For example, the very basic plan of Rs 499 per month which offers unlimited data and 40 Mbps speed. The plan activation charge on this plan, however, is a little higher with Rs 1,499. There is also the other plan of Rs 599, and this plan offers unlimited data as well and a speed of 60 Mbps. The plan activation charge is also Rs 1,499 for this plan as well. Asianet Broadband is also offering speeds of 100 Mbps and more on some plans, and these plans also come with a long-term subscription option.

Bharti Airtel Moves Pay Off As Quarterly Numbers Show Impressive Rise: Opinion

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 08:30 AM PDT

Bharti Airtel After a few weeks of Reliance Industries Limited posting its quarterly report, Bharti Airtel, in a BSE filing, has also revealed its numbers for the first quarter for Financial Year 2022. Also, it goes without saying that Bharti Airtel has impressed its shareholders with the numbers; however, we are here to look beyond the numbers and to see what might have worked well for the company and what might have made the sought after metric of Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) fall in the court of Bharti Airtel. To give you an insight, Bharti Airtel's quarterly revenues were Rs 18,828 crore which was up by 19.2% YoY on a comparable basis. On the B2B side, Airtel revealed that Airtel Business revenues were up by 8.2% YoY on the back of industry-leading and innovative enterprise connectivity solutions.

Airtel's Impressive Numbers

Apart from the highlighted numbers, coming to the crucial ones when it comes to the telecom business of Airtel, the Sunil Bharti Mittal led company revealed that 4G customers were up by 46.1 Mn YoY to reach 184.4 Mn, 57% of the overall customer base. Also, the Mobile ARPU was pegged at Rs 146 vs Rs 138 in Q1'21 on a comparable basis. This highlights that for Bharti Airtel, the ARPU has gone up by Rs 8 in a single quarter. To put that into perspective, Reliance Jio's ARPU rise was only a fraction of this quite literally and still hung under Rs 140. We have previously discussed how Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are taking different approaches to the same goal of higher ARPU. While Reliance Jio has focused on adding more numbers to its subscriber base, Bharti Airtel has just gone for the kill by charging its subscriber base righteously.

Reasons for High ARPU

Bharti Airtel's launch of services like the Black postpaid plans seems to be one of the drivers here. It's quite possible that a lot of customers who were on standalone postpaid services migrated to Bharti Airtel's other platforms, including Digital TV and broadband, because of this impetus from the company, thus pushing the ARPU upwards. Also, we saw the removal of some of the low-range prepaid plans by Bharti in the last few months. The removal of low-range prepaid plans has likely ticked the public to move for longer-term recharges with more benefits and to shell out more money on a per-user basis, thus giving a further rise to ARPU. Not only this, but the introduction of plans with OTT benefits is another reason why the ARPU has likely seen a rise.

Active Subscriber Base Strong for Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel has also invested in the additional spectrum and has kept its network going strong with additions to its subscriber base, and hence that has been the reason why Reliance Jio, despite having more subscribers, is still behind Bharti Airtel when it comes to active subscribers. This is another reason why Bharti Airtel's ARPU stays ahead since it simply has more paying subscribers, and its premium services are helping the telco charge likewise from the customers. The linear growth in data demand is also one effect that can be seen on Airtel's network as the company noted that Monthly Mobile Data consumption per customer grew to 18.5GBs, up by 13.7% YoY.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Key Details Leaked Ahead of August 11 Launch

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 07:47 AM PDT

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Samsung is all set to launch its Galaxy Buds 2 during its Unpacked event on August 11, and, by now, we have seen a lot of rumours in regards to the product, with even key details such as the pricing and specifications having been tipped by more than one publication or leakster. It seems that today it is time for another leak in regards to the Galaxy Buds 2, as Twitter user Snoopy Tech took the micro-blogging site to reveal the key specifications of the upcoming truly wireless earbuds from the Korean Giant. The leak suggests that instead of being a truly revolutionary product, the Galaxy Buds 2 will build on what its predecessor, the OG Galaxy Buds had to offer, with nothing being a proper standout feature or function.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Specifications Leaked Ahead of Launch

As per the leak, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 will come with support for ANC or active noise cancellation and an ambient noise mode that can amplify sounds from the outside so as to allow users to converse without having to take the earbuds off. Wireless connectivity will be dependent on Bluetooth 5.2 and the buds will come with no certification, at least not as of now. There are also doubts regarding the presence of gesture controls and wear sensors for the Galaxy Buds 2, a feature that has become common even for truly wireless buds costing $50-80. The leak does however mention that the Galaxy Buds 2 will opt for a glossy finish and will be available in five different colour variants. Battery life too should be decent, as the earbuds will supposedly offer 18 hours of playback with ANC on, with five hours of constant usage with the ANC functionality on, similar to other alternatives. Without ANC on, the buds will supposedly last 28 hours and eight hours on a single charge, with the charging case featuring a 472 mAh battery to top up the 61 mAh battery present on each earbud. The charging case, which is undoubtedly one of the most important tools with any earbuds will support Qi wireless charging and offer quick charging, with 55 minutes of playback on a 5-minute charge. Audio-wise, the Buds 2 will opt for a dual-speaker configuration, with an 11mm woofer and 6.5mm tweeter within each driver. The Galaxy Buds 2 might also come with IPX7 water splash and dust resistance to keep the buds safe during a visit to the gym or during light rain conditions. Pricing wise, leaks have suggested a price tag of EUR 149 or Rs 11,500, but the pricing in India may very well vary. We do not have to wait for long though, since the launch is not too far from the date of writing this article.

Vodafone Idea Non-Exec Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla Steps Down

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 07:29 AM PDT

Vodafone Idea Kumar Mangalam Birla is not the non-executive Chairman of Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) anymore. Mr Birla stepped down from the position effective August 4, 2021, after the closing of business hours. Mr Himashu Kapania, current a non-executive Director of the company will be replacing Mr Birla as the non-executive Chairman. For the unaware, Mr Kapania has been in the telecom industry for more than 25 years and has served as a board member for significant telecom companies globally. Mr Kapania has also served as the Chairman of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) for two years and further served on the Global GSMA Board for two years. Vodafone Idea has further appointed Mr Sushil Agrawal as an Additional Director (non-executive and non-independent) from August 4, 2021.

BSE Has Sought Clarification from Vodafone Idea Limited

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has further sought clarification from Vodafone Idea on the news article that came from Business Standard which was titled 'Birla tells govt he is willing to give up promoter stake in Vodafone Idea'. What exactly is the exchange looking for is a little unclear. But a reply from the company on the matter is still awaited. For the unaware, the report from Business Standard stated that Birla is willing to sell his stake in the Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) to the government to ensure that the company keeps on providing services. The stepping down of Kumar Mangalam Birla is a huge decision. Vodafone Idea can still turn things around and make itself a fortune in India's massive market with more than a billion people. Vi needs to narrow its focus on improving network coverage and it can easily have high average revenue per user (ARPU) customers on its portfolio which will help it see through the tough time. Further, if Vi shows consistent performance for a few quarters, it won't be long before a new major investor jumps into the company.

Tecno Pova 2 and Redmi Note 10 Compared and Detailed

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 07:21 AM PDT

Tecno Pova 2 Tecno recently launched the Tecno Pova 2 smartphone in the Indian market. The smartphone is priced in the affordable segment, and it is packed with intriguing specifications. The pricing of the smartphone is similar to Redmi Note 10. In this article, we will compare the Tecno Pova 2 and Redmi Note 10. Follow the article to the end for a detailed guide.

Tecno Pova 2: Specifications and Price

The Techno Pova 2 features a 6.95-inch FHD+ display and supports a 180Hz touch sampling rate. The smartphone is powered by MediaTek Helio G85 chipset with HiOS based on Android 11 out of the box. The Tecno Pova 2 runs on a massive 7,000 mAh battery which is the major highlight of the smartphone. As for optics, the smartphone features a quad-camera setup with a 48MP primary camera, 2MP depth and macro sensor, while the fourth lens remains unspecified. Towards the front, the smartphone sports an 8MP Dot-in AI Selfie Camera with a dual flashlight for low light photography. As for pricing, the base variant of 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage is available for Rs 10,499. The 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant is available for Rs 12,499.

Redmi Note 10: Specifications and Price

The Redmi Note 10 features a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Under the system, the Redmi Note 10 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 and Adreno 612 GPU. Talking about camera specifications, the Redmi Note 10 features a quad-camera setup with a 48MP primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro and depth sensor camera. Towards the front, the smartphone features a 13MP in-display selfie camera. The smartphone comes to life through a 5000 mAh battery with 33W fash charging support. As for pricing, the 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage variant is available for Rs 13,999, whereas the 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage option is available for Rs 15,999. If we compare the Tecno Pova 2 and Redmi Note 10, the biggest feature in which Tecno Pova 2 dominates the comparison is the battery. Tecno Pova 2 comes with a massive 7000 mAh battery, whereas the Redmi Note 10 features a 5000 mAh battery. The camera specifications of both smartphones are almost similar. While Tecno Pova 2 is priced towards the affordable segment, the Redmi Note 10 is slightly priced towards the mid-range segment. If the users are looking for a smartphone with massive battery life, Techo Pova 2 is one of the finest smartphones available in the market. However, the specifications of both Tecno Pova 2 and Redmi Note 10 makes them a great value for money.

Vodafone Study Claims 5G Could Allow for £6.3 Billion Boost in UK

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 06:57 AM PDT

Vodafone The importance of 5G has been stressed upon since the technology was first introduced, but, given as to how it took a bit of time for it to be deployed even in developed countries, the effects and the fruits of the same were not yet visible. It seems that a new report by Vodafone and WPI Economics has tapped into the importance of 5G, stating that the adoption of 5G could allow for an addition of over £6bn on a yearly basis to the value of the UK manufacturing industry by the year 2030. The study claims that 5G might help factories make good and fast decisions that can lead to maximised productivity by facilitating the management and sharing of large quantities of data.

Vodafone Study Claims UK Could Benefit from 5G!

This holds true especially in areas of the UK that have been, in the words of the report, left behind, with some of the listed areas being the North East, North West, East, West Midlands and Wales. After this report was published, Vodafone called on the UK government to invest in the creation of 5G innovation and test centres as well as measures to make it easier for the manufacturers to invest in private networks of 5G. The business director of Vodafone, Anne Sheehan mentioned that 5G offers a huge potential for the manufacturing sector and beyond and, in order to realise this potential, everyone needs to get with the program, from government and Ofcom creating the right policy and regulatory environment, through to businesses embracing the power of innovation, and Vodafone as network operators creating this network of the future. The authors of the report claim that 5G could also allow for wider usage of AR and VR, augmented reality and virtual reality within areas of manufacturing so as to improve design plans and visualisation before proper construction of the prototypes. This 5G-enabled increase in productivity will definitely result in a manufacturing gross value or GVA of £3.6bn per year by the year 2025, and £6.3bn per year in 2030, the report adds. The authors do claim that this will only occur if around 91% of manufacturers have access to 5G for operations. In relation to this report, the digital infrastructure minister, Matt Warman stated that key benefits of 5G for an improvement in productivity, efficiency and safety in the UK’s manufacturing sector and beyond are visible, and Vodafone's report stands as an endorsement of how this revolutionary technology can help us build back from the pandemic. He added that 5G can change the way Britain builds and that the government had now sparked innovation in the UK manufacturing through our £200m 5G trials scheme.

Bharti Airtel CEO Explains Reasons Behind Rise in ARPU

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 06:21 AM PDT

Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel CEO sat down for the quarterly earnings call today and revealed some of the major insights into what the company is planning for the upcoming quarters, some of its partnerships, and how it has been able to ramp up its ARPU ahead of the other telcos. Gopal Vittal said that some of the recent tweaks made in the plans of Bharti Airtel, both on the prepaid and postpaid front, were a small step in the direction of pushing up the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) of the company to Rs 200 levels and eventually to the Rs 300 levels. He said that currently, the industry ARPU is in the unsustainable ranges, and the return on capital for the company is in a single-digit figure.

Changes in Prepaid and Postpaid Plans

One of the major changes is the upping of the lower limit of the prepaid plans for Bharti Airtel subscribers. The telecom company has recently removed its Rs 49 prepaid plan from its list of plans; this means that the subscribers opting for the bare minimum plan will have the option of a Rs 79 prepaid plan instead of the previous Rs 49 plan. Not only this but a slight change has been made on the postpaid plan front apart from the introduction of the Airtel Black postpaid plans. The corporate plans, which used to have a starting price point of Rs 199, will now start from Rs 299. So, there has been an increase of Rs 100 on the corporate postpaid plans front in favour of the ARPU.

Bharti Airtel CEO Explains High Capex

The Bharti Airtel CEO also said that the increased Capex of Bharti Airtel was because of the deployment of the sub-GHz spectrum. He also added Airtel is deploying new radios in seven circles where it did not have a sub-Ghz layer. In four other circles, he said that Airtel had upgraded the software to provide 4G services on the Sub-GHz spectrum.

ACT Fibernet Collaborates With Telangana Govt for Hy-Fi Project, Sets Up 3000 Wi-Fi Hotspots

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 06:00 AM PDT

ACT In a bid to accelerate the Digital Telangana plans, the Government of Telangana on Wednesday unveiled around 3000+ public Wi-Fi hotspots in the city of Hyderabad, as part of the Hy-Fi project that is in collaboration with ACT Fibernet. This launch took place in the presence of Mr Jayesh Rajan, the Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana government, Shri. K. T. Rama Rao, Hon'ble Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries, and IT & Commerce, Govt. of Telangana and Mr Bala Malladi, Chief Executive Officer, Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd amongst other officials. Each of these Wi-Fi hotspots depends on ACT’s SmartFiber Technology that allows for a fast and safe internet experience. This technology also provides the users with smooth, seamless connectivity for content consumption and calling, file-transfers ACT's Gigabit-enabled network at scale.

ACT to Aid Hy-Fi Project in Telangana

For those of you unaware, with the implementation of the SmartFiber™ technology, a study by InMobi back in April 2021 had concluded that ACT was the fastest service provider in Hyderabad and the ideal broadband for streaming. In terms of usage, users will have to login via the ACT Free Hy-Fi" portal using their phone number and can make use of free internet for 45 mins at 25 Mbps speed and 1 GB data limit without any cost and can also top up further as and when needed. When it comes to the existing customers of ACT, when they log in with their ACT ID, they can get their current home broadband speeds. The hotspots have been placed across the city in areas such as hospitals, public parks, malls metro stations, public libraries, metro stations, educations institutions etc. The paid options applicable to non-existent ACT customers are divided into 1hr and 3hr plans, with 2GB and 4GB of data respectively, priced at Rs 25 and Rs 50+taxes. Shri K.T Rama Rao, Hon'ble Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries, and IT & Commerce, Govt. of Telangana, in relation to this stated that Hyderabad has been rated as one of the best cities in the world via several studies. The 3000 active hotspots will now make Hyderabad a truly global smart city. The government is happy that a great number of people will now be able to enjoy free internet and make good use of it. ACT Fibernet has been a trusted industry partner for many years, and we thank them for their support to expand the Hy-Fi project. The CEO of Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) said that ACT Fibernet has always believed in leveraging internet connectivity as a force of good – to enable social transformations. The free public Wi-fi will help bridge the digital divide, be it for students, health workers or even the general public. It is an honour for the company to be a part of this prestigious project by the government of Telangana and do its bit for the citizens of Hyderabad

JioPhone Next With Native Snapchat Lenses an Interesting Integration Says Analyst

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 05:29 AM PDT

jiophone-next-native-snapchat-lenses-interesting-integration Native Snapchat lenses on the upcoming JioPhone Next is an "interesting integration," says Ygal Arounian, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. Arounian told TelecomTalk that such native integrations could "help" Snap to welcome "more international audiences into Snapchat's ecosystem." JioPhone Next, the smartphone "jointly developed" by Jio Platforms, a majority-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries and Google, was unveiled by Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries chairman, at the company's annual general meeting in late June. While the smartphone is scheduled to be made available in the market beginning September 10, 2021, Ambani shared several details about the JioPhone Next, such as it being "ultra-affordable." Ambani said that the upcoming smartphone includes features like "voice assistant, automatic read-aloud of screen text, language translation, smart camera with augmented reality filters."

Indian Snapchatters Watching Shows, Publisher Content Increased 150% YoY

In a release jointly issued by Jio and Google, it was highlighted that the internet search giant has "partnered with Snap to integrate Indian-specific Snapchat lenses directly into the phone's camera." Evan Spiegel, chief executive officer at Snap in the second-quarter earnings call in late July, said that the company has "partnered with Bumble and Viber" and is also "working with Google." "We also partnered with Bumble and Viber to bring lenses to their respective mobile apps, and are working with Google to bring our lenses directly to the new JioPhone in India with a native camera integration," Spiegel said in the second-quarter earnings call. In its investor presentation for its second quarter, Snap highlighted that over 20 lakh lenses are available on Snapchat, with the platform home to over 200,000 global active lens creators. Arounian told TelecomTalk that the native camera integration could "definitely" be seen as a way for Snap to capture more market share in India. "That could have positive implications for overall international users and engagement, which would certainly be a positive," Arounian told TelecomTalk in an email interview. However, Arounian said that the native camera integrations, despite Snap doing it "more often", is "not overly crucial" for the company in terms of it being a financial driver. "It's not overly crucial in terms of what is going to be the largest driver(s) of results in the near-term," Arounian said. In the second-quarter results of its current financial year, Snap, a camera company, recorded US$982 million (around Rs 7284 crores) in revenue, translating to an 116% year-over-year (YoY) increase. The parent company of Snapchat highlighted that its daily active users (DAU) hit 29.3 crores, translating to a 23% YoY increase. Crucially, it was highlighted that the DAUs increased both on a quarterly basis as well as YoY, "in each of North America, Europe, and rest of world" markets. Further, the company highlighted that the increase in DAUs, both sequentially and YoY, was also recorded both on the iOS and Android platforms. In the previous quarter, Snapchat, a platform enabling users to watch video content and send disappearing messages to other users, recorded 28 crores DAUs, with the majority of its users on the Android platform. "We launched a record 177 new international Discover Channels, including 36 in the UK and 24 in India, one of which is a partnership with Sony Pictures Network to launch five Shows," Snap said in a release in late July. Spiegel, in the earnings call, said that the total daily time spent by the Indian Snapchat users "watching Shows and publisher content" jumped 150% YoY.

"Significant Opportunity To Expand" Globally Says Snap

Arounian said that the rest of the world region "doesn't monetize the same way the US and Europe does" for Snap as it only contributes around 15% of Snap's total revenues. However, Arounian said that the region does account for a "decent portion" at around 40% of Snap's daily users. "There's a long runway of global users for Snapchat, and they are very early in terms of monetizing that user base," Arounian said. In its investor presentation for its second quarter, Snap highlighted that it has a "significant opportunity to expand," its community globally as it has only a 5% penetration in the rest of world region. In comparison, the company highlighted that it has a 24% penetration in North America and an 14% penetration in Europe. Additionally, Jeremi Gorman, chief business officer at Snap, said that the recent changes to the iOS platform "came later" in the second quarter than "initially anticipated." With the recent iOS 14.5 update, Apple requires user permissions for apps to track them for advertising purposes. Gorman said that the users have been slow to update their iPhones but that the company has noticed "higher opt-in rates" as compared to its peers. "As Apple rolled-out its App Tracking Transparency-related changes near the end of Q2, we observed higher opt-in rates than we are seeing reported generally across the industry, which we believe is due in part to the trust our community has in our products and our business," Gorman said in the earnings call.

iPhone 13 Will Finally Solve This Longstanding Issue

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 05:05 AM PDT

iPhone 13 A few days back, it was reported that the upcoming Apple iPhone 13 would arrive with enhanced fast-charging technology. Reports hinted that the series would support 25W fast-charging support. In addition to this, another battery-related leak has also made its way to the tech headlines. It is reported that the upcoming iPhone models will arrive with smaller components and increased battery size. As per a report by Digitimes, Apple might make use of bigger batteries for the upcoming models. Having said that, it is clear that the only thing that could happen to make use of a bigger battery cell is to minimize the additional space. It is believed that Apple will use smaller components to pave for a bigger battery as these will save space.

Apple Adopts IPD

Reportedly, it is claimed that Apple has increased the IPD (Integrated Passive Devices) adoption for the peripherals that will occupy less space in the upcoming models. These peripherals will be smaller in size as compared to the ones used in the previous generation models. Apparently, with the surge in the adoption of IPDs, the chip manufacturing partners such as Amkor and TSMC are likely to get solid business opportunities. Not only iPhones but also iPads and MacBooks will get this new enhanced battery segment, Besides these, the Cupertino tech giant approved TSMC's sixth-generation chips for mass production. Notably, the chips will be used in the upcoming iPhones to saved space coaling the report. In an earlier report, the iPhone 13 series was hinted to flaunt a relatively thicker build and an almost similar design to that of the iPhone 12 series. However, the report does not reveal any details regarding the iPhone 13's chipsets. So, it remains to be seen if this chipset is meant for the iPhone 3 or the upcoming iPhone models.

What Else To Expect?

Apple iPhone 13 series is speculated and might arrive with 25W fast charging support. Also, the presence of LiDAR scanner and up to 1TB of storage space. The other speculations include the presence of feature larger wireless charging coils as well as reverse charging: report. Given that it will launch in September as usual, we can wait for further claims to hit the web.

Bharti Airtel Inks Important Partnerships for 5G O-RAN Technology

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 04:55 AM PDT

Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel is one company, which is ahead of others in testing network technologies that are right up on the horizon. The telco has already started testing ORAN-enabled tech, and is doing so in partnership with other big companies and prominent names like Intel, Qualcomm, Mavenir, Altiostar, and Red Hat, says Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel. During the earnings calls, Vittal said that Airtel is ready for a 5G network, and it has proven its capability by conducting the first 5G demo over a LIVE network in India and is conducting trials in multiple cities now.

Bharti Airtel to Get ORAN Support

He also added that among many of its partnerships, the one with Tata Group is a substantial one. He said that the Bharti Airtel – Tata Group partnership which is strategic in nature, is one of the critical under the Make In India push. To implement 5G network solutions for India, Bharti Airtel has partnered up with Tata Group, whose locally developed solutions for the 5G network will start getting deployed from January 2022 onwards. The CEO also added that Bharti Airtel has been making investments in the transport layer of 5G and is now ready to deploy the network in a lot of places.

Bharti Airtel's Partnership to Prove Cost-Effective

As per the analysts, the move of partnering up with Tata Group will prove to be cost-effective for Bharti Airtel since it will not have to resort to foreign-made equipment and will be able to use locally sourced ORAN technology. He further added that formidable spectrum holdings in the mid-band could be used to deploy 5G in India. In other news, Bharti Airtel has filed its quarterly earnings report, in which it has highlighted that despite the pandemic woes, the telecom operator was able to push the strategic figure of ARPU past the Rs 140 figure, thus bringing it up to Rs 146 from the previous quarterly record of Rs 138.

COAI Pushes for Standardisation of 5G In Harmony With Global Trends

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 04:32 AM PDT

5G India stands on the cusp of 5G rollout as many telecom companies have already started the field trials of the fifth-generation network technology. However, some roadblocks still remain, as per the telecom companies, the Indian 5G standard being pushed by the Department of Telecommunications is another roadblock in this set. To discuss this, the telecom companies along with chipmakers and members from ICEA, TSDSI, CDoT met DoT officials to discuss the 5Gi standard. As per the telcos, the 5Gi standard should not be made mandatory for the companies and should be an optional standard. Also, they believe that making the 5Gi standard mandatory would increase the prices of smartphones.

Multiple Stakeholders Push for Uniform Standardisation

Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and the body representing the major telcos of India, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) also said that there is no device ecosystem for 5Gi right now. They further added that the technology is not globally harmonised meaning that if DoT mandates it, there will be an increase in pricing and also a delay in the rollout of the services. Bharti Airtel raised the issue of the device ecosystem and said that phones in India are mandated to support all the bands auctioned in India including 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz in both standalone and non-standalone 5G modes. They must also support NSA Carrier Aggregation and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing in FDD and TDD spectrum bands, along with the ability to transmit 26dBm.

Harmonisation With 3GPP Common Demand

The companies also remarked that the cheapest handset in India supporting 5G costs Rs 15,000 and right now it only supports the N78, the mid-band of 5G. SP Kochhar, Director General of COAI, said that harmonisation with 3GPP is imperative for a smooth rollout of 5G in India. He said it would be sad to see a situation where the industry is stuck, if 5Gi gets harmonised that will be a win-win situation. However, the alternative scenario would mean that the subscribers will have to bear the burden of increased costs.

Multiple Fronts Rooting for BSNL and Vodafone Idea Merger

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 03:51 AM PDT

BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is the only public telecom company in the ruthless industry of telecom in India. However, similar to Vodafone Idea, BSNL has its own story of poor financials. But now it seems that the support of BSNL is something that can save Vodafone Idea and its network. There have been talks of synergy between BSNL and Vodafone Idea for pan India voice service. It's worth noting that BSNL is one telco that lacks 4G network and if BSNL were to sign a roaming pact with Vodafone Idea Ltd and synergy were to come in between the two telcos, then BSNL could have its much needed 4G service, where Vodafone Idea can stay afloat in the industry.

Many Supporting Synergy Between BSNL and VIL

Aftab Ahmed Khan, president, Sanchar Nigam Executives Association (SNEA) told ETTelecom that synergy is a good idea between the two telecom companies and this would allow the subscribers of BSNL to latch on to high-speed services of 4G. Notably, SNEA represents 13,000 executives from BSNL. The public telecom company is yet to receive airwaves from the centre for the deployment of 4G services and is also managing the airwaves of MTNL which used to be functioning in metropolitan areas of Mumbai and Delhi. BSNL has dues of Rs 22,000 crore, whereas the govt is only ready to give a sovereign guarantee of Rs 8,500 crore. Vodafone Idea has AGR dues worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

Vodafone Idea and BSNL Can Merge: Deutsche Bank

As for Vodafone Idea, the billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla whose Aditya Birla Group owns a 27.66% stake in Vodafone Idea Ltd wrote to the Cabinet Secy, saying that he is looking to dump his stake in the company either to a public entity or a private investor since he is unable to determine the fate of the telco. The German-based bank, Deutsche Bank, has also said that BSNL and VIL both can be said if VIL's debt is converted into equity and the telco is merged with BSNL and recapitalised. Ravi Shil Verma, president, AIGETOA  All India Graduate Engineers & Telecom Officers Association (AIGETOA) also said that the two companies can come together to capture a significant market share.

Lava International Exec Reveals Plans to Launch 5G Handset Under Rs 20k

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 03:30 AM PDT

Lava Smartphone companies have recently started focusing on 5G smartphones, despite the proper rollout of 5G in India being unknown as of now. That being said, be it Samsung, Apple or budget brands, all brands are prepping for 5G handsets and, it seems that another budget player is getting ready to join this crowd. Lava International’s senior company official on Wednesday revealed that it was planning to showcase its first 5G handset, which will be priced under Rs 20,000. The intended showcase period is during Diwali, which is just a couple of months away.

Lava International to Launch 5G Phone Under Rs 20k By Diwali

Lava’s International President and Business Head Sunil Raina told PTI that the company was looking at up to 20% share in the mobile accessories segment in the next 2-3 years. He stated that Lava is focused on the USD 200 or Rs 15,000 segment as a company when it comes to smartphones. In the segment, the base offering is 4G, which is already being done by the company and then the company as a whole is also working on a 5G product. Lava will also have 5G coming up definitely prior to Diwali or around Diwali, so 5G smartphones are also in the works, he added. For those of you wondering, Lava has both manufacturing and product design facilities on offer in the country. Raina mentioned that Lava is completing this proposed portfolio with the addition of accessories too. This comes as no surprise, as, back in the month of May, the company had announced the lava Probuds that were developed via the use of Mediatek Airoha chips. Talking about this, Mr Sunil stated that Lava uses one of the best chipsets that the industry can offer, Mediatek Airoha. It is highly reliable and is one of the best chipsets that can be used in TWS products. Further discussing the manufacturing process, he said that one of the cornerstones of Lava’s initiative is of doing the entire manufacturing in-house and doing the entire design in-house. The company’s dependence on the Chinese ecosystem has now completely been reduced, and it is seeing a huge change in the quality and experience of all kinds of products that have been made. Raina also mentioned that there are only 3 or 4 active players in the mobile accessories segment and Lava too will be one of them.

WhatsApp Could Soon Offer End-to-End Encryption for Local Backups

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 02:56 AM PDT

WhatsApp It seems that WhatsApp is getting more and more serious about privacy and encryption post its fiasco back in early 2021, as, it seems that the company will soon offer end-to-end encryption for local backups, leading to better security of chat data, even when it comes to backing them up. This comes after WhatsApp had stated earlier that it would offer end to end encryption on chat backups that would be synced to Google Drive. Today, however, a post via WABetaInfo has revealed that WhatsApp will be bringing the same for local backups of chats as well. This move is quite welcome since any bit of encryption is appreciated in today’s day and age.

WhatsApp Could Soon Allow End-To-End Encryption for Local Backups

As per the post by WABetaInfo on Twitter, this feature has been doing the rounds on WhatsApp Beta for Android, with the shared screenshot showing that within the chat backup page, WhatsApp will show the time for the last backup and whether or not the same was end-to-end encrypted or not. Underneath this, there is an option for the user to create a new backup for their chats, with the option to turn on end-to-end encryption, providing the size of the backup as well. There also seems to be an option to choose whether or not to encrypt the backup, which provides the user with an option. You might think that the option to choose encryption of local backups would be one that most would use, but, there is an increase in overall file size, which could lead to consumption of more space, giving this option should then allow the user to back their data up without reducing their storage space. In case you missed it, this news come after WhatsApp started rolling out a feature that has been much loved on competitor Snapchat. This feature, dubbed View Once lets photos and videos disappear after they have been opened. Facebook, in a blog post, stated that once the media content is viewed, there will be a message stating that it had been opened. This is pretty similar to Snapchat, which allows users to make their updates disappear after a span of 24 hours. Overall, it seems that WhatsApp is working towards ensuring better privacy and availability of features to the end-users so as to not lose out users to competitors such as Telegram and Signal, both of which have stepped up their game in the last couple of months.

D2h Long-Term Plans Get 42 Days Additional Validity

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 01:26 AM PDT

D2h The ongoing lockdown and restrictions caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has urged the telecom operators to come up with work from home plans for their subscribers. As many people are working from home, these plans are targeted at the professionals into remote working. Also, these plans are meant for those users relying heavily on DTH services. This is why D2h has come up with a set of recharge plans for its subscribers, offering them a variety of benefits so that they can choose the one that suits their requirements. One such category offered is long-term recharges.

D2h Long-Term Recharges Benefits

For now, the service provider offers a few long-term recharge plans for subscribers. On choosing any of these recharges, there will be some additional benefits. To make it clear, you will get additional days of usage for free on recharging with long-term offers. This is a limited period offer, and you need to hurry up to get the benefits. If you choose to recharge with a long-term recharge bonanza plan with 6 months validity, then you will get 21 days of free service as a part of the offer. Likewise, if you choose a recharge plan of D2h with 12 months validity, then there will be 42 days of free service post the validity. Besides these, there will be free shopping coupons on every recharge. This offer is exclusive to the D2h Infinity App and the official website of the service provider www.d2h.com.

Popular D2h Plans

For those looking for D2h plans, there is an All in One English Combo offering Rs 37 SD channels for Rs 146.98 per month. Also, there is an All in English HD Combo offered for Rs 241.2 per month. This one comes with 24 HD channels and 14 SD channels. The Celebration HD combo, priced at Rs 206.24, comes with 13 HD channels and 23 SD channels. The Diamond HD Combo offered by d2h bundles 25 HD channels and 54 SD channels for a cost of Rs 305.45 for a month. Finally, the Diamond Kids Comb has 76 SD and 75 SD channels for users.

Vodafone Idea Stock Dips 14% In Noon Session

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 01:05 AM PDT

Vodafone Idea Vodafone Idea stock has dipped over 14% in the noon session. The telco has been struck very badly from the intent of selling the stake shown by its second-biggest promoter – Aditya Birla Group. Kumar Mangalam Birla had written in a letter to the Union Cabinet Secretary about his willingness to let go of his group's promoter stake in Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) and sell to the government. On Tuesday, during the morning session of trading, VIL's stock had plunged by 10% and had closed at Rs 7.40.

Vodafone Idea Stock Opens Low On Wednesday

Vodafone Idea stock opened low on Wednesday than its previous closing. The stock had closed at Rs 7.40 on Tuesday and opened at Rs 7.15 on Wednesday. As of now, the telco's share is running 14% lower at Rs 6.35 than its previous closing and had dipped to Rs 6 as well. The telco requires cash in the short-term desperately to ensure its survival. It isn't like Vi will vanish in a day. But the telco has not seen profits for years, and its goal of finding an investor to raise Rs 25,000 crore has also not seen any success. Neither Birla Group nor the leading promoter Vodafone Group wants to infuse any more capital in the loss-making telco. This is evidence that the company might not find a new institutional investor anytime soon. Note that the government is working on a relief package for the telecom sector already. The relief package should help Vodafone Idea in the short term. The telco's best bet right now is the Indian customers who are looking for excellent 4G services. If Vi goes out of the market in the next few years, it will boil down the competition between Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which won't be a good thing for the Indian Telecom sector. It is imperative that government steps in and bails out Vi as soon as possible.

Realme 8s, Realme 8i India Launch Teased

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 12:39 AM PDT

Realme 8s Realme is gearing up to launch the Relame 8i and Realme 8s series in the Indian market soon. The news was revealed by Madhav Seth, Realme India and Europe CEO, in the latest episode of ASK Madhav. The launch of the two smartphones under the Realme 8 series was hinted from a long period. In the episode, Madhav Seth was seen asking the fans about the preferred smartphone which they would like to see first in India. It is unclear whether the Realme 8s and Relame 8i will be 5G enabled smartphones. However, users might take the information with a pinch of salt.

Expected Specifications of Realme 8s and Realme 8i

Since no official information regarding the specifications has been revealed by Realme, there are multiple sources on the internet that are speculating the specifications of the smartphones. It is expected that the Relame 8s will feature a 6.5-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Under the veil, the smartphone is expected to be powered by MediaTek Dimenstiy 810 chipset along with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage option. As for optics, the smartphone might feature dual rear cameras. The phone is expected to be powered by a 5000 mAh battery. Talking about Relame 8i, it is speculated that the smartphone will be a 4G enabled device, and it will be powered by a 5000 mAh battery. Other information regarding the smartphone is still in the darkness.

Expected Pricing and Launch Date of Realme 8s and Relame 8i

The Reame 8s will be the latest phone in the 's' series after the Realme 5s that was launched back in 2019. On the other side, Realme 8i will be the successor of the Realme 7i. Both smartphones are expected to fall in the budget segment. To speculate, the Realme 7i is available for Rs 11,999. Realme users waiting for the launch of Realme 8s and Realme 8i can expect that one of the smartphones will be priced above Rs 10,000, which could be the Realme 8i. Realme 8s is expected to be priced under Rs 10,000. However, all the information regarding the pricing and specifications must be taken with a pinch of salt.

Bharti Airtel Positive About Long-Term Future

Posted: 03 Aug 2021 11:23 PM PDT

Bharti Airtel 2016 marked a massive transformation in the telecom industry in India with the entry of Reliance Jio with affordable plans. Since then, India has become the second-lowest market in terms of telecom tariff on a global level. This transformation has set low average revenue per user (ARPU) for the telecom operators, thereby taking a hit at the major players such as Airtel. There is massive scope for upward revision, and it depends on how well the subscribers or customers get used to the new normal that prevails now.

Bharti Airtel Numbers Show Positive Future

When it comes to the numbers achieved by Bharti Airtel, it is a mixed set of numbers, but there is no major disappointment unless something is hidden, claims Gaurang Shah, Senior Vice President at Geojit Financial Services, in a report by ET Telecom. EBITDA margins are at 49.1%, and mobile ARPU is at Rs 146. The monthly mobile data consumption per customer is 18.5 GB. Talking about this, he stated that they are working with an ARPU of Rs 140 – 142, so Rs 146 is definitely above what the back of the envelope calculation was. Also, it is a little higher than the per-user consumption of data. Eventually, this adds up to a marginal increase in the ARPU of Bharti Airtel. Geojit, a brokerage house, has a positive coverage on Airtel with a long-term point of view. Being the country's second-largest telecom operator, it should see better days with the government's initiative of putting things in place.

Government's Relief Package

The government of India has just hit the headlines as it is preparing a relief package for the telecom industry. It hasn't revealed any plans to Kumar Mangalam Birla's (chairman of Aditya Birla Group) offer to hand over the stake of the group in Vodafone India. The government has announced a Rs 70,000-crore package for BSNL, and its hands are full for now. We are yet to see how the government's relief package will help Bharti Airtel, which is already going on the growth trajectory for the long term with the increase in ARPU.

Vodafone Idea Lenders In Fear As Fail Could Be Massive

Posted: 03 Aug 2021 10:23 PM PDT

Vodafone Idea Just a day after the revelation of the warning letter from Kumar Mangalam Birla to Vodafone Idea about an irretrievable point of collapse, banks are getting worried about the telecom major. They claim it to be "too big to fail". Both Indian and global lenders have an exposure of Rs. 1.8 lakh crore. It is said that a large part of this is in the form of guarantees.

Vodafone Idea Crisis

Already, some private lenders with a funded exposure have started making provisions, but a bulk of the exposure is to the banks in the public sector. If VIL fails to repay the dues it owes to the governments and the guarantees are invoked, then it will immediately turn into debt and might soon be categorised as a non-performing asset. The take on public sector banks will not be huge as their exposure as lenders have been demanding a higher cash margin from Vodafone for the guarantees. Notably, IDBI is claimed to have up to 40% margins for the guarantee provided. This will be large to wipe out profits for many. When it comes to banks, the debt recovery is contingent on Vodafone Idea's operation and retaining customers. The company continues to have close to a quarter of the Indian market. But this situation might witness changes overnight if there is a default. As per the bankers, the process of insolvency works when there are buyers. In this case, Rs. 53,000 crore AGR dues are a deterrent to the Centre. What's worth mentioning is that this is despite Birla being ready to write down his equity.

Will Vodafone Idea Clear Debts?

The Centre cannot make an exception for a company, which makes the government dues unavoidable. In the insolvency cases, the telecom department claimed its dues to be that of a financial creditor though there are attempts to make them operational. The challenge is there is uncertainty over the telecom department's claims that are being experienced by lenders in the insolvency case of Reliance Communication. Lenders do not want to disk insolvency as this might end up in the exit of customers as in the RCom case. Besides the debt obligations of the company being 1.5% of the banking sector's credit, VIL is a large telecom infrastructure provider, claim lenders. Many business applications use their networks, and it is one of the largest IoT service providers as well. As per a bank executive, insolvency could be a worst-case scenario as customer migration will be a risk.

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