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• Airtel Offers These Data Add-Ons Under Rs 150
• Vivo X Note Specifications and Design Revealed by Vivo Mall
• OneWeb Partners With SpaceX to Resume Satellites Launches
• WhatsApp Plans to Release a Multi-Device Update Very Soon
• Airtel Business Revenues to Grow as Demand for 5G Led Enterprise Services Increase
• Apple iPhone 14 Leaked Specification Suggests an OLED Display Panel
• OnePlus Likely to Launch At Least Six More Smartphones in 2022
• Indian Telcos Might Have to Pay Lesser AGR Going Forward
• Netflix ISP Speed Index for India, February 2022: Excitel Broadband, Spectra Make it to the Top
• Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED Series With 90Hz Refresh Rate Display Arrives in India
• Satcom Sector Must be Heard, It Is Important for India: Opinion
• OTT Sector in India Has Been Disciplined With the New Rules Announced Last Year
• BSNL and BBNL to be Merged This Month: Report
• Vodafone Idea, Jio, Airtel Worried About 5G Phone Availability in India: Report
• Best in Class 1 Gbps Broadband Plans for Indians
• Vodafone Idea Rs 299 Plan Could be a Better Option than Jio’s Same Plan

Airtel Offers These Data Add-Ons Under Rs 150 Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:49 AM PDT 4G data vouchers are the add-on data packs that telcos provide to their users at an additional cost which can be used when the daily data runs out. India's one of the leading telco Bharti Airtel has been offering a few data vouchers to its subscribers and some of these come with added benefits as well. Mentioned below are all the data-add on packs offered by Airtel that costs less than Rs 150 and are very affordable. 4G Data Vouchers – In-Depth Details The first data voucher offered by Airtel is the Rs 58 plan. For Rs 58, Airtel users can get a total of 3GB of internet data. The validity period of this plan is the same as the other existing pack in use by the user. This means that the plan is available for Active Bundle and Smart Pack users. It is to be noted that after the completion of 3GB of data, users will be charged 50p per MB for any further usage. The next 4G data voucher in the list from Airtel comes at a price of Rs 98. The plan offers a total of 5GB of high-speed data at the mentioned price tag. As it is a data voucher, the validity of the plan is also the same as the existing active plan. In addition to this, Rs 98 data voucher comes with access to Wynk Music Premium and Users will be charged 50p/MB post-consumption of 5GB of data. The next plan on the list is Rs 108 4G data voucher. The plan at the cost of Rs 108 offers 6GB of internet data that has the same validity as the existing plan availed by the user. In addition to this, users can also enjoy the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition for a period of 30 days with the pack. Also, after the completion of 6GB of data, users will be charged 50p per MB for any further usage. By paying an additional Rs 10 to the above plan which is Rs 118 users can get a 4G data voucher that offers double the data as compared to the above plan. At the price tag of Rs 118, Airtel offers 12GB of internet data that has the same validity as the existing plan availed by the user. However, this plan doesn't offer any added benefits as above two. Users will be charged 50p/MB post-consumption of 12GB of data. The last on the list is Rs 148 4G data voucher offered by the telco. At Rs 148, Airtel users can get a total of 15GB of internet data. The validity period of this plan is the same as the other existing pack in use by the user. After the completion of 3GB of data, users will be charged 50p per MB for any further usage. Additionally, the plan offers Airtel Xstream access which allows 30-day access to any of the Xstream channels on the Airtel Xstream App.

Vivo X Note Specifications and Design Revealed by Vivo Mall Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:20 AM PDT The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo is preparing for the launch of its Vivo X Note smartphone. The device will be launched in China and will be the company's latest addition to the X series. The device could be the next flagship from Vivo, however, the exact launch date for the device is not available. Now in a new development, ahead of the rumoured launch in April, Vivo Mall has leaked the design and specifications of its upcoming smartphone. Specification and Design Details for Vivo X Note The company has accidentally leaked the design and specification details of the Vivo X Note smartphone and according to the leaked images, the device will have a hole-punch cutout at the top centre of the display. Moreover, the phone will come with a curved display at the front. On the backside of the smartphone is a rectangular camera island that houses a circular camera module. Even though the camera details are not known as of now it has been confirmed that the smartphone will feature a Samsung S5KGN1 camera sensor, which has a 50MP resolution. The listing of the Vivo X Not has also confirmed that the phone has a curved screen with thin bezels at the top and bottom. The device is going to arrive with a 7-inch display with a 2K resolution. This information falls in line with a previous report which suggests that the upcoming Vivo X Note might come with a huge 7-inch Samsung E5 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. As far as the design is considered, Vivo X Note is expected to have slightly curved edges with a centrally placed punch-hole housing for the front camera. The smartphone is expected to be powered by Qualcomm's latest and most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen1 Chipset. The processor on the device will be paired with Adreno GPU. No intel is available on the storage options of the device, but it is expected that the smartphone could have up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. As far as the camera module of the device is considered, Vivo X Note will feature a quadruple rear camera setup headlined by a 50MP Samsung S5KGN1 primary sensor. The secondary cameras will include a 48MP Sony IMX598 camera along with a 12MP Sony IMX663 lens and an 8MP snapper with 5x zoom. No details are available for the front camera of the smartphone. Vivo X Note is expected to be backed by a 5000mAh battery with 80W fast charging support.

OneWeb Partners With SpaceX to Resume Satellites Launches Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:30 AM PDT Bharti Owned OneWeb has entered into an agreement with Elon Musk's SpaceX to resume satellite launches. The first launch that both the companies will do together is anticipated to take place in 2022 itself. At present, OneWeb's total satellite constellation stands at 428 satellites, meaning 66% of the planned fleet. OneWeb plans to offer low latency, high-speed satellite broadband services to people across the globe. OneWeb CEO Thanks SpaceX Neil Masterson, CEO, OneWeb, thanked SpaceX in a note and said that the company is on track to finish building the complete fleet of satellites and deliver robust, secure, and fast connectivity to people around the globe. OneWeb is expected to start offering satellite broadband services in many countries in 2022, including India.

WhatsApp Plans to Release a Multi-Device Update Very Soon Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:07 AM PDT The social media messaging platform WhatsApp is soon going to announce a new multi-device update which will bring fixes and enhancement to the application. WhatsApp is known for bringing regular updates on the platform to provide users with a seamless experience. The new multi-device update will improve the application that permits secondary mobile devices to access WhatsApp accounts. Let's take a closer look. The New Update The news comes in from known publication WABetaInfo which suggests that the new multi-device update for WhatsApp Web and Desktop will bring a few general fixes for the application. WhatsApp via this update wants to give users an improved user interface. It is to be noted that WhatsApp had earlier launched this update under beta testing about eight months ago. A post from WABetaInfo states that In November 2021, WhatsApp rolled out some improvements for multi-devices. For example, people don't receive chat notifications when the security code changes after an update of the device list and other improvements to increase compatibility with Portal. Although post this update, multiple users were not able to opt-out of the beta anymore since multi-device is considered more stable. Moreover, the website mentions that WhatsApp is aware of the fact that some features are missing, like the ability to generate link previews, broadcast lists, missing chat with your own phone number, and more and is planning to bring the required improvements in the next updates. WhatsApp is also expected to bring out improvements and changes including the above-mentioned multi-device for Android users in April this year. In related news, WhatsApp recently introduced new features that will improve the security on WhatsApp Web. One of the new features is called Code Verify which will act as an additional layer of security. Code Verify has been launched to change the existing situation as it will bring more security on the WhatsApp Web. For those wondering about Code Verify, it's a web extension that works with all browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox. Once added to the browser, it verifies the code that the browser gets from WhatsApp Web. The extension automatically gets pinned to the Firefox and Edge browser, however, it needs to be manually pinned on Google Chrome.

Airtel Business Revenues to Grow as Demand for 5G Led Enterprise Services Increase Posted: 21 Mar 2022 05:16 AM PDT Bharti Airtel's B2B unit, Airtel Business, is going to see an increase in demand for enterprise services as 5G networks proliferate in the country. With the power of 5G, use cases such as network slicing, remote healthcare, modernised mining, private networks, smart manufacturing, smart logistics, and more will be possible. As India scales towards the digital future, the B2B unit of Bharti Airtel – Airtel Business will benefit from it a ton. Enterprises will seek services that Airtel Business provides more heavily. A significant chunk of Airtel's total revenue comes from Airtel Business. This will only grow as 5G arrives. 5G networks are expected to be in heavy demand from enterprises. What Does Airtel Business Offer to the Customers? Airtel Business has a plethora of services under its offerings. There's a data center business operated by the telco's subsidiary, Nxtra. Then, Airtel Business also offers VoIP, MPLS, SIP trucking, IoT, cloud, and more services. India's startup ecosystem, as well as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), is growing aggressively. All of these companies require a seamless and trustworthy partner to offer them digital products and services to scale their business at a reasonable cost. When the revenues of Airtel Business grows, it would further put the company in a better position compared to its competitors. Even Vodafone Idea (Vi) offers B2B services in India. However, from the brand positioning and market value, Airtel's a far more premium choice for the enterprise clients. SMSEs, startups as well as large multinationals can contact Airtel Business for digital solutions to solve their business problems. The company has a dedicated sales team to boost the presence of Airtel Business in all the parts of the country. As mentioned above, there are multiple products offered by the company, and enterprises can also request the telco for customisation in services for fulfilling business needs. This company's valuation will certainly go up as its enterprise business scales.

Apple iPhone 14 Leaked Specification Suggests an OLED Display Panel Posted: 21 Mar 2022 04:08 AM PDT Apple's next flagship iPhone 14 series is expected to arrive in September 2022 and while there's still a lot of time before the company announces the devices, the rumours on the web are plenty. Apple is expected to launch four models as the part of iPhone 14 series., however, it is most likely that the company will drop its mini model from the series. Now in a new development, specification details of the iPhone 14 have surfaced. Let's take a look. Specification Details for iPhone 14 Series The Cupertino-based tech giant is expected to launch four models as a part of its iPhone 14 lineup – iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Speculations suggest that iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will come with a 6.1-inch display, whereas the iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature a 6.7-inch display. Now a known tipster ShadowLeaks has suggested that only the Pro models will come with an LTPO panel that aids support for the ProMotion high refresh rate display tech. Earlier reports have suggested, in the upcoming iPhone 14 series, all four models will come equipped with a 120HZ refresh rate on the display. However, it seems that just like the iPhone 13 series the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max display refresh rate will be capped at 60Hz. Moreover, all four models will feature a flexible OLED display. Recent CAD renders have also provided us with details regarding the vanilla iPhone. iPhone 14 can be seen to have the volume rocker, with the alert slider placed above it on the left spine and the SIM card slot below the volume keys. The power button has been placed on the right side of the phone. Speculations suggest that Apple might launch the iPhone 14 with the Lightning connector which means that there's still some time before Type-C charging comes to iPhones. It also seems that Apple is once again going for the thick display notch on the top, just as the previous iPhones. Talking about the camera specification of the iPhone 14 lineup, early rumours have also suggested that Apple will be looking to enhance its camera technology for smartphones and the 48MP cameras will be able to capture videos in 8K quality. It is also expected that handsets in iPhone 14 lineup should be able to capture images via both 48MP camera and 12MP camera through pixel binning. Pixel binning is a technology that is already in use in a lot of premium smartphones available worldwide.

OnePlus Likely to Launch At Least Six More Smartphones in 2022 Posted: 21 Mar 2022 03:04 AM PDT A new report from a tipster has provided intel on the roadmap for the Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus for the year 2022. To recall, OnePlus used to launch only one smartphone per year in its early days which later on increased to two with the introduction of its T series devices. Gradually with the introduction of the Pro models, the number increased to four per year. Now with the company's merger with Oppo and new Nord series devices, the number has been ever increasing. Let's take a look at the details provided by the tipster. Possible Roadmap for OnePlus The known tipster Yogesh Brar has shared an idea of the timeline for the launch of the OnePlus smartphones in 2022. OnePlus has already launched a few devices in 2022 and the list from the tipster suggests at least six smartphones will debut between March and the third quarter of 2022. It is most likely that the brand will introduce more models as the list doesn't mention the successor devices to budget Nord models. According to the list provided by the tipster, the OnePlus 10 Pro will launch in March followed by OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite in April. We can expect OnePlus Nord 2T might arrive in late April or early May. OnePlus 10R and OnePlus Nord 3 are expected to arrive in May and July respectively. OnePlus Nord 3 could also be launched as OnePlus Nord Pro. Lastly, the OnePlus 10 Ultra or possibly the OnePlus 10 Pro+ could launch in late Q3 2022. OnePlus 10 Pro In the above-mentioned list, the OnePlus 10 Pro launch is just around the corner and we have details regarding the device as it is already available in China. In its recent launch in China, the OnePlus 10 Pro came with a display featuring a 6.7-inch QHD+ (1,440×3,216 pixels) curved AMOLED display with a 20.1:9 aspect ratio and a dynamic refresh rate ranging between 1Hz and 120Hz. The display has a peak brightness of 1300nits and features a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for an added layer of protection. The device has dual nano SIM slots and is powered by Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1 on top. The handset features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chipset paired up with 12GB of RAM. The device offers internal storage of 256GB. As far as camera module is considered, the OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 48MP primary sensor along with a 50MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and an 8MP telephoto sensor. The device also features optical image stabilisation (OIS) support. The front of the device sports a 32MP selfie shooter. The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery and supports 80W Super Flash Charge wired charging and 50W Wireless Flash Charge technology.

Indian Telcos Might Have to Pay Lesser AGR Going Forward Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:59 AM PDT The Indian telecom operators might have to pay lesser adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues going forward. One of the biggest pain points of the telecom industry of India is the high amount of levies on any and everything they want to do. The telecom industry is currently working on a micro-definition of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) to solve higher levy issues, reports Livemint. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said the work on a micro-definition of AGR is going on. This time, the idea is to reduce as many disputes as possible. There will be a list of negatives and positives that is being prepared which will specify that components such as rental income, payments bank, and e-commerce platforms will be excluded from AGR, said Kochhar. Reduced AGR Dues Would be Another Boost to the Industry There's no denying that the Indian government has helped the desperate telecom sector in a major way with the relief measures announced last year. A further change in the definition of AGR, where more items will be reduced, will help the telecom operators in saving more money. This, in turn, would allow cash-strapped operators to get more relief and increase capex to fight head-on with the competition. The telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi), already have a ton of AGR dues on their shoulders. While the moratorium has reduced the stress significantly, it will come up due in a matter of a few years. Thus, redefining AGR to help the sector further is a move in the right direction. With improved profitability of the business due to less AGR dues, the telcos will be able to attract more outside investors, and their business valuation would improve significantly. Differences over the definition of AGR has been a long point of the battle for the sector and the government.

Netflix ISP Speed Index for India, February 2022: Excitel Broadband, Spectra Make it to the Top Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:17 AM PDT Just like every month, Netflix has updated the ISP Speed Index data of India for the month of February 2022. Compared to January, there are a lot more players ranked in the top category now. Companies such as Excitel Broadband and Spectra, which had slipped to the second rank category in January 2022, were able to make it back to the first rank category in February. Let's take a look at the complete data. Data of Netflix ISP Speed Index for India for the Month of February 2022 According to the Netflix ISP Speed Index data for India for the month of February 2022, there were a total of eleven internet service providers (ISPs) in the country, which ranked in the top category. Companies such as Airtel, 7 Star Digital, Alliance Broadband, Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT), D-VoiS, Excitel Broadband, Hathway, Jio Giga Fiber, One Broadband, Spectra, and Tata Play Fiber were in the top-ranked category delivering an average download speed of 3.6 Mbps to the users watching Netflix in India. In the second category, delivering 3.4 Mbps speed were Syscon Infoway, GTPL, and You Broadband. Following these companies, in the third rank, offering 3.2 Mbps speed, were BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) and Tikona, and in the fourth rank was MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited), offering 2.8 Mbps speed. Note that Netflix ISP Speed Index is a measure of internet speed users get from their broadband connection while streaming Netflix. This speed measure is not for other applications. Thus, if you are a big streaming fan, the top-ranked ISPs on this list are your best bet to have a seamless over-the-top (OTT) content watching experience. Even the companies in the second and third rank didn't deliver a bad experience which is a notable factor in case none of the companies from the first rank are available in your area.

Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED Series With 90Hz Refresh Rate Display Arrives in India Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:22 AM PDT Asus has just launched the ZenBook 14 Flip OLED series in India. The key features of this laptop series is that it comes with a display that supports 90Hz refresh rate, has a 360 degree ErgoLift hinge design, and weighs only 1.4 Kg. The ZenBook 14 Flip OLED series has three different models starting from Rs 91,990. Let's take a look at what the users get with the ZenBook 14 Flip OLED series laptops and at what price. Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED Series Specifications The Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED features a 14-inch 2.8K OLED HDR display with a 4 sided NanoEdge design with incredibly slim 2.9mm bezels, an 88% screen-to-body ratio, and supports 90Hz refresh rate. To give users an ultimate typing experience, the laptop series comes with an edge-to-edge full-sized backlit keyboard with travel of 19.05 mm allowing users to type accurately. Asus said that the ZenBook 14 Flip OLED series laptops come with powerful speakers. The company had partnered with Harmon Kardon to ensure that users get a strong music experience out of their laptops. There's integration of Asus AI Noise cancellation which is a good thing for people who are conferencing using their laptops a lot. The laptop series comes equipped with a 63 Whr battery which can provide the laptop with a strong and long battery life. There will also be a 100W Type-C fast-charger included for refuelling the laptop every day. Let's check the price of the laptops. Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED Series Price in India The Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED series has three models — a) R5 5600H (16GB+512GB SSD) which will start at Rs 91,990; b) R7 5800H (16GB+1TB SSD) for Rs 1,12,990; and c) R9 5900HX (16GB+1TB SSD) for Rs 1,34,990. You can get these laptops from online channels of Flipkart and Amazon as well as exclusive retail stores of Asus in the country. You should compare this laptop with other models in the same price range before making a decision to buy it.

Satcom Sector Must be Heard, It Is Important for India: Opinion Posted: 20 Mar 2022 11:26 PM PDT The satellite communications (Satcom) sector in India is all set to see an influx of investments from global players as well as local companies in 2022. The Indian government will allow satcom players to offer satellite broadband internet services in the country. This isn't just a good thing for the direct consumers, but even the terrestrial network service providers will benefit from the arrival of satcom companies. With satcom services, connectivity in remote parts of the country would be possible where terrestrial networks can't reach. But for the satcom sector to be a success, the government and the regulatory body must listen to what it wants. Satcom Sector Wants Government and TRAI to Allocate Spectrum Administratively and Reserve Some Premium Spectrum Only for Satellite Services The satcom players have two key demands. One is to administratively allocate the spectrum to satellite broadband companies instead of the auction route. The second is to reserve some amount of premium spectrum only for satellite services. Now the thing is, the Indian Telecom operators feel like that would be the wrong thing for the government to do. If the telcos have to go through an auction to get their hands on the scarce resource that is spectrum, so should the satcom players. But satcom sector has asked the government to see and follow the global practice of administrative allocation of spectrum to the satcom players. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently working on submitting spectrum auction recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). So what will happen is unclear at the moment. The satcom players also want the government to reserve some part of mmWave (milimeter wavelength) bands for satellite broadband. This is to ensure that when telcos roll out 5G services, there are no interferences between the services of satcom players and the telecom operators. TRAI is expected to submit the recommendations by month-end or early April 2022.

OTT Sector in India Has Been Disciplined With the New Rules Announced Last Year Posted: 20 Mar 2022 10:00 PM PDT Over-the-top (OTT) sector, which has seen a lot of growth in India and the world has been disciplined with the new rules that were announced last year. The Indian government had said that OTT platforms and digital news publishers will have to follow a certain codes of ethics and this has brought in a lot of discipline in the sector, said Vikram Sahay, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Joint Secretary. As per a PTI report, Sahay said that India has over 40-50 OTT platforms and none of these platforms required permission to launch services. Multiple international, as well as domestic OTT platforms, have come up in the country due to this. OTT Platforms Need to Follow These Rules In the previous year, the Indian government had said that OTT platforms will have to follow a certain code of ethics and a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism (also applicable for news platforms and digital media.) OTT platforms were asked to classify their content into five age-based categories – U (Universal), U/A (Universal and Adult, 7+ years), U/A (13+ years), U/A (16+ years), and A (Adult). All the content marked U/A (13+ years) was asked by the government to be put under the parental lock. A lot of media industry people didn't like this move from the government. However, according to Sahay, a platform as pervasive and powerful as OTT shouldn't be allowed to act freely without any discipline. The joint secretary said that a lot of other countries are also trying to study the regulatory framework that India has put into place with regard to the OTT platforms so that they can do the same. OTT platforms have been offered the power of self-regulation which is better than the government setting up a regulatory body any day. This keeps the power within the hands of the OTT platforms which both the viewers and the industry people love.

BSNL and BBNL to be Merged This Month: Report Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:17 PM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) might be merged this month. Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), BSNL, said during an All India Graduate Engineers and Telecom Officers Association (AIGETOA) that the government is going to give the telecom firm an opportunity to turn around. According to a PTI report, Purwar said that all the work under BBNL will come under BSNL at a PAN-India level after it merges with the company. BSNL to Benefit from the Merger a Big Way BSNL has already built a network of 6.8 lakh kilometer of optical fibre cable (OFC) network. Now, with the proposed merger, BSNL will get access to 5.8 lakh kilometer of optical fibre that has been laid across 1.85 lakh village panchayats across the country with the use of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). BBNL is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that was formed in February 2012 for laying out an optical fibre network across 2.5 lakh village panchayats with the use of USOF so that connectivity can reach rural parts of the country. BBNL doesn't need to pay RoW (right of way) charges for laying optical fibre, which results in significant savings for the company. The private telcos have to pay a ton of charges which includes RoW charges, license fees with USOF in it, and more. It is worth noting that BBNL employees are not really in favour of this merger. The BBNL employees are unhappy with the non-performance of BSNL on the BharatNet project. With BSNL trying to launch 4G and 5G later this year, this merger will boost the telco's opportunities and chances of reaching more areas of the country faster. It would also enable BSNL to grow its fiber broadband business aggressively, which has been struck badly due to the private internet service providers (ISPs) making a name for themselves. It will be interesting to see what happens ahead.

Vodafone Idea, Jio, Airtel Worried About 5G Phone Availability in India: Report Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:57 PM PDT Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel, all the three private telecom operators, are slightly worried about the reduced availability of 5G smartphones in the country. For the unaware, the Indian government has called for the need to test 5G mobile locally and certify them safe from January 1, 2023, before they are made available to the people of India. According to an ET Telecom report, the private telcos have told the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that such a move would result in a bad hit to data consumption and would ultimately deprive the Indian users of purchasing the latest 5G smartphones. Not just this, but such a move would also hinder India's vision of becoming a global smartphone manufacturing hub. TEC Wants 5G Smartphones to be Brought Under Mandatory Testing and Certification In a recent internal meeting, the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) has called for a mandatory testing and certification of telecom equipment (MTCTE) regime, which will come into effect from January 1, 2023. The body had earlier asked for all the smartwatches, smart cameras, and wearables to be tested and certified before being sold to Indian consumers. Global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as telecom operators, have asked the DoT to not go ahead with such a move for 5G smartphones. 5G smartphone availability in the market would go down sharply as it would take a lot of time to locally test and certify new 5G smartphones that are being launched in India. The telcos and the OEMs have urged the DoT and TEC to not interfere with the manufacturing of smartphones. Such a rule would add to the cost burden of OEMs for launching the product and also result in a significant delay for the mobile companies to launch new 5G smartphones in the country. The Indian government has become wary of tech devices with support for network connectivity. This decision from TEC comes to keep Indians secure, but the cost might not be worth it.

Best in Class 1 Gbps Broadband Plans for Indians Posted: 20 Mar 2022 06:34 PM PDT The Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer a variety of broadband plans for their users according to their suitability with different price tags and speeds. However, each operator has a high-end broadband plan that offers super high-speed connectivity along with other benefits. These plans are great for connecting multiple devices seamlessly and simultaneously and offer a ton of other benefits as well. Mentioned below are the best in class 1 Gbps broadband plans offered by some of the major service providers in India such as ACT, Jio and more along with the plan details. ACT Offers Multiple 1 Gbps Plans The Internet Service Provider based in Bengaluru provides a 1000 Mbps unlimited data plan called the 'ACT GIGA' pack. Users can get an ACT GIGA pack from the provider at a monthly cost of Rs 5,999. No FUP data is levied on the plan and users can enjoy truly unlimited data with this plan from ACT. The 1 Gbps plan from ACT also offers access to multiple OTT platforms including a free trial to Zee5, Sony Liv, ACT TV 4K and more. ACT also offers multiple office plans with varied data limits that are also available on the company's website. The ISP offers ACT Enterprises plans namely 'Exceptional Plus', 'Phenomenal Plus', and 'Giga Plus' that offer 1 Gbps of internet speed with 3.6TB, 5TB and 10TB monthly data limit respectively. Exceptional Plus plan comes at a price tag of Rs 9,000 a month, Phenomenal Plus for Rs 12,000 a month and Giga Plus for Rs 15,000 a month. JioFiber 1 Gbps Plans When it comes to 1 Gbps plans JioFiber offers two plans with different data limits. The first plan offered by JioFiber comes at a price tag of Rs 3,999 per month (30 days) and offers 1 Gbps of internet speed with a FUP data limit of 3.3TB or 3300GB. The other 1 Gbps plan from JioFiber comes at a cost of Rs 8,499 for a validity period of 30 days and offers 6600GB of total data. Both of these plans offer unlimited calling and an equal upload and download speed set at 1 Gbps. In addition to this Jio offers a ton of OTT subscriptions which include access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and thirteen others. The Amazon Prime Video that comes bundled with this plan has a validity period of one year. Tata Play Fiber 1 Gbps Plan Tata Sky recently changed their moniker to Tata Play Fiber, the plans, however, remained the same. The high-end unlimited 1 Gbps plan from Tata Play Fiber comes at a monthly cost of Rs 3,600. Users can get this plan for the long term too, as the company offers the 1 Gbps plan for different validity periods. For a period of three months, users can get the plan for Rs 10,800, for a validity period of six months the plan costs Rs 19,800 on which users actually save Rs 1,800 and lastly for a period of one year the plan costs Rs 36,000 saving Rs 7,200 for the users. Users receive 3300GB or 3.3TB of Fair Usage Policy (FUP) data along with this broadband plan after which the speed is reduced to 3 Mbps. Airtel Xstream 1 Gbps Plan Airtel offers a 1Gbps unlimited data plan as well which is called the Infinity plan. Users can get the Airtel Xstream Fiber connection to access the 'Infinity' plan. The plan offers 1Gbps of high-speed internet data at a cost of Rs 3,999 for a month. The FUP data for all unlimited plans is 3500GB or 3.5TB. The price of the plan is excluding GST and it may be charged as applicable. The plan also comes with a subscription to some of the major OTT platforms in India such as Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar along with access to Wynk Music. The FTTH technology of Airtel is capable of connecting up to 60 devices at once and provides high-speed downloads.

Vodafone Idea Rs 299 Plan Could be a Better Option than Jio’s Same Plan Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:34 AM PDT Vodafone Idea (Vi) offers its Rs 299 prepaid plan to users with Vi Hero Benefits. It is a short-validity plan, and after the prepaid tariff hikes from the private operators, it became one of the best options in the market for users. Jio also offers a Rs 299 prepaid plan, but like always, it offers something extra than its competition. However, here you should know that there are a few things that could make Vi's plan a better option than what Jio is offering. Vodafone Idea is Offering Rs 299 Plan With a Ton of Benefits, Which Might Make it Better than What Airtel and Jio are Offering Vodafone Idea (Vi) offers its Rs 299 prepaid plan with a short validity of 28 days. For these 28 days, users get 1.5GB of daily data, unlimited voice calling, and 100 SMS/day. In addition to this, users get Binge All Night, Weekend Data Rollover, and Data Delights offer. There's also an added over-the-top (OTT) subscription of Vi Movies & TV Classic access included. In contrast to this, Jio offers its prepaid plan with the exact same validity, voice calling, and SMS benefits. However, the data offered with Jio's plan is 2GB daily which is 500MB more than what users get with Vi's plan. While this is something to consider for Jio users, it is also true that Vi's plan bundles Vi Hero Benefits, which hold a lot of value. The emergency data offered under Data Delights, unlimited high-speed data with the Binge All Night benefit, and Weekend Data Rollover offer to use the leftover fair-usage-policy (FUP) data from the weekdays on the weekends is just too good to ignore. Not to forget, Airtel also offers a Rs 299 prepaid plan to the customers. With this plan, users get 28 days of validity, unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day and Airtel Thanks benefits. It is not much different from that of Vi's plan, but it doesn't come with the kind of benefits that Vi Hero Unlimited bundles for the users.

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