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Samsung Galaxy S22 to Be Most Compact Android Flagship of 2022
Telecom Operators Might See ARPU Rise Without Tariff Hikes
Google TV to Get Free Streaming Live TV Channels With Ads
Vodafone Idea Rolls Out iPhone 13 Series Offers for Postpaid Users
IoT Will Spur Diversification In Indian Telecom
5G In India to See Better Participation
Alliance 100 Mbps Broadband Plan Might Make Jio, Airtel Nervous
TRAI Will Not Go for Floor Pricing

Samsung Galaxy S22 to Be Most Compact Android Flagship of 2022

Posted: 18 Sep 2021 07:28 AM PDT

Given that the flagship launches for this year are done, the rumour mills have started focusing on the upcoming models slated to be unveiled next year. Likewise, the Samsung Galaxy S22 is one of the highly anticipated smartphones from the company. As it belongs to the Galaxy S series, this smartphone is expected to be launched early in 2022 like its predecessors. Already, we have been coming across several reports regarding these upcoming devices and now its battery capacity has come to light.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Battery Capacity

Previously, the well-known tipster Ice Universe has taken to the micro-blogging site Twitter to share several aspects of these upcoming Samsung smartphones. Now, the tipster has hinted that the standard Galaxy S22 might arrive with a 3700mAh battery. By today's standards, this battery size is quite mediocre as there are Android biggies with up to 7000mAh battery. Given that the processors used by the flagship smartphones such as the Galaxy S22 could consume a lot of battery life as they are power-hungry, this battery size might make it not be on par with rivals. But it makes perfect sense as the phone could be quite compact and more pocket-friendly than the other devices out there such as iPhone 13 series. Notably, this size difference is only specific to the dimensions. Furthermore, the tipster says that the Galaxy S22 will be much smaller in terms of width and length. Even the thickness of the Samsung Galaxy S22 could be slimmer than the iPhone 13, which measures 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7mm. Effectively, if this makes us believe that the Galaxy S22 could be one of the most compact flagships to be unveiled in recent years. Earlier, Samsung launched the Galaxy S10e with a screen size of 5.8 inches was pulled off. This will make the upcoming device much larger than a diagonal screen size of 6.06 inches. Moreover, the 3700mAh battery could be laced with a fast charging speed of 25W, which is slower than the 45W supported by its larger kins such as the Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra as these could use a larger battery.

Telecom Operators Might See ARPU Rise Without Tariff Hikes

Posted: 18 Sep 2021 05:46 AM PDT

The telecom operators in India started witnessing a drop in the ARPU (average revenue per user) in recent years due to the low-cost plans. Eventually, the telcos claim to have made losses and the government of India approved the telecom relief package recently so that they can make up for the losses. However, to generate increased revenue, telcos need to increase their tariff, which is not possible in the current scenario wherein there are conditions issued by DoT. Now, a fresh report by IANS citing Ind-Ra claims that telcos can increase their ARPU without tariff hikes.

Increased ARPU For Telcos

The report notes that the data usage and penetration zooms are at their peak in the past couple of years. As per a research by Ind-Ra, the sliding voice tariffs, the current trends involve increasing data tariffs and growing data usage per subscriber. Also, there is an increase in the average data used per user. To add to this, there is an increase in the data subscribers in the overall user base in the past year. These trends indicate that the ARPU of the industry can reach a new high sans increasing the tariff.

Growth In Subscriber Base

Besides this, the rating agency went on to state that there has been a 4 million month-on-month increase in the number of subscribers across the nation as of June 2021. This takes the total number of subscribers to 1,181 million. Also, it noted that the same trend prevailed in the broadband segment as well wherein the number of subscribers increased by 11.7 million subscribers in June 2021, which takes it to 769 million subscribers. This is evident as the broadband penetration has also increased in the country. However, there is a drop of 1.3 million subscribers in a visitor location subscriber base on a month-on-month basis accounting for 985 million subscribers in June 2021, it noted. When it comes to broadband subscribers, it showed that there has been a growth of 65.1 percent in the number of wireless subscribers in June 2021 while it was 64.4 per cent in May 2021 and only 47 per cent in March 2019.

Google TV to Get Free Streaming Live TV Channels With Ads

Posted: 18 Sep 2021 03:22 AM PDT

Google TV is a smart TV platform based on Android TV OS and it runs on Chromecast and select smart TVs from Sony and TCL among others. It comes with support for streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and others. Now, it looks like Google is all set to add free TV channels to the Google TV platform sometime soon. The addition of free TV channels will give Google an upper hand over the others. It is reported that the company is in talks with companies that distribute free and ad-supported streaming TV channels.

Google TV To Get Free Channels

As per a report by Protocol citing industry sources, the free streaming channels could be added to Google TV this fall or along with its smart TV partners in 2022. With the addition of these free TV channels, the users of Chromecast can browse channels via a dedicated Live TV menu. As of now, this menu offers only paid TV services such as YouTube TV subscription service. Moreover, it adds that the new free TV channels will be launched alongside the live subscription-based live channels. Going by the report, these channels might have the feel of traditional and linear TV networks with ad breaks as well as on-screen graphics. Also, with the addition of free live channels to Google TV, users of Chromecast will receive the utmost benefit. This feature will add to the personalised 'For You' recommendations from subscriptions and the ability to create a Watch List. However, the effort to add free channels is similar to what Samsung has done with its TV service on its smart TV range. The service is integrated with free streaming channels and it is touted to stream billions of minutes of linear and traditional programming each month.

Similar Move By Rivals

Besides Google, Amazon and Roku also are in the works to introduce live channels on their offerings. It is claimed that Roku, which is yet to make its way into India had added more than 200 free channels to the platform. Ideally, smart TV makers are eying to add free streaming channels to their program guides so that users can switch between streaming channels and live TV without much effort.

Vodafone Idea Rolls Out iPhone 13 Series Offers for Postpaid Users

Posted: 18 Sep 2021 01:50 AM PDT

Just a few days back, Apple unveiled the best-ever iPhones in the iPhone 13 series. Now, Vodafone Idea (Vi), a leading telecom operator has come up with benefits for the buyers of the new iPhone 13 series. Vi customers can pre-order the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max in India via myvi.com, Vi app, and across 270+ retailer stores across the country from September 18, 2021. The deliveries of the pre-booked models will start shipping from September 25, 2021.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) Offers On iPhone 13 Series

If you pre-order the iPhone 13 series via Vi, then you can get the product on the first day of its availability itself in India. You can club this offer with unique cashback benefits with a slew of REDX postpaid plans such as the Redx1099, Redx Family 1699, and Redx Family 2299. For instance, if you opt for any of the Redx1099, Redx Family 1699, Redx Family 2299, then you can get 100% cashback on the first month's rental amount. This cashback will be split over six months as a discount on the bill. Additionally, if you want to enjoy a slew of other benefits on the Redx plans, including premium entertainment such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, airport lounge access, and complimentary international roaming for those who travel frequently. On the other hand, the prepaid customers of Vi who purchase the iPhone 13 series will get double data benefits on recharging with Rs. 299. Also, there will be a weekend rollover benefit as well.

Apple iPhone 13 Series In India

To give you a recap of the iPhone 13 series prices in India from here. Apple iPhone 13 mini variant with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB variants are priced at Rs 69,900, Rs 79,900, and Rs 99,900 respectively. On the other hand, the standard iPhone 13 variant, it is priced at Rs 79,900 for the 128GB storage variant, Rs 89,900 for the 256GB storage variant, and the Rs 109,900 for the 512GB storage variant. On the other hand, the iPhone 13 Pro models with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants are priced at Rs 1,19,900, Rs 1,29,900, Rs 1,49,900, and Rs 1,69,900 respectively. The most advanced variant – the iPhone 13 Pro Max with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage variants are priced at Rs 1,29,900, Rs 1,39,900, Rs 1,59,900 and Rs 1,79,900 respectively.

IoT Will Spur Diversification In Indian Telecom

Posted: 18 Sep 2021 12:32 AM PDT

By – Angira Agrawal, COO, Skylo The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that are connected to the Internet – collecting and sharing data. It is estimated that this creates one billion GB of data every day. Globally, 42 billion IoT-connected devices are expected by 2025. The Internet of Things (IoT) is projected to reach approximately $1463 billion USD by 2027, and is backed by rising awareness regarding precision farming to aid in the growth, predicts Fortune Business Insights. Specifically, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is unleashing powerful machine and sensor connectivity, delivering specific data, low latency, and increased power efficiency. And, it's likely to drive millions of different types of connections and use cases. Connecting billions of devices presents challenges due to several concerns — security, standardisation, authentication, and ubiquitous connectivity, the number one roadblock when deploying IoT. Nowhere is this dynamic more apparent than in India, a country largely connected using inadequate terrestrial telecom networks and very limited coverage across India's vast hinterlands. Today, connectivity remains intermittent at best, often failing totally, while many still experience non-existent coverage in remote areas, where remote farms operate, at the borders, at rural power line stations, at last-mile distribution centres, far out to sea, and many other industrial operations. Even as IoT deployments grow to connect billions of machines, the increased volume of devices will take the deployments into remote parts, where they will experience little or no connectivity – and what connectivity is available will not be affordable. Existing cell networks are designed where people primarily go, and a significant percentage of these billions of IoT devices will be located away, i.e., outside of cell coverage areas. Satellites play a major role to solve the connectivity challenge but have been too expensive to consider until now. Skylo is fast changing that and offers disruptively affordable NB-IoT solutions for anyone.

NB-IoT Advantages

NB-IoT is a wireless communication standard that connects devices needing small amounts of data, low bandwidth, and long battery life. It has the potential to broaden the future of IoT, providing improved communications while lowering device power consumption needs. Skylo has combined the ubiquity of satellite-based NB-IoT to provide reliable monitoring, visibility, 2-way communications, and even SOS alerts from anywhere, all the time. IoT deployments in India's remote mountain ranges, deep forests, far seas, highways and farms, and industrial plants — which for decades have remained offline due to the limitations of terrestrial cellular networks — will benefit from Skylo's solution to address affordable 100% connectivity, anywhere under the sky. IoT is forcing companies to rethink how they approach their businesses by offering secure, reliable, and easy to use IoT connectivity to improve their operations. Skylo helps organisations – small and large – harness their ability to access information from anywhere, at any time on any device. And thus, take higher-quality decisions based on a greater amount of information available across devices. There are wide implications across a range of important sectors in India, helping advance Digital India using modern technologies. The ability to monitor and trace rental tractors and farming equipment, the visibility into energy and mining equipment in hard-to-reach areas, the enhancement of business operations and the customer experience in logistics, reliable connectivity in maritime far out to sea, and improving outcomes in rural healthcare are just a few applications that will force a shift in India's IoT-enabled Digital economy. Disruptive and effective technology solutions such as space-based IoT communications are well on their way to addressing many challenges. As IoT evolves to create breakthrough solutions, it will finally connect many of India's most remote and underserved communities, integrating them into India's successful growth story.

5G In India to See Better Participation

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 10:14 PM PDT

The telcos including Vodafone Idea (Vi), Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel are currently testing their 5G networks in different parts of the country. Airtel has taken the tests even one step above and proved that the mobile gaming use case on its 5G network is successful. There was an underlying concern with 5G though. While it was definitely going to be the next big thing, operators might not have been too aggressive with the 5G rollouts. Multiple reasons such as high spectrum cost, less return on investment because of industrywide low average revenue per user (ARPU) and one telco, Vodafone Idea was just not in a position to invest on 5G airwaves at all. I use the term 'was' because all of that has changed now. The reason behind that is the government help.

Everyone Vodafone Idea, Airtel, and Jio Are In Good Position Now

While Vi is still much behind Airtel and Jio, it has still reached a position where it can take advantage of the moratorium announced by the government, increase tariffs, and improve the cash flow of the company aggressively. The moratorium of payments benefit announced will also enrich the cash flow positions of Airtel and Jio significantly. This will give the operators more headroom to spend in the 5G spectrum auctions. From now onwards, telcos can even surrender the unused spectrum after 10 years from the date of purchase. The new reforms don't just benefit the existing players. But in the 5G era, we might witness a new player entering the market trying to take advantage of the new reforms. Any new company that will enter the ecosystem will be able to benefit a lot because of the relief package that the sector has received. But it is unlikely that will happen until the time there is a tariff hike in the overall industry. No company would like to enter a market where there is cutthroat competition for gaining a larger market share by offering very affordable services.

Alliance 100 Mbps Broadband Plan Might Make Jio, Airtel Nervous

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 06:24 PM PDT

Alliance Broadband offers a 100 Mbps plan that might Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel nervous. But let me just make it clear, nervous to a very small degree because both Jio and Airtel are PAN-India operators while Alliance Broadband only operates in select places. Alliance Broadband offers a very economical 100 Mbps broadband plan that offers a ton of over-the-top (OTT) benefits to the users. Not just the OTT benefits, but the other benefits offered by the 100 Mbps plan from the company are really good. Let's uncover everything you get with this plan from the company.

Alliance Broadband 100 Mbps Plan Benefits Detailed

Alliance Broadband offers a ton of benefits to the users with its 100 Mbps plan. It only costs Rs 700 per month, which is very low as compared to Airtel and equal to that what Jio provides its 100 Mbps plan for. On top of this, the company offers truly unlimited data to the users without any fair-usage-policy (FUP) restrictions. In comparison, both Airtel and Jio offer users a 100 Mbps plan with 3.3TB FUP data for the month. Alliance Broadband also offers multiple OTT benefits, including Eros Now, Hungama, Hoichoi, Addatimes, Shemaroo, and EpicOn. On purchasing a six months plan, the users will also get a free Amazon Prime Video membership for three months. Alliance Broadband also offers a uniform download and upload speed to the users. In comparison, neither Jio nor Airtel offers users any kind of OTT benefits. Note that this plan is currently only available in the Kolkata circle in India. There's no saying when the company will expand services to other parts of the country. The 100 Mbps plan from Alliance Broadband seriously makes for a very curious offering since it not only offers the service for the same price as its major competitors but also adds in OTT benefits with it. It's hard to recollect if there's any other company that is offering free OTT benefits with its entry-level plans and that too for such affordable prices. Note that the company charges for the installation and the package that it provides to the customers. Further, installation charges are not refundable and will have to be borne by the customer only. All plans from the company come with a validity of 30 days or one month. You can also choose from other plans offering 200 Mbps, 300 Mbps and more speeds. Alliance Broadband offers internet plans with speeds up to 1 Gbps.

TRAI Will Not Go for Floor Pricing

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 12:16 PM PDT

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said that going for floor pricing is not the correct way to help the industry right now. This is correct, though, because it is not like the financial health of all the telecom operators is bad. Just to save one private company, floor pricing shouldn't be introduced. Yes, it will help the operators in earning more, but it will also completely destroy the plans and strategies of offering low-cost services such as Reliance Jio. A TRAI official told ET Telecom that setting a floor tariff is unfeasible right now. Even Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, said that fixing a floor price is not necessary at the moment. A floor price is what a company like Vodafone Idea (Vi) needs since it will help with tariff hikes and ultimately result in higher average revenue per user (ARPU) and better cash flows in the short term. But it is not actually the need for the sector.

Relief Package from the Government Enough

Yes, while the need for tariff hikes is very much necessary, but the need of the regulator or the government is not necessary for setting tariffs. The government has done its part by offering a relief package to the industry. The TRAI official also said that fixing a floor price isn't a very easy thing to do. It will require extensive research and surveys to determine what should be the ideal price. Further, the decision would also require the involvement of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). All of this will take a lot of time and would also require a lot of energy and resources. Since the industry can do without floor tariffs, it would be futile to go through all of this for that. New and better reforms would be more beneficial for the industry. This is because it will allow new players to step in and offer mobile services to customers.

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