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5G Premium Spectrum Bands Unavailability Concern for SIA
Poco C31 Key Specs Revealed Ahead Of Launch
Bharti Airtel Rating Upgraded to AA+ By Crisil for Long-Term
Routers Should be Placed Carefully Inside House to Get Best Speeds
Two New Redmi 9 Series Budget Smartphones Launched In India
5G Networks Launch in India Might be Delayed
OnePlus 9 Pro to Be Among First Devices to Get Unified OS
Samsung Galaxy M52 5G Supports 11 5G Bands in India
Airtel Payments Bank Will Help Stellapps to Offer Banking Services to Small Dairy Farmers
Samsung Galaxy F42 5G Price Leaked
Vodafone Idea Promoters Might Infuse Rs 10,000 Crore in the Telco
iPhone 14 Might Come With a Completely New Design
Reliance Jio Two Prepaid Plans That Suits Almost Everyone

5G Premium Spectrum Bands Unavailability Concern for SIA

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 12:29 PM PDT

The satcom industry is going to see a major boost from 2022 as new companies including Starlink, OneWeb, Project Juniper, and more step into India with satellite broadband services. The industry body, Satellite Industry Association (SIA) India has shared concerns over the unavailability of the premium 5G spectrum bands for satellite companies. For the unaware, both the telecom operators and the satcom companies will have the need of premium 5G bands which are the millimetre wavelength (mmWave) bands. The mmWave bands are spectrum in the 28 GHz frequency range.

SIA Proposes Solutions for 5G Frequency Bands

According to an ET Telecom report, SIA India president, Subba Rao Pavuluri, wrote to the minister of communications, Ashwini Vaishnaw, asking to preserve the mmWave bands in the 28 GHz frequency for space broadband services. Pavuluri suggested that mmWave 5G bands in the 26 GHz (24.25 – 27.5 GHz) bands should be allocated to the terrestrial network service providers while the 28 GHz band (27.5 – 29.5 GHz) be reserved for satellite broadband services. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had recently asked for the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for understanding whether the 26 GHz and 28 GHz frequency bands should be put on sale on the next spectrum auctions. The next spectrum auctions for the 5G airwaves is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2022 (mostly February). The satellite broadband service providers also need the mmWave bands to provide seamless services to their customers. If the 28 GHz bands are also auctioned off to the telecom operators, it will hurt the substantial investments that the satellite companies have made in India. The satellite broadband sector in India is expected to boost the country's digital vision and will ensure that connectivity reaches every nook and corner of the country. Even the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) needs the spectrum in the 28 GHz band along with other satellite companies.

Poco C31 Key Specs Revealed Ahead Of Launch

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 09:23 AM PDT

A few days back, Poco stated that it is all set to launch a new smartphone in the Poco C series on September 30 in India. Later, it was confirmed that the company will launch the Poco C31 smartphone in the country. Now, the key specifications of the smartphone have been teased revealing some interesting developments. These specs have been revealed by a landing page on the e-commerce portal Flipkart as the device is expected to go on sale during the Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2021 debuting next week.

Poco C31 Specifications Revealed

Going by the teaser on the website, the Poco C31 could arrive with an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 processor that could be coupled with 4GB of RAM. Notably, its predecessor, the Poco C3 was launched in October 2020 with the same processor and RAM configuration. The notable improvement is that the upcoming model might come with a fingerprint sensor in addition to the face unlock feature for biometric authentication. Furthermore, on the landing page, the company claims that the Poco C31 could be launched with a 25 percent longer lifespan as compared to the existing standard in the industry. It has been added that the battery will last good even after 2.5 years of usage on a daily basis. Apart from specs, the teaser page also lists the smartphone, which shows its design. We can get to see that the Poco C31 could be launched with a waterdrop notch to house the selfie camera sensor, slim side bezels and a thicker bezel at the bottom. The new smartphone is hinted to arrive in a Blue colour option as well in addition to the existing the Black option. As of now, there are no other specifications regarding the Poco C31 including its pricing, display, and camera. It is expected to borrow a lot of specifications from the Poco C3, which houses a triple-camera setup at the rear and a 5000mAh battery with 10W charging support. Given that the smartphone will be launched in India on September 30 at 12 PM in the country, we can expect more details to be revealed soon or at the launch event.

Bharti Airtel Rating Upgraded to AA+ By Crisil for Long-Term

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 06:57 AM PDT

Crisil, a ratings agency has upgraded the long-term rating of Bharti Airtel Ltd to AA+. The agency pointed out that the business outlook is stable and cited continued improvement in the operating metrics of the company. The ratings agency also reaffirmed the short-term rating of Airtel. It is expected that the company will show further improvement in the overall credit risk profile over the near to medium term with support from improving cash accruals and deleveraging plans such as the rights issue.

Bharti Airtel Gets AA+ Rating For Long-Term

It has been stated by Crisil that the AA+ rating is notwithstanding the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues and additional expenditure made to acquire spectrum at the auction that was held in March this year. Notably, on Tuesday, Bharti Airtel fell by 3.70 percent and settled at Rs 695.85 on NSE. So far, Airtel's stock has gained more than 40 percent since the advent of this year while rivals Vodafone Idea's stock marked a fall of 15 percent and RIL's stock gained 20 percent. Crisil calls this outlook to be stable and said that the business risk profile taken by Airtel will continue to benefit from the presence in diversified businesses and establish a healthy market position in the country's mobility business. Also, the financial risk profile will benefit from the right issues as well as the expected inflow of cash accrual. As per the agency, the ratings will continue to reflect the strong market position of Airtel in the industry and improve its operating performance of both mobile and non-mobile segments in the country, healthy operations in Africa, diversification across businesses, high financial flexibility and improving debt protection metrics. It is said that these strengths of Airtel are offset partially by its exposure to technological and regulatory risks. Notably, Crisil expects the ARPU to improve due to the recent revisions in some plans and upgrading of plans by subscribers. It is expected that these trends will result in further improvement in the overall operating profile and revenue. Also, it believes that there will be a hike across its tariff plans in the next 6 to 9 months.

Routers Should be Placed Carefully Inside House to Get Best Speeds

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:43 AM PDT

Once you install a Wi-Fi router at your home, you might forget about it until the internet crashes while you are amidst a game or streaming a video. When there is a slow Wi-Fi speed due to some interference, you will witness that files will take a look time to upload to the cloud and your web browser will spin without loading what you intend to browse. Only then, you will realise that you want faster Wi-Fi connectivity.

How To Place Your Wi-Fi Router Best Speeds

With a high-speed Wi-Fi connection, you will be able to stream movies, play online games, and carry on other data-intense tasks with more reliability. If you are looking for tips to position your Wi-Fi router so that it ensures low latency, more reliability and higher data quality, then here are some useful tips. Centralised location: For a relatively larger coverage area, the Wi-Fi router should be placed in the middle of your home for an even signal strength across your home. You can enclose the wires and cables in such a way it should not spoil the aesthetics of your home. Mount the router: The Wi-Fi router should be placed such that you can see it. Going by the same, you can mount it on a wall or put it on a shelf instead of placing it within a cupboard. If possible, place the router close to the users for the best Wi-Fi coverage. Avoid concrete walls and metal objects: Usually, concrete walls, floors and metal objects are known to interfere with the Wi-Fi signals. So, you need to avoid placing the router near these elements. You will get weak signals in the rooms due to the thick concrete walls. So, make sure you place the router in a spot that has the least interference due to these. Antenna position: For better horizontal coverage, the router's antenna should be positioned slightly upwards while it should be sideways for vertical reach. Remember not to position the antenna in the direction of a wall or other obstacles or at 90 degrees. It is recommended to place it between 45 to 60 degrees. If there are multiple antennas, you can point them in different directions for increased connectivity throughout your home.

Two New Redmi 9 Series Budget Smartphones Launched In India

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 03:28 AM PDT

Last week, Redmi 9 Active, a new smartphone was launched in India. Now, the company has launched two more smartphones in the budget price segment. Well, the latest market entrants are the Redmi 9A Sport and the Redmi 9i Sport. Both smartphones are similar to the original Redmi 9A and Redmi 9i respectively but come in different colour options. Apart from minor tweaks in the colours, there is nothing new in terms of specifications and features.

Redmi 9A Sport, Redmi 9i Sport Launched

To be specific, the Redmi 9A Sport and Redmi 9i Sport still come in blue, green and black colour options. These new shades are called Coral Green, Carbon Black, and Metallic Blue. Notably, the original variants that came in Redmi 9 series came with the colour options Nature Green, Might Black, and Sea Blue. The colour options arrive with different names as the shades are different slightly. Furthermore, these smartphones come with similar memory configurations as the Redmi 9A and Redmi 9i smartphones that went official a few months back. However, this is not the case with the Redmi 9 Activ that was launched in India last week. For the uninitiated, the Redmi 9 Activ was launched in Coral Green, Metallic Purple, and Carbon Black in two storage configurations – 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM and 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM. These variants were priced at Rs 9,499 and Rs 10,999 respectively.

New Redmi 9 Smartphones Price In India

When it comes to the Redmi 9A Sport price in India, the smartphone comes in two memory configurations. The entry-level variant features 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage space and is priced at Rs 6,999. On the other hand, the high-end variant of the Redmi 9A Sport with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage space is priced at Rs 7,999. Talking about the Redmi 9i Sport, the device also comes in two storage options. The base variant of the smartphone with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage space is priced at Rs 8,799. Likewise, the top-end variant with 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage space is priced at Rs 9,299. Both the Redmi 9A Sport and Redmi 9i Sport are already up for sale on Mi.com. For now, there is no word regarding the other offline and online channels that will sell these Xiaomi smartphones.

5G Networks Launch in India Might be Delayed

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 02:51 AM PDT

While many countries have already rolled out live 5G networks, Indian telecom operators are still in the testing phase of the next-generation connectivity standard. After the recent announcements from the government, it was expected that the 5G spectrum auctions will take place in the first quarter of 2022 (mostly February). This would have meant that the telecom operators could have launched the live 5G networks by the first half of 2022. But for that to happen, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will have to move on time.

TRAI Will Need to Recommend 5G Spectrum Price in Time

According to an ET Telecom report, for the 5G spectrum auctions to take place in the first quarter of 2022, the regulator will have to come out with the price recommendations by November this year. If there's any delay in doing so, the spectrum auctions will be pushed ahead. If the spectrum auctions are pushed ahead, it will hurt the telcos' timeline for coming out with the 5G networks. For the unaware, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had asked the sector regulator for recommending fresh prices for the existing 4G and 5G bands. The telecom operators in the past have raised concerns over the expensive pricing of the spectrum bands. Most of all, the government has been unable to excite the operators in buying the very important 700 MHz band spectrum. The reason was its steep pricing. TRAI will also give recommendations on which mmWave 5G bands will be available for the spectrum auctions and at what price. But the delays caused won't be too significant. The auctions might be pushed ahead by one month or two against the originally planned date. The telecom operators won't spend their money on the spectrum that is highly-priced. If they don't get the 5G bands at desired rates, the operators will just go ahead with the 4G spectrum using the Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology to launch 5G networks.

OnePlus 9 Pro to Be Among First Devices to Get Unified OS

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 02:35 AM PDT

Following the merger of OnePlus and Oppo, it was announced that the former's smartphones will receive a new unified OS starting from 2022. Now, it looks like the company has started testing the beta test version of the ColorOS 12 update on an existing smartphone from OnePlus. Well, the OnePlus 9 Pro, the current generation flagship model has been reportedly spotted running the ColorOS 12 custom skin based on Android 12 instead of OxygenOS. The screenshot of the same was shared by a user on Reddit via MySmartPrice. For the uninitiated, the OnePlus 9 Pro was launched with Android 11 topped with OxygenOS 11.

OnePlus 9 Pro With ColorOS 12

The post showing the OnePlus 9 Pro running ColorOS 12 has been taken down but the screenshot that is making rounds reveals many details. It shows that the smartphone carries the model number LE2121 and running Android 12 based on ColorOS 12. Probably, the smartphone is believed to be an Indonesian variant. It is expected to be a part of the beta testing that is being conducted on the global variant of the smartphone. As of now, there is no word regarding the official rollout of the new software update.

Unified OS With OxygenOS, ColorOS

Recently, OnePlus and Oppo announced that they are creating a new unified OS that will combine both ColorOS and OxygenOS. This new iteration of the OS will be a part of the next-generation flagship smartphone series, which is touted to be released sometime in 2022. Notably, Pete Lau took to a forum post to reveal that the new unified OS will keep the DNA of OxygenOS and provide an upgraded overall experience. He also revealed that the smartphones from OnePlus will get a lightweight and clean experience from the new OS and support unlock bootloaders. It looks like both OnePlus and Oppo are eyeing to complete the integration process ahead of the launch of the next big iteration of Android in mid-2022. Also, it is believed that the OnePlus 9 series that migrated to ColorOS recently and the Oppo Find X3 Pro will be the first ones to receive the unified OS update.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G Supports 11 5G Bands in India

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 01:09 AM PDT

Samsung has just launched its new smartphone, namely 'Galaxy M52 5G' in India. The South Korean tech giant has packed the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC inside the smartphone along with a 120Hz refresh rate supportive display and a 64MP primary sensor at the rear. The smartphone will be available at a special discounted price in Amazon's Great Indian Festival for a limited period. The M52 5G has the same stripes as the Galaxy F62 on the rear. Let's take a complete look at the specifications and price of the smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G Specifications

Samsung has launched the Galaxy M52 5G with a 6.7-inch sAMOLED+ Infinity-O display. The smartphone supports a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels (FHD+) and, as mentioned above, also comes with support for 120Hz refresh rate. To protect the screen, there is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the top. The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Users can insert a microSD card to expand the external storage of the smartphone. There's a triple-camera setup at the rear where the primary sensor is a 64MP lens paired with a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 5MP macro sensor. For selfies and video calling, there is a 32MP sensor at the front. The smartphone can support 11 5G bands which is a great thing to see in a mid-range smartphone as compared to what OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo are providing in the same range. There is no 3.5mm audio jack present on the smartphone. The Galaxy M52 5G packs a 5000mAh battery with support for 25W charging. However, inside the box, Samsung will only ship the device with a 15W charger.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G Price

The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G is available in two different variants in India. The first variant comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage priced at Rs 29,999, and the 8GB+128GB variant is priced at Rs 31,999. But in Amazon's Great Indian Festival, the base variant will be available for Rs 26,999, and the superior variant will be available at Rs 28,999. The device will be available in Blazing Black and Icy Blue colour.

Airtel Payments Bank Will Help Stellapps to Offer Banking Services to Small Dairy Farmers

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 12:37 AM PDT

Airtel Payments Bank, a digital finance arm of Bharti Airtel will now be helping Stellapps, one of the leading dairy startups in India, with providing banking services to small dairy farmers across the country. Stellapps offers holistic financial management programs across the dairy value chain, with special programs designed to improve financial inclusion for dairy farmers through its mooPay FinTech Platform. Stellapps has been closely working with dairies and their milk collection centers to enable direct payments to the bank account of the dairy farmers. However, a significant challenge for farmers has been the long travel to reach the nearest ATM or bank branch for withdrawing the payments.

Airtel Payments Bank Will Open New Banking Points for Small Dairy Farmers

Airtel Payments Bank will now onboard the new partner milk collection centers of Stellapps as banking points. With milk collection centers operating as a banking point, farmers and other residents in the neighbourhood will no longer have to travel long distances. Through these banking points, they will be able to open a bank account, withdraw and deposit cash, earn interest on savings, access Aadhaar Enabled Payments, get government pension schemes, and make bill payments. Onboarding of the centers as banking points will happen in a phased manner. Through this collaboration, both entities aim to provide easy access to formal banking services to over one million small dairy farmers from around the country. The partner ecosystem has been piloted in Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi & Kanpur) and Madhya Pradesh (Gwalior). Over 120 milk collection centers are now also operating as Banking Points. mooPay enabled milk collection centers not only enable FinTech and value-added service delivery to farmers but also enable access to a wide range of ecosystem partnerships to assist in farm improvement, animal health care, and nutrition services that help them improve animal productivity, quality of milk, and thus income. Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Payments Bank, said, that Airtel is very happy with this partnership.

Samsung Galaxy F42 5G Price Leaked

Posted: 27 Sep 2021 11:03 PM PDT

We already know that Samsung is gearing up to launch a new smartphone – the Samsung Galaxy F42 5G on September 29. While we are ahead of the official unveiling of the smartphone, its price in the offline market has been revealed by a report citing domestic retailers. As per a report by 91Mobiles citing an official communication by the company itself, the Samsung Galaxy F42 5G's price in India will start from Rs 20,999. This price falls in line with previous leaks and speculations.

Samsung Galaxy F42 5G Price In India

Going by the recent leak, the Samsung Galaxy F42 5G could be launched in two storage options. The base variant with 6GB RAM + 128GB storage space could be priced at Rs 20,999 and the high-end variant with 8GB RAM + 256GB storage space could be priced at Rs 22,999. Notably, these are the offline prices of the Samsung Galaxy F42 5G. As we know, the online price of the smartphone could be relatively lower given that the device will be up for sale via Flipkart and Samsung.com.

Samsung Galaxy F42 5G Specifications

Both Flipkart and Samsung.com have hosted dedicated microsites for the upcoming smartphone, thereby spilling the beans on the possible specs and design as well. Going by the same, the Samsung Galaxy F42 5G could be launched with an Infinity-V display with a 90 Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution. It is likely to come with a triple-camera setup comprising a 64MP primary camera sensor. While the details of the other camera sensors are known, it appears to house a square-shaped camera module at its rear within the LED flash module. The other notable aspect is the presence of a 5000mAh battery with no word regarding the fast-charging support. While we know that there will be 5G connectivity support, it appears to be compatible with all 12 5G bands. Under its hood, the Samsung Galaxy F42 5G is believed to be launched with an octa-core Dimensity 700 SoC. It is said to run Android 11 topped with the company's One UI. At the front, the smartphone is believed to feature an 8MP selfie camera sensor within the notch. We will get to know more details at the launch event set for 12 PM tomorrow in India.

Vodafone Idea Promoters Might Infuse Rs 10,000 Crore in the Telco

Posted: 27 Sep 2021 10:24 PM PDT

It has been a confusing few days for the Vodafone Idea (Vi) fans. Multiple reports have come in hinting that Vodafone Idea will get cash from promoters, and then there are some that say it won't. A few days back, a Business Standard report said that Vodafone Idea would not get any fresh capital from its foreign promoter Vodafone Group Plc. However, now, a new report from the Financial Express (FE) suggests that both Vodafone Group and the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) are ready to put equity in the company. The development was shared by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) officials to FE. As per the publication, the promoters are looking to invest around Rs 10,000 crores in the company.

Vodafone Idea Will be In Much Better Position With Investment

Vodafone Idea will be in a much better position with the investment it gets from the promoters. There's no confirmation whether this will happen. Regardless, it is great news for the company and its fans. If the telco manages to get the additional capital from the promoters, it can leverage it to grow networks since it doesn't have any immediate debt to pay off. With the relief package in the scene, it absolutely makes sense for the promoters to invest their capital and show confidence in the company. If the promoters give the telco money, it will give confidence to outside investors as well. This might mean that Vodafone Idea's cash flow situation will improve very rapidly. Ravinder Takkar has shown confidence in Vodafone Idea's ability to raise funds. It is worth noting that Vi has been trying to raise Rs 25,000 crores since the approval it got from the company's board last year. But the telco hasn't gained the confidence of a single investor until now. But with the recent changes, all of this might change soon, and Vodafone Idea can get back on track very soon.

iPhone 14 Might Come With a Completely New Design

Posted: 27 Sep 2021 09:04 PM PDT

iPhone 13 series didn't come with a fresh design as compared to the iPhone 12 series. But this won't be the case with the iPhone 14 series. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 14 series in September 2022. According to a famous tipster, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the next flagship iPhone series will feature a complete redesign. Previous leaks of the iPhone 14 series suggested that it would feature the same design as the iPhone 13 series but will come with a punch-hole cutout for the selfie sensor at the top center. However, Apple might be planning something more with the iPhone 14 series.

iPhone 14 Expected to Come With New Design

The rumours are that not just the Pro iPhone 14s, but also the vanilla model will come with a fresh design. Apple is expected to drop the iPhone 14 mini and only launch three models – iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 series could become the first iPhone series to drop the notch at the top. It will be a refreshing change since all of the iPhones that come with a notch doesn't allow the users to see battery percentage at the top which is a very big inconvenience for some. Apple is further expected to make some big changes to the new iPhone that will arrive in 2023. The Cupertino tech giant might introduce features such as under-display Touch ID and foldable display architectures. It will be an interesting sight to see a foldable iPhone. Apple surely takes its sweet time to launch some features that others have already. But, whenever Apple comes out with a new feature, you can trust it to be very good. The iPhone 14 series every model might come with support for 120Hz refresh rate. It is high time that Apple does that. Because releasing the new iPhone 13 with 60Hz refresh rate just isn't cool.

Reliance Jio Two Prepaid Plans That Suits Almost Everyone

Posted: 27 Sep 2021 06:34 PM PDT

Reliance Jio offers two prepaid plans to its customers that suit almost everyone. These plans are the cheapest in the industry in their category, and people love the benefits they offer. This is the reason Reliance Jio has marked these plans as 'Best Seller'. The reason why these plans are so popular is a) price and b) benefits. People love anything that offers more benefits than what they believe they are paying for. Further, when these plans are compared with what other operators are offering, there's a clear price difference where Jio's plans are on the cheaper end. Let's take a look at which plans I am talking about.

Reliance Jio Two Prepaid Plans for Everyone

Reliance Jio offers two prepaid plans that cost Rs 555 and Rs 599. The basic benefits offered by the plans are the same, which is 84 days of validity along with truly unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. Both the plans come with an additional benefit of Jio applications, including JioCloud, JioSecurity, JioCinema, JioNews, and JioTV. The difference between the plans arises when it comes to the data offered by each of them. The first plan of Rs 555 comes with 1.5GB daily data, and the second plan of Rs 599 comes with 2GB of daily data. So the total data offered with the Rs 555 plan is 126GB, while with the Rs 599 plan, users get a total of 168GB. The 1.5GB daily data plan from Bharti Airtel, which comes with the same benefits except that it offers Airtel Thanks benefits, is priced at Rs 598, which is essentially the price of Jio's 2GB daily data plan. Airtel's 2GB daily data plan for 84 days comes for Rs 698, which is almost Rs 100 more expensive than Jio's Rs 599 plan. Vodafone Idea offers its 1.5GB daily data plan for 84 days for Rs 599 and 2GB daily data plan with 84 days validity for Rs 795. This is even expensive than what Airtel is offering to the users. But Vi also offers free ZEE5 Premium access for 1 year with this plan. There is also a 'Binge All Night' offer that the company provides with this plan. Note that there is also a 1.5GB daily data plan offered by Vi for Rs 555. But this plan offers a shorter validity of 77 days. This is the reason why Reliance Jio is at the top of the chain. The company strives to offer excellent services for minimal costs, and that is why it will be hard for other operators to second Reliance Jio.

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