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• COAI Supports Use of Street Furniture to Deploy 5G Small Cells
• Vodafone Idea Reintroduces Old Plan for a New Price
• Samsung, LG Electronics Showcase the Highest Performance Ever in Sales
• iOS Users Will Now Have Access to Amazon miniTV
• Top Apple Products that Were Discontinued in 2021
• I&B Ministry Wants the 5G Base Stations and TV Transmitters to be Spread Apart to Protect TV Service Quality
• Realme GT Smartphones Witness Roll Out of Stable Android 12 Based Realme UI 3.0 Update
• 5G Small Cells to Make a Big Difference for Delivering Enhanced Connectivity
• Nokia Intends to Grow Manufacturing Bases in India and Benefit from PLI Scheme
• Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge Price Detail Revealed Ahead of India Launch
• Xiaomi 12X Might Launch in India – Colour and Storage Variants Surface
• Seven Ways to Protect Yourself from Online Identity Theft

COAI Supports Use of Street Furniture to Deploy 5G Small Cells Posted: 30 Dec 2021 08:31 AM PST The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has said that it supports the use of street furniture to deploy small cells. According to Lt. Gen. Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, a key driver in 5G deployment would be the deployment of small cells. Small cells are essential to upgrade and expand the existing 4G networks in India. In line with the same, COAI, along with the members of the State Electricity Department, telecom service providers (TSPs), and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), provided a concrete proposal for the use of electric poles for 5G small cell deployments. Will India See 5G Small Cells Deployed on Electric Poles? COAI said that it is in close contact with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and is coordinating with the OEMs for providing inputs on technical specifications, power requirements, aesthetics, backhaul requirements, etc. The industry body also said that initiatives for sharing the existing infrastructure between TSPs should be enabled as there are a lot of challenges in laying overhead fiber cable (OFC). Small cells would be very crucial with the rollout of 5G in India. Especially with the mmWave spectrum services into play, the telcos would need to put in more sites so that the signals in the higher frequency bands don't get disturbed. This is where small cells would play a huge role. But there is a lot of uncertainty around the use of street furniture. The government would also need to assess all the infrastructure that it owns and which would be eligible to be used for deploying small cells. The good thing is, India has a lot of time with 5G rollout. There are still months left for the telcos to finish up with their 5G trials, and that gives the policy makes plenty of time for ensuring that a suitable playground for the sector is provided to reap the most out of 5G technology.

Vodafone Idea Reintroduces Old Plan for a New Price Posted: 30 Dec 2021 07:24 AM PST India's one of the major telecoms service provider, Vodafone Idea or Vi, has been making a lot of changes to its plans that comes with a subscription to Disney+ Hotstar. Last week, the telco decided to terminate its Rs 601 prepaid plan that came with a total of 75GB data for a validity period of 56 days with one-year access to Disney+ Hotstar. Vi also discontinued its Rs 701 plan that came with a validity period of 56 days, offering 3GB of data per day along with unlimited calls and 100 SMS per day. Vodafone Plans with Disney+ Hotstar Yesterday it was noticed that the company has also chopped off its Rs 501 plan from its website that came with unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS per day along with 3GB data per day for the validity period of 28 days. Now, Vodafone Idea has apparently brought back the plan mentioned above on its website but with an increase of Rs 100 on its price tag. Vi is now offering a Rs 601 plan that offers 3GB of data each day for a validity period of 28 days. The plan also comes with unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day and access to the Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform. The plan also offers an additional 16GB of data. Moreover, currently, the plan with the same benefits is available on the Vi app at a price of Rs 501. This means that the telco is offering a Rs 100 discount for the users who purchase the pack through the app. For users who are looking for plans that come with access to Disney+ Hotstar, Vi also offers prepaid plans at a price of Rs 901 and Rs 3099. Rs 901 plan from Vi comes with yearlong access to Disney+ Hotstar and offers 3GB per day for a validity period of 70 days. Users also get unlimited calls and 100 SMS per day. The plan also offers additional 48GB of data at no added cost. Rs 3099 plan offered by the telco, on the other hand, offers 1.5GB of data each day and has a validity period of 365 days. The plan comes with 1-year access to Disney+ Hotstar Mobile and offers unlimited voice calls along with 100 SMS per day. Users can also get 2GB of backup data every month with this plan.

Samsung, LG Electronics Showcase the Highest Performance Ever in Sales Posted: 30 Dec 2021 07:15 AM PST This year, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics forecast the largest sales since their founding. Based on a brokerage report, Samsung's Q4 performance was expected to be KRW 75.26 trillion in sales and KRW 15.07 trillion in operating profit. Sales topped the previous high of KRW 73,979.2 billion in Q3 2021, and operating profit is set to rise by 67% over the same period last year, reports Korea IT News. Samsung is predicted to earn an all-time high of KRW 278.67 trillion this year, exceeding the KRW 243,771.4 billion it earned in 2020. Operation profit is estimated to reach KRW 52.83 trillion, the highest level since the semiconductor super-boom in 2018. In Q4 2021, LG Electronics is forecast to generate KRW 19.67 trillion in revenue and KRW 831.3 billion in operating profit. After generating KRW 18 trillion in Q3 2021, this is the first time in history that the company has established two new records in a row. Operation profit fell short of the record high set in Q1 this year (KRW 1.516 trillion). Nonetheless, Samsung predicted growth of more than 27% over the same period last year. For the first time in history, annual sales will likely exceed KRW 70 trillion, reaching KRW 73.70 trillion. For the first time, operation profit will likely surpass KRW 4 trillion. Home Appliances, Air Solution and TV account for LG’s sales The Home Appliances and Air Solution (H&A) and TV (HE) businesses of LG Electronics accounted for most of the company's earnings. In Q3, the H&A business division's quarterly sales reached KRW 7 trillion for the first time. New home appliance sales, such as stylers and dryers, also reached new highs. Aside from OLED TV, which achieved a new high by more than tripling shipments over the previous year, the company also improved its performance in the Vehicle Component Solution (VS) division, which is growing orders in the reviving car market. In 2022, both Samsung and LG Electronics will continue to showcase growth. Samsung Electronics is likely to surpass KRW 300 trillion in annual sales for the first time. With significant premium TV sales and a reversal in the electronics market, LG Electronics is predicted to generate KRW 76 trillion in sales and KRW 5 trillion in operating profit. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will release preliminary results for Q4 2021 around January 6-7, which would provide an accurate picture.

iOS Users Will Now Have Access to Amazon miniTV Posted: 30 Dec 2021 06:40 AM PST Amazon has been offering a free video streaming service called Amazon miniTV for its Android users. Now, in the latest developments, the service has been made available to iPhone users as well. Amazon miniTV is now available on iOS platforms as well. It is an ad-based video streaming service that is available to Amazon app users in India only. At the time of the launch of the service, the company had informed that the miniTV would come featuring a ton of content ranging from, web series, comedy shows, food shows, fashion, beauty and more. More About Amazon miniTV The company offers Amazon miniTV on its app itself allowing customers to get everything at one stop. Using the Amazon shopping application users can get access to shopping, can make online payments and enjoy a lot of content without the hassle of switching between the apps. To enjoy the streaming service, all users need to do is open the Amazon Shopping App and go on the Amazon miniTV section and select the tab to enjoy free video content. For those aware of the streaming services offered within the My Jio or Flipkart app, Amazon miniTV functions in quite a similar manner. Amazon miniTV is the secondary streaming service offered by the company as its Amazon Prime Video is the larger streaming service that can be accessed via paid subscription. Talking about Amazon Prime Video, the platform recently received a hike in its annual subscription as it is now available at the price tag of Rs 1,499 instead of Rs 999. As far as Amazon miniTV is considered, it offers content from various sources such as TVF, Pocket Aces and other digital content production labels. Moreover, it also offers content from some of the renounced Indian comics such as Ashish Chanchlani, Amit Bhadana, Round2Hell, Harsh Beniwal, Shruti Arjun Anand, Elvish Yadav, Prajakta Koli, Swagger Sharma, Aakash Gupta and Nishant Tanwar. Users can expect more new and exciting content to be rolled out on the platform in the coming months.

Top Apple Products that Were Discontinued in 2021 Posted: 30 Dec 2021 05:36 AM PST Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has launched a number of products in 2021, from colourful 24-inch iMac to four iPhone 13 models. Additionally, it has been reported earlier that Apple is looking to increase the shipping of various products hugely next year. It is already working on new products and upgrading the existing products. It was also reported that Apple is eyeing to increase its iPhone shipment in the first half of 2022 by around 30% as compared to that in the first half of 2021. However, there has been a number of products that Apple also discontinued in the year gone by. Mentioned below are the three apple products that we've seen the last of in 2021. HomePod Apple decided to discontinue its full-sized HomePod in March of 2021. The decision was taken by the tech giant to focus more on its HomePod Mini. Apple had also announced that it would still continue to offer software updates, services and support for the larger HomePod. The device was already launched in February 2018 and was acclaimed for its sound quality, however, the price tag of $349 was a little too expensive. Even after Apple reduced the price of the device to $299, there wasn't much growth in the sale of the device. iMac Pro Along with the full-sized HomePod, Apple had also decided to discontinue its iMac Pro in the month of March 2021. Apple at the time of discontinuing the device had said that for most of the Pro-iMac users, 27-inch iMac was the preferred choice and customers with the need for more performance and expandability could opt for the Mac Pro from Apple. The device had not received any major hardware updates since its launch in December 2021. iPhone XR Apple launched its flagship iPhone 13 Series in September 2021 and decided to axe its iPhone XR. The iPhone lineup from Apple is now formed by four iPhone 13 series models, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 11 and the second-gen iPhone SE. iPhone XR was introduced by the tech giant as its flagship device in September 2018, featuring a 6.1-inch LCD display, single rear camera and A12 Bionic chip.

I&B Ministry Wants the 5G Base Stations and TV Transmitters to be Spread Apart to Protect TV Service Quality Posted: 30 Dec 2021 04:02 AM PST The Information and Broadcast Ministry of India have expressed the need to place TV transmitters and the future maze of 5G base stations to be placed at least 60 kms – 100 kms apart using the 600 MHz spectrum. The need to put the transmitters and 5G base stations is important in order to prevent network interference and preserve the quality of television broadcasting services. It is to be noted that the regulator – TRAI is currently in the process of proposing the prices of the spectrum bands using the 600 MHz band. As of now, the 5G spectrum auction is being scheduled for the first half of 2022. The Need to Create a Gap Between 5G Base Stations and TV Transmitters According to a report from ET Telecom, the I&B Ministry has written a letter to DoT stating that since the 600 MHz band is being used by Prasar Bharti (DD) for terrestrial broadcasting, it is necessary to keep digital terrestrial television transmitters and 5G base stations separated in order to protect TV transmitter services. The ministry further added that the keep-out distance depends on the antennae/tower height, transmitter power and frequency band of operation. To emphasize its concerns, the I&B Ministry in its letter to DoT also cited a study by Geneva-based International Telecom Union (ITU). The letter sent to DoT by the I&B Ministry has been forwarded by the former to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) which has enquired about a number of issues such as applicable reserve price, band plan, block size, the quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and more conditions related to the country's first 5G spectrum auction. TRAI has also asked the stakeholders for opinions about any methodology that is followed somewhere else in the world which can be of value to the airwaves reserved for the 5G spectrum auction. The stakeholders are required to submit their comments and counter comments for the 5G band pricing paper by January 10 and January 24 respectively which is already an extended deadline offered by the telecom regulator. TRAI has also issued a consultation process. As soon as the consultation process is completed and the parameters for the auction process is decided upon, then the auction and rollout of the service will begin instantaneously in the second quarter of 2022.

Realme GT Smartphones Witness Roll Out of Stable Android 12 Based Realme UI 3.0 Update Posted: 30 Dec 2021 03:06 AM PST With the latest update rolling out, Realme GT series smartphones in India have now started receiving Realme UI 3.0 stable update which is based on Android 12. The new version of the Android has been under beta testing for a while before getting a stable version and is now being rolled out on Realme GT smartphones. The latest Realme UI 3.0 comes with some exciting new features and changes such as a redesigned user interface which includes new icons, animations, and improvements to the always-on display (AOD). The new update also brings in new privacy and security features of Android 12 for the users of Realme GT devices. Features of the New Realme UI 3.0 Update The announcement was made by the smartphone maker on its official forum stating that the C.05 stable update to Android 12-based Realme UI 3.0 is now being released on Realme GT devices in India. The size of the complete update is 194MB and is available with the version number RMX2202_11_C.05. Users can find a redesigned display on their devices after installing the new update. The latest update also brings in Realme's Quantum Animation Engine 3.0 which is capable of optimising over 300 animations. After updating to the new Realme UI 3.0 update, users can also get access to an optimised automatic screen brightness algorithm. Moreover, the new update brings about the capacity to organize camera interface and users will be able to zoom in and out while recording a video much more smoothly. The company has also claimed that those using the device for gaming can now witness lower frame rates along with reduced CPU load averages and lowered battery usage. The update will also bring in performance improvements such as the feature of Quick Launch allowing users to pre-load frequently opened apps for faster launches. In addition to these features, after updating to the latest Realme UI 3.0 update, users can also gain access to features designed explicitly for Android 12 such as privacy indicators to show which apps are using the microphone and camera, along with clipboard access alerts. Users will also be able to use Nearby Share to share Wi-Fi passwords and will be able to allow precise location permissions to applications on the devices after upgrading to the new Realme UI 3.0 update on their Realme GT devices.

5G Small Cells to Make a Big Difference for Delivering Enhanced Connectivity Posted: 30 Dec 2021 02:02 AM PST To deliver the true potential of 5G connectivity, the telcos would be using spectrum in the higher frequency bands as compared to what they have been using for delivering 4G services. But the thing with high-frequency airwaves is that they very easily get interrupted by the trees and buildings. Thus, in a country such as India, where there are lots of people, and a ton of infrastructure in urban cities that can disrupt the flow of 5G services, more and more sites would be required to be deployed at a closer distance so that the telcos can deliver 5G in the right manner. Small Cells the Right Way to Approach 5G Street furniture or small cells that can be deployed on regular buildings, lamp posts, and more would play a big role in the proliferation of 5G services in India. According to an ET Telecom report, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has formed a committee and is looking at the quantum of state-owned infrastructure that can be used to deploy small cells. The committee would review whether the electricity poles and other infrastructures in public places are good enough for the small cells to work properly. mmWave frequency bands would require the small cells to be deployed around each other at a very close distance. It would definitely increase the cost of network rollout for the Indian telcos. But there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed first. Things such as rental cost, energy cost, site acquisition cost, Right-of-Way (RoW) policies, and more need to be looked at. A recent report shows that mmWave 5G would be largely unfeasible for the telcos as it would require the kind of investments that would take an ultra-long term for the companies to recover. Even the small cells that would be deployed won't come for cheap, and if a heavy volume of such equipment is required, it will result in the telcos giving more emphasis to the sub-6 GHz band 5G services.

Nokia Intends to Grow Manufacturing Bases in India and Benefit from PLI Scheme Posted: 30 Dec 2021 01:01 AM PST Nokia, a Finnish telecommunications gear manufacturer, has shared its intent for growing manufacturing bases in India. A spokesperson from Nokia said the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme announced recently would help with enhancing the production of telecom and networking products by incentivising incremental investments and creating employment. Nokia said that it is an advantage if there are local manufacturing bases because it results in lesser import costs. The spokesperson said that cutting import duties on components in conjunction with the PLI scheme will benefit manufacturing in the country in the long run. Nokia Was Able to Roll Out Over 55,000 Sites till May End The company's spokesperson said that Nokia has a positive outlook towards the coming year as more restrictions get lifted. Despite the supply chain issues in 2021, Nokia was able to roll out 55,000 sites by May end, which included both the set up of new sites and expansion work. The relief package announced by the government has also helped the telcos and the telecom sector as a whole majorly. The spokesperson added that an increased 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in telecom would help with bringing the much-needed investment in the country and would especially help with 5G and other new technology rollouts. Nokia said the data traffic was up 20% than the usual amount because of growth in usage of digital tools such as digital events, digital conferencing, and other similar technologies. 2022 will see more businesses adopting a digital way of conducting operations which will further increase the need for strong telecom infrastructure in the country. Further, with 5G, the demand for enterprise digital services will also grow manifold which would mean that the telecom vendors will have more business to do. In the absence of Chinese vendors, companies such as Nokia and Ericsson will have a great opportunity to increase their revenue market share in India.

Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge Price Detail Revealed Ahead of India Launch Posted: 29 Dec 2021 11:43 PM PST Xiaomi will soon be bringing in its Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge and the price of the device has been revealed ahead of its India launch. It is to be noted that the launch of Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge will mark the launch of the first smartphone with 120W fast-charge technology in India and will be the fastest charging smartphone in the country. Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge is also expected to be a rebranded version of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ which was launched earlier this year in China. Previous reports have also revealed some information regarding the specification of the device. Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge Price Details According to a report from India Today, India Chief Business Officer Raghu Reddy has said in an interview that the upcoming Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge smartphone will be priced in the range of Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000. This price range falls in the same range as the price of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ launched in China. The latter was launched in China at a starting price of CNY 1,899 which is roughly around Rs 22,200 for a 6GB + 128GB storage variant. The device also had two more storage variants – 8GB + 128GB model priced at CNY 2,099 which is somewhere around Rs 24,600 and 8GB + 256GB model priced at CNY 2,299 which is roughly around Rs 26,900. That being said, exact price details for the upcoming Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge are yet to be revealed by the company. Xiaomi 11i Hypercharge Specifications It was earlier reported that the device will come featuring 120W fast charge technology and using the latest charging technology, the smartphone can be charged from 0 to 100% within 15 minutes of time span. Users can expect more details on the device by Xiaomi pretty soon, however, currently is expected that the device will come in Stealth Black, Pacific Pearl and Camo Green colour options. As far as other specs of the devices are concerned, it is expected as mentioned above that the device will be quite similar to the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ which means that the handset could come featuring a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. In addition to this, the smartphone might have a triple rear camera set up lead by a 108MP primary camera. The device could be powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset and could be backed by a 4500mAH battery.

Xiaomi 12X Might Launch in India – Colour and Storage Variants Surface Posted: 29 Dec 2021 10:22 PM PST Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has recently launched its Xiaomi 12 Series of smartphones in China that consists of Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro and the cheaper model Xiaomi 12X. Now the latest report from 91mobiles has suggested that Xiaomi 12X will also be launched in India whereas not much information is available regarding the other two devices. Moreover, the colour and storage variants of the upcoming Xiaomi 12X has also been revealed. Mentioned below are the specification details and more about Xiaomi 12X. Xiaomi 12X Specifications Talking about the display of the upcoming Xiaomi 12X, the device will come featuring a 6.28-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2,400 x 1,080pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The display also has an HDR10+ certification and offers up to 1100nits brightness. As far as the processor of the device is considered, Xiaomi 12X is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor which is paired up with 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage. In addition to this, Xiaomi 12X operates on the in-house built software, MIUI 13 based on Android 12 out of the box. Talking about the camera module of the smartphone, Xiaomi 12X comes with a triple rear camera setup that consists of a 50MP main camera, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 5MP telephoto camera. At the front of the device, Xiaomi 12X has a 32MP selfie shooter. The handset is backed by a 4,500mAh battery and supports 67W fast charge technology as well through a USB Type-C charging port. Colour and Storage Specifications According to the industry sources, as mentioned in the report from 91mobiles, the Chinese smartphone giant will be soon launching its Xiaomi 12X in India and some information about the storage variants of the device for India has been revealed. It is being speculated that the handset will be available in two RAM and internal storage variants. The first one will have 8GB of RAM paired up with 128GB of onboard storage while the other one will come with 8GB RAM + 256GB internal storage. In addition to this, it is expected that Xiaomi 12X will be launched in India with colour options including purple, blue and grey. As far as the price of the upcoming smartphone from Xiaomi is considered, one can expect the device to be priced around Rs 40,000 for Indian markets while the exact price tag remains unknown.

Seven Ways to Protect Yourself from Online Identity Theft Posted: 29 Dec 2021 09:49 PM PST Cybercrime involves a wide range of criminal activities. The number of cybercrimes has increased over the years, along with the usage of computers. While most crimes focus on accessing and manipulating data, many are identity thefts. These are the scams or deceptions involving personal data. Some of the personal data under the category include passwords, credit card information, banking information, among others, which criminals then use for financial transactions or personal reputation damages. People are subject to identity thefts while downloading malware, clicking bait links, or via scams. It can also occur through unsecured wireless networks or data breaches through data saving on banking sites. Although hackers and cybercriminals find innovative ways to breach your privacy and perform online crimes, you may make some precautions at your end to keep yourself safe. This article looks into some of the tips to protect you from cybercrime. Ways to Make Sure You Are Safe from Online Identity Theft Use a total anti-virus and internet security software: A robust security software can safeguard you from cybercrimes to a great extent. Several anti-viruses and internet security software are available for purchase at nominal cost. Ensure that you use the latest version always. Use strong passwords: Despite the trouble remembering complicated passwords, it is safer to use passwords involving a combination of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols. Also, it is essential not to repeat the same password for any accounts. Beware of phishing links and scam emails: Usually, people get spam emails. Many such emails look much similar to the original emails. However, a careful evaluation can help you spot incorrect spelling, grammar, uncommon offers and pictures. Avoid clicking all such suspicious emails and links. Also, mark them as spam before you trash them. Check for https:// before URLs: Using secure websites for transactions is essential. No matter if the page shows attractive offers, check for the presence of https:// before making the transactions. Check for reviews before purchasing on unknown websites. Better not to save login credentials: Many social media sites offer the flexibility to save your login credentials for later use. While this is an easy way to access frequently visited websites, this can become dangerous. Perhaps you hand over your laptop for service or maintenance or keep it open on desks or in cafes. It can become an easy way for criminals to access your private space. If you suspect a data breach, freeze accounts: Be careful of unknown transactions on your bills and credit cards. Keep track of the financial text messages from banks to your phone number. Always stay alert for things you didn't purchase, even if the amount is trivial. If you end up seeing any such suspicious activity in your accounts, immediately call the customer care of your financial service provider and freeze the account. Change passwords frequently: Changing and remembering passwords is a hassle. But, it is advisable to do so, mainly because cyber crimes are showing a steep increase.

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