${latestitem Title}

---

• Realme UI 3.0 Update Roll Out Begins for Realme 8 Smartphones in India
• Telecom Companies are Striving for Simpler Payment Terms in 5G Auctions Says Government
• TSSC and The Kaushalya- Skill University Sign a MoU to Improve Drone Manpower in India
• Jio Lost 9.3 Million Users in January 2022, Only Airtel Added New Subscribers
• iQOO Neo 6 Possibly Spotted at Geekbench Benchmarking Site
• D2h Offering Free Star Sports 1 Hindi Subscription to Users With New Box
• OnePlus 9 Pro Gets a Price Cut Head of the OnePlus 10 Pro Launch
• OnePlus 10R Renders Reveal the Device Looks Just Like Realme GT Neo 3
• JioMart Maha Cashback Offer to End on March 31, What You Should Know
• Apple Has a New Policy for Lost or Stolen iPhones
• BSNL: Homegrown 4G to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Vendors
• Reliance Jio in Advanced Talks With Samsung for 5G Gear
• Satcom to Change the Way India Looks at Connectivity
• Prepaid Plans from Airtel, Jio and Vi You Don’t Want to Miss Out On
• Samsung Freestyle Lightweight and Ultra-Portable Projector Launched – Features and Price
• Airtel or Vi: Who Has Better 3GB/Day Prepaid Plans
• Boat Wave Lite Affordable Smartwatch is Here for Just Rs 1,999
• TRAI Gearing to Submit Recommendations for 5G Spectrum Auctions in About 10 Days
• Redmi 10A Budget Smartphone Launched with Helio G25 Chipset, 13MP Camera and More
• COAI Urges DoT to Help With the Network Outrage Situation in Bihar

Realme UI 3.0 Update Roll Out Begins for Realme 8 Smartphones in India Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:33 AM PDT Realme 8 smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer is getting a stable version of the Android 12-based Realme UI 3.0 update in India. The new update comes with the UI version RMX3085_11. C.06 and will offer a ton of new features including options for customisation, sketchpad always-on display (AOD), fluid space design, quick launch feature and much more. Not only this, the Realme 8i smartphone is also getting early access to the Realme UI 3.0 update in India which will be available to select users in India. The details of the changelog that comes with the Android 12-based Realme UI 3.0 update have also been posted on a Realme forum. Users are required to update their smartphones to the RMX3085_11.A.24 or RMX3085_11.A.26 versions to receive the latest update on their Realme 8 device. The latest update has version number RMX3085_11.C.06 and it is being rolled out in a phased manner. The stable update will be available to select users and will have a broader rollout if no bugs are found. Realme has also informed that the Realme 8 smartphones might take additional time to boot the first time update is installed. Realme UI 3.0 Features Realme 3.0 update will introduce a new home screen layout with redesigned icons. It will make use of the company’s Quantum Animation Engine 3.0 which can optimise over 300 animations. One of the unique features that will be introduced is the Background stream mode that allows users to continue playing the audio of a video even when the phone is locked. The update will also allow users to quickly switch between their Realme Book and Realme Smartphone. FlexDrop feature in Realme smartphones has now been changed to Flexible Windows in the new update which allows users to drag a file from My Files or a photo from the Photos app to a floating window. The new update introduces Quick Launch with which the system identifies and preloads apps used frequently by the user. Realme UI 3.0 also raises the responsiveness of turning on or off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Airplane mode. Other features include customisation options on the camera and a new zoom slider to zoom in or out while shooting videos are other new additions.

Telecom Companies are Striving for Simpler Payment Terms in 5G Auctions Says Government Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:24 AM PDT The minister of state for communications, Devusinh Chauhan, in a statement on Wednesday at Lok Sabha, said that telecom companies have called on the government for easier 5G spectrum payment terms in the upcoming spectrum auction. In a response to a query in the parliament, the minister stated that some of the TSPs have represented seeking easier payment terms for the 5G spectrum. The CEO of Airtel Gopal Vittal as well as MD of Vodafone Idea Ravinder Takkar have recently talked about the need for 5G spectrum pricing to be reasonable. The Current Scenario The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is all set to submit its long-awaited recommendations around the working of the 5G spectrum auction and its pricing in about 10 days' time as informed by a prominent TRAI official. The government has asked the telecom regulator to submit the recommendations by March 31 so that the auction process can be commenced in May or June 2022. This would allow the government to roll out the initial services based on the next-gen technology by August 15 which is India's Independence Day. The minister further informed that the rollout of 5G mobile services by telcos is likely in FY23 although it will also depend on their techno-commercial considerations given the size of investments in such next-gen technology. The government has earmarked a mix of mid-band airwaves in the 3.3-3.67 GHz range, millimetre waves (26/28 GHz) and key sub-GHz bands such as 600 MHz and 700 MHz for 5G services. Recently, the Chief Technology Officer of Bharti Airtel Randeep Sekhon had made an appeal to the telecom regulatory authority of India for the affordable pricing of the 5G airwaves. Sekhon talked about the important role of pricing of the 5G radio waves. He informed that the expensive spectrum will result in limited cash flow with the telcos after the payment. However, he added that with reasonable pricing the operator will bring the same money on increasing footprint faster. 5G will not only promote immersive entertainment, industrial use cases, unlock new avenues in education and other areas but will also provide high-speed mobile connectivity.

TSSC and The Kaushalya- Skill University Sign a MoU to Improve Drone Manpower in India Posted: 30 Mar 2022 06:14 AM PDT The Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) which is the council for skilling in telecom in a new development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Kaushalya- Skill University. The latter is a Government of Gujarat led skill university to develop a roadmap for skilled manpower around futuristic technologies. The MoU will majorly focus on working together to create industry-led skill centres promoting skilled manpower in the telecom sector including a special focus on drone technology and other emergent technologies. It is to be noted that the MoU has been signed for a period of 5 years. The Need for MoU The Kaushalya – Skill University Registrar IAS H.R. Suthar in a statement said that Gujarat has historically been associated with forwarding business thinking. He further informed that drone technology is coming up in a big way for both business use cases and for generating skilled manpower. According to Suthar, it is important that adequate manpower should be available for the industry when required. He talked about the future drone and other technologies to drive growth in Gujarat and subsequently across the nation and how TSSC are a valuable addition to this mission. As per the signed MoU, TSSC and The Kaushalya – Skill University will develop courses and programs relevant to the industry and help build capacity in the telecom sector. The CEO of TSSC Arvind Bali stated that new technologies are disrupting conventional practices and Indian origin companies are leveraging this to compete with global players. He added that to increase maximum productivity, it is necessary to provide a platform for the youth to channel their potential. He added that drone technology is a big and upcoming field and with governments support, TSSC will surely make India the skill capital of the world.” Under the signed MoU, TSSC will support Kaushalya – The Skill University to establish close linkages with the industry to understand the evolving trends which will help evaluate the future of drone application and its related courses. The MoU also outlines the creation of a credit framework for competency-based skill training.

Jio Lost 9.3 Million Users in January 2022, Only Airtel Added New Subscribers Posted: 30 Mar 2022 05:23 AM PDT Post the tariff hike, Jio has been actively removing inactive users from its total subscriber base. As per the monthly performance report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Jio lost 9.3 million users (93,32,583) subscribers during January 2022. Along with Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) also lost 3,89,082 (0.38 million) and 3,77,520 (0.37) million subscribers. Amongst all the telecom service providers, only Bharti Airtel was the operator, which gained new subscribers. Airtel added a total of 7,14,199 (0.71 million) users in January 2022. TRAI Data Reveals 9.53 Million MNP Requests Were Made in January 2022 According to the TRAI data, a total of 9.53 million mobile number portability (MNP) requests were made in the month of January 2022. Out of the total, 5.49 million requests came from Zone-1, while the remaining 4.04 million requests came from Zone-2. In Zone-1, to date, the maximum MNP requests have been made in Maharashtra (55.53 million), followed by Uttar Pradesh-East (50.81 million). In Zone-2, the maximum MNP requests to date have been made in Karnataka (52.18 million), followed by Andhra Pradesh (about 50.55 million). Jio Added the Most Wireline Customers in January 2022 Going by the TRAI data, Reliance Jio added the most number of wireline subscribers in January. Jio added a total of 3,08,340 (0.30 million) new wireline subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel, BSNL, and Quadrant, which added 94010 (0.09 million), 32098 (0.03 million), and 16,749 (0.01 million) new wireline users. At the same time, MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) and Vodafone Idea lost wireline users. Jio is adding a ton of new JioFiber broadband customers, followed by Airtel in the country. Both the top telcos have already gone ahead of BSNL, which once was the king of broadband and wireline services in India. Jio is cleaning its wireless user base by removing inactive subscribers, which should pay off for the telco in the long run.

iQOO Neo 6 Possibly Spotted at Geekbench Benchmarking Site Posted: 30 Mar 2022 04:13 AM PDT A new smartphone with model number V2196A has been spotted on the well-known Geekbench benchmarking site with the presence of the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 12GB RAM and more. According to the listing, the spotted device is from Vivo, however, based on the past rumours and speculations, it is most likely going to be the iQOO smartphone and could possibly even be iQOO Neo 6. What makes it even more interesting is that a speculated iQOO Neo 6 variant was spotted earlier today at the Geekbench. The listing suggested that the smartphone will arrive with Snapdragon 778G SoC, 6GB RAM, Android 12 OS, and much more. While the earlier one was a device or a variant in the iQOO Neo 6 series, the one found currently could be the iQoo Neo 6. Moreover, iQOO Neo 6 spotted at Geekbench could be a device, particularly for China. Let's take a closer look. iQOO Neo 6 Geekbench Listing The smartphone with the V2196A model number which has been spotted on the Geekbench is most likely going to be the iQOO Neo 6 flagship smartphone. The listing suggests that the device will arrive with Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC with the motherboard codenamed "taro". For those who don't know this is the codename for the company's flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chipset. This flagship chipset comes with one core running at 3GHz, three cores operating at 2.5GHz, and four cores clocked at 1.79GHz. The listing further informs that the smartphone will arrive with 12GB RAM on board and will run on Android 12. However, it is very much possible that there will be other storage variants as well with different RAM options. The spotted device was able to score 1193 points in the single-core tests and 3523 points in the multi-core tests. A previous listing of iQOO Neo 6 at TENAA certification suggested that the device will come with a 6.62-inch Full HD+ screen and will feature a 2,290mAh dual-cell battery unit, which should be a 4,700mAh battery. It revealed details about the physical design of the phone as well. It is expected that the smartphone will measure 163X76.16X8.5mm. It is also suggested that the device will come with an 80W charging technology.

D2h Offering Free Star Sports 1 Hindi Subscription to Users With New Box Posted: 30 Mar 2022 03:36 AM PDT D2h, a major Direct-to-Home (DTH) service provider in India, is offering a free subscription of Star Sports 1 Hindi to the users for one month. If you are an SD box owner, you will get the Star Sports 1 Hindi for free, and if you are an HD box owner, you will get the same channel's HD subscription for free. But the free channel won't be provided by the company to everyone. Only users who purchase a new Set-Top Box (STB) are eligible to get this channel for free from D2h for one month. The channel will be offered by the company once the user activates the STB. Post the activation, for a total period of 30 days; users can watch content on Star Sports 1 Hindi/ Star Sports 1 Hindi HD for free. The end date of the offer is May 2022. This is a great time to get a free subscription to Star Sports 1 Hindi as it is the time of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Note that in certain states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, the language of the channel will be different from Hindi. How Can I Purchase a D2h Box? There are multiple ways you can do this. The first is to use the website of the company that is accessible for free to everyone. Then, you can also reach out to the customer care team of the company to register for a new connection. Lastly, you can go to any retail store where D2h connections are provided. You can get the SD D2h Set-Top Box (STB) starting at just Rs 699 (extra taxes applicable). On purchase of this STB, users will also get Rs 2,000 worth of CouponDuniya discount coupons. The company will offer new customers door-step service meaning you won't need to step out of your home to get a new D2h connection.

OnePlus 9 Pro Gets a Price Cut Head of the OnePlus 10 Pro Launch Posted: 30 Mar 2022 02:55 AM PDT The OnePlus 9 Pro has received a price cut ahead of the OnePlus 10 Pro launch in India. The OnePlus 10 Pro is slated to launch on March 31, 2022. Its expected price is Rs 66,999 for the base variant and Rs 71,999 for the superior variant. However, if you don't want to spend that much and still get a powerful smartphone in your hands, you can go for the OnePlus 9 Pro. The price of the OnePlus 9 Pro has been reduced by Rs 5,000 for each of the variants available in India. Let's check out the new price of the OnePlus 9 Pro. OnePlus 9 Pro Price in India OnePlus 9 Pro comes in two memory variants. The base variant comes with 8GB+128GB, and the superior variant comes with 12GB+256GB. The base variant was launched for Rs 64,999, and the superior variant was launched for Rs 69,999. However, after a Rs 5,000 price cut, the new price of the smartphone is Rs 59,999 for the base variant and Rs 54,999 for the superior variant. Until March 31, which is tomorrow, users can get a flat Rs 10,000 discount on the smartphone if they are using a Citi Bank card. With a Citi Bank card, customers can also get the device with up to 9 months of EMIs. In addition to this, users also get a six months free membership to Spotify Premium. OnePlus is also allowing users to bundle the 50W wireless charger for an additional Rs 1,999 on their purchase. The smartphone is available in three colours on the company's official website for India — Morning Mist, Pine Green, and Stellar Black. If you can spend a little more and want to wait for the OnePlus 10 Pro, which will be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1, you can do that as the device is going to launch tomorrow in India. OnePlus 10 Pro might be available starting April 5, 2022, in India for purchase.

OnePlus 10R Renders Reveal the Device Looks Just Like Realme GT Neo 3 Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:22 AM PDT OnePlus is expected to launch the OnePlus 10R as the affordable flagship device in the OnePlus 10 series. The renders of the device are out, and it looks just like the Realme GT Neo 3. Note that these are not the official renders shared by the company. The smartphone is not expected to launch anytime soon but in the second half of 2022. Specifications of this smartphone are already out, but now even the renders have come out. Let's see what the device will pack for the users. OnePlus 10R Specifications (Expected) According to a joint report from 91Mobiles and tipster Yogesh Brar, the OnePlus 10R is going to look just like the Realme GT Neo 3, which launched in China recently. The smartphone will be the successor of the OnePlus 9R, which was launched alongside the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. Looking at the renders, one can expect the smartphone to come with a triple-camera setup at the rear and a punch-hole cutout at the top center in the front, housing the selfie sensor. But the real pain that the OnePlus fans might have to go through with the OnePlus 10R is the loss of Alert Slider. Even previous rumours hinted that for the first time, OnePlus might not go with the Alert Slider for its premium device. This would be really strange if it happens, and OnePlus fans would wish that it doesn't. The smartphone is expected to come with a 6.67-inch FHD+ E4 AMOLED display with support for 120Hz refresh rate. It might be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 SoC coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. There might be a 4500mAh battery inside with support for 150W fast-charging. But then the report from 91Mobiles suggests that the users might get see another variant of this device with a 5000mAh battery and 80W fast-charging.

JioMart Maha Cashback Offer to End on March 31, What You Should Know Posted: 30 Mar 2022 12:55 AM PDT JioMart Maha Cashback offer is going to end on March 31, 2022. The offer was rolled out by Reliance Retail, and it was applicable for customers/users purchasing products and services from any of the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) platforms, including Reliance Smart/Fresh/Smart Point/ JioMart, Reliance Digital/My Jio Store/Jio Points, Reliance Trends/Ajio/Project Eve, Partner Grocery Stores, Netmeds, and more. The cashbacks are offered to users on their JioMart number whenever they purchase anything from the above mentioned Reliance platforms. Cashbacks Can be Used by Customers Until April 30, 2022 According to a source, the JioMart Maha Cashback points will be available for the customers to redeem until April 30, 2022. So, if you have any unused balance of cashback offered by Reliance Retail left, you can use it until April 30, 2022. But the cashbacks will only be offered until March 31, 2022. This means that if you have been using the cashbacks so far for getting discounts on your future purchases, you won't be able to do so anymore. It was a very big benefit for many who used these cashbacks while billing to reduce the final invoice amount across Reliance platforms including its retail grocery stores, retail clothing stores, Jio's prepaid/postpaid recharge and more. It doesn't look like Reliance Retail is going to extend the offer any further from here. If you have any unused balance of JioMart Maha Cashback left, you can use it within April 30, 2022, to ensure that it doesn't go to waste. Jio users can also queue prepaid recharges using the cashback, which will be a clever idea since, in the future, they won't be able to use their cashback, and they will have to pay the full amount. After tariff hikes, the JioMart Maha Cashback offer came in as a respite to customers who weren't willing to pay higher amounts of money for their recharges.

Apple Has a New Policy for Lost or Stolen iPhones Posted: 29 Mar 2022 11:58 PM PDT Apple has just updated the policy regarding lost and stolen iPhones. All the iPhones, be they old or new, if they are found listed as lost or stolen in the GSMA Device Registry, will not be repaired by Apple. The authorised service providers, as well as Apple Store Employees, will not accept lost or stolen iPhones for repair anymore. An iPhone can be marked as lost or stolen in the MobileGenius or GSX Systems that Apple uses to provide services to customers. iPhone Users Must Check if Their Device is Not Listed as Lost or Stolen According to MacRumours, an internal memo was sent to the employees (working in authorised stores or Apple stores) by Apple, which outlines that they will have to use the GSMA database to check if the iPhone that has been brought to the store is listed as stolen or lost. If it is, then the Apple Store employees can deny servicing the device. Note that this is not an old policy but an extension of it. As per the old policy, Apple could deny servicing the lost iPhones, which had Find My tracking enabled. But with the new policy, Apple will deny even the iPhones which have to Find My tracking disabled by checking the GSMA database. For the unaware, GSMA Device Registry is a database of device serial numbers with information about the device, whether it was lost or stolen. If a user reports his/her smartphone to be stolen, then the police will mark it as stolen in the database. This gets updated in the database, and Apple can access this database to determine whether an iPhone was lost or stolen. This is to protect the original owner's data and money that he/she spent on the iPhone. Thus, the lost or stolen iPhone will be rendered useless as it won't get any service from the company. Using the Find My service as well, people can mark their iPhone as lost.

BSNL: Homegrown 4G to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Vendors Posted: 29 Mar 2022 10:08 PM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will become the first telecom company in India to come out with homegrown 4G networks. All of the private telecom operators, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, either partnered with Chinese vendors such as Huawei or European vendors including Nokia and Ericsson or Samsung from South Korea. India didn't have a domestic company that could do what all these foreign vendors could do. So the telecom operators had no other option but to go ahead by partnering with the foreign vendors. Developing homegrown 4G would have cost a lot of money to the private telcos, and since they are all about profits, they wouldn't have waited this long the way BSNL did. But now, BSNL is very close to launching homegrown 4G. But the bigger success here would be that the state-run telco has managed to do something the private operators didn't. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) have together helped BSNL in developing homegrown 4G. If BSNL's 4G is successful, it would mean that Indian telcos can look towards C-DoT and TCS to help with future generation networks. C-DoT had already said that BSNL's 4G network will also be 5G ready and can be tweaked to offer 5G NSA (non-standalone) services. Indian Telecom Operators Will Have a Local Option for the First Time If BSNL's 4G and 5G networks are as efficient and good as what the private telcos built by partnering up with foreign vendors, then the Indian telecom industry will have a local player to rely upon for coming out with future generation connectivity networks. Further, it would also make India's mobile networks more secure, which is in the interest of the nation. Not only that, but if local companies are growing, it would add to more job generation and boost the economy of the country. But for all this to happen, BSNL's 4G/5G networks need to be good in performance. The state-run telco is expected to launch 4G services by August 15, 2022.

Reliance Jio in Advanced Talks With Samsung for 5G Gear Posted: 29 Mar 2022 09:32 PM PDT Samsung, the South Korean technology giant, helped India's number one telecom operator, Reliance Jio, with its 4G deployment across the country. Now, both the companies might work together for the 5G rollout as well. Jio and Samsung have also worked together during the 5G trials of the former, which started back in June 2021. Now, according to a BusinessStandard report, Jio is in advanced talks with the South Korean tech giant for making the latter its third technology partner for rolling out 5G in India. Samsung Considering Setting Up Manufacturing Facility in India Samsung has communicated with the Indian government that it is interested in being a part of the production linked scheme (PLI) 2.0 for the telecom sector. Samsung might partner with Airtel as well, and having two big customers, including Jio and Airtel, would be very beneficial for the company in the long run. Thus, setting up manufacturing facilities for telecom gear could be a profitable business for Samsung. Even the telecom operators wouldn't want a duopoly scenario to arise with Nokia and Ericsson since Huawei is not on the trusted vendors’ list in India. Samsung would be looking to export manufacturing gear as well. Earlier Samsung had said no to becoming a part of the PLI scheme for the telecom sector. This was due to the reason that it only had one company in the name of Jio as its customer. For Jio only, Samsung could have fulfilled the orders by importing from outside. But now, if Samsung gets to work with Jio for 5G on a large scale and then also get a contract from Airtel, it would be in the company's interest to produce locally and enjoy the benefits of the PLI scheme for the telecom sector. All the private telecom operators are waiting for the spectrum auctions to take place. Once it does, the telcos will be able to launch commercial 5G services in a matter of a few months.

Satcom to Change the Way India Looks at Connectivity Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:58 PM PDT It is not just 5G that is going to be the game-changer, but also the satellite communication (satcom) companies that will offer satellite broadband to people in India. Both are just a few months away from commercial launch. 5G will be based on networks deployed using fiber, tower and radio infrastructure. But satcom will not be the traditional terrestrial network. The thing with terrestrial networks is that they are limited in reach. But the satellite broadband networks don't have any such limitations. Satellite Broadband to Help People in Rural Areas Government can partner up with the satcom companies to offer subsidies so that people living in the rural areas who can't get internet connectivity from terrestrial network operators can get it from the satcom companies at an affordable rate. This would remove the digital divide that exists in India and further help the government in making a digital India. There are children in rural areas who can't get access to the internet, and thus their exposure to worldly things is much less limited than the children living in urban cities. Further, with the help of satellite broadband, a fresh business ecosystem can be built in rural areas. But satcom isn't just about this. It can also help terrestrial network operators in rural areas by providing backhaul services and more. Bharti owned OneWeb is expected to come to India by mid-2022 with its commercial services. The company said that it will only work by partnering with a telecom operator and isn't looking to offer commercial services directly to the consumers. Then there is SpaceX owned Starlink, which looks to offer direct services to the consumers. So different companies will have different strategies for the Indian market. But regardless of the strategy, it will help India grow in terms of connectivity reach and would bridge the digital divide that exists in the country. There are more use cases of satellite broadband that will be useful to India. But it will definitely take some time for the satcom ecosystem to develop in India as it will be a fresh entry for all the companies in this particular industry.

Prepaid Plans from Airtel, Jio and Vi You Don’t Want to Miss Out On Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:23 PM PDT The telcos in India offer a variety of prepaid plans for their users ranging from cheaper plans to prepaid plans with high data benefits and comparatively higher price tags. There are a few plans offered by these telcos that provide great value for money as far as benefits and pricing are considered. Mentioned below are the prepaid plans offered by the three major telcos in the country – Jio, Airtel and Vi that you don't want to miss out on. The Heavy Data Plans Jio offers a 3GB/day prepaid plan with a validity period of 28 days at a cost of Rs 601. The plan offers unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. In addition to the daily 3GB data, users also get a total of additional 6GB data as well. This plan comes with access to an annual subscription to the Disney+ Hotstar Mobile OTT platform as well as a complimentary subscription to a few Jio applications. The similar 3GB/day plan from Airtel is slightly cheaper than Jio. The telco offers a 3GB/day prepaid plan for a validity period of 28 days at a price tag of Rs 599. The plan offers unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. The benefits of this plan are the same as well, as users get access to an annual subscription to Disney+ Hotstar mobile, a free trial to mobile edition Amazon Prime Video and Wynk Music. Vi offers a 3GB/day plan at a price tag of Rs 601 for a validity period of 28 days. The plan offers unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. In addition to the daily 3GB data, users also get a total of additional 16GB data as well. This plan as well comes with access to an annual subscription to the Disney+ Hotstar Mobile OTT platform. The Long-Term Plans Jio provides two 2GB/day long-term plans worth mentioning. The telco offers a plan at Rs 719 that provides 2GB data per day with unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day for 84 days. This plan as well comes with access to Jio applications. On the other hand, Rs 1,066 plan from the telco offers the same benefits but also comes with access to the Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform and provides an additional 5GB of data. Next on the list is actually a 2GB/day long-term prepaid plan from Airtel. The telco provides 2GB of data per day for a validity period of 84 days at the price tag of Rs 839. The prepaid plan as well offers unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day along with access to a free trial of the mobile edition Amazon Prime Video along with a few other benefits. Moreover, Airtel offers a prepaid plan at a price tag of Rs 455 that offers cumulative data of 6GB for a validity period of 84 days along with truly unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. Just like Airtel, Vi as well provides a prepaid plan with 84 days of validity that isn't a daily data pack but has a slight price variation in comparison to the other telco. Vi offers a prepaid plan at a price tag of Rs 459 that offers cumulative data of 6GB for a validity period of 84 days along with truly unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. Cheap Prepaid Plans Talking about the cheaper plans, Jio offers a few 1GB daily data plans that come with short validity periods. The Rs 149 plan offers 1GB data per day for a validity period of 20 days whereas for a price tag of Rs 179 users can get another pack offering 1GB data per day for a validity period of 24 days and the plan also comes with unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. Lastly, Jio provides a Rs 209 plan that offers 1GB data per day for a total validity period of 28 days. Airtel provides a Rs 265 plan which offers 1GB/Day for a validity period of 28 days along with unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS per day. Last on the list is the Rs 269 plan from Vi that offers 1GB data per day for a total validity period of 28 days along with unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS per day

Samsung Freestyle Lightweight and Ultra-Portable Projector Launched – Features and Price Posted: 29 Mar 2022 09:37 AM PDT The South Korean Tech Giant Samsung has announced a new premium projector in India called the Freestyle projector. The Freestyle ultra-portable projector was originally launched at CES 2022 back in January. The freestyle is a lightweight and portable device that can rotate up to 180 degrees. The device unlike a typical projector can act as a smart speaker or an ambient lighting device whenever required. It is a portable project that can be used and carried on the go making it apt for young age consumers. Mentioned are the features and pricing for Samsung Freestyle Projector. Samsung Freestyle Projector Specifications Samsung Freestyle projector is capable of projecting from 30-inch to 100-inch video and using the above mentioned 180-degree rotation and cradle design the viewing angle of the picture/ video can be adjusted easily with just a few clicks. The device weighs only 800 grams making it very lightweight and easy to carry. This projector can be kept on tables, floors, walls or even ceilings. What makes it unique is that you don't need a screen to watch a movie or a video. You can simply just tilt it and enjoy big-screen content anytime and anywhere you want. There is also no need for a white background as it optimizes projection based on your wall colour. The device comes with auto keystone, auto-levelling and autofocus features to enhance the picture quality. Using these features you can adjust its screen to any flat surface at any angle, focus for a sharp and clear image and ensure that the screen stays level. The Freestyle projector from Samsung also comes with support for Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Disney Hotstar & Prime Video making it the first certified projector to have OTT platforms. The Freestyle has a C-type power connection for charging and can be synced with Galaxy devices as well. Samsung Freestyle Projector Price Samsung Freestyle Projector has been priced at Rs 84,990 and will be available for sale via Amazon as well as in Samsung stores. If you purchase the Freestyle from March 29 to March 31, 2022, you can also get a free carry case for The Freestyle worth Rs 5,900. Samsung is also offering a Rs 4,000 discount via its Samsung e-stores on pre-reservation of the device.

Airtel or Vi: Who Has Better 3GB/Day Prepaid Plans Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:14 AM PDT Telecom operators in India provide a variety of prepaid plans for their subscribers to choose from. Users get the option to either go for the cost-effective daily data plans that offer adequate data or to opt for high-end prepaid plans that offer more data every day. Mentioned below are the 3GB/day daily data prepaid plans offered by Airtel and Vi along with the pack details. Airtel’s 3GB/Day Plans When it comes to the 3GB/day plans the telecom operator offers only a couple of plans none of which is a long-term plan. The telco offers a 3GB/day prepaid plan for a validity period of 28 days at a price tag of Rs 599. The plan offers unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day along with an annual subscription to the Disney+ Hotstar Mobile OTT platform. Users can also get the prepaid plan from Airtel at a price tag of Rs 699 which offers 3GB of data each day. The validity period on the plan is 56 days and offers truly unlimited voice calls as well as 100 SMS per day. Vodafone Idea or Vi 3GB/Day Plans Vi, on the other hand, provides multiple prepaid plans that offer 3GB of internet per day and the base 3GB/day pack comes at a price tag of Rs 475 gives 3GB data per day for a validity period of 28 days along with unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. The next plan on the list is available at a price tag of Rs 699 and has similar benefits as the plan offered by Airtel. For Rs 699 users get 3GB of data per day for a validity period of 56 days. The plan offers unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS per day. Lastly, the telco offers two plans that come with access to Disney+ Hotstar. Vi offers a 3GB/day plan at a price tag of Rs 601 for a validity period of 28 days. The plan offers unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS/day. In addition to the daily 3GB data, users also get a total of additional 16GB of data as well. On the other hand, the telco offers a 3GB per day prepaid plan at a cost of Rs 901. The plan comes with a validity period of 70 days as well and offers truly unlimited voice calls along with 100 SMS per day.

Boat Wave Lite Affordable Smartwatch is Here for Just Rs 1,999 Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:32 AM PDT The Indian consumer electronics brand Boat has revealed its latest affordable smartwatch called Boat Wave Lite. The company had teased the arrival of its latest smartwatch last week and has now confirmed the pricing, availability and pricing of the device via an Amazon listing. The newly unveiled smartwatch from Boat will cost less than Rs 2,000 and will go up for sale this week itself. Boat Wave Lite is only the second smartwatch in the Wave series from the brand, as Boat Wave Pro 47 was revealed just a few weeks ago. Boat Wave Lite Specifications The latest Boat Wave Lite comes with a 1.69-inch screen with a square design and a peak brightness of 500nits. The wearable also provides a 160-degree viewing angle and 70% RGB colour gamut. The smartwatch is actually pretty lightweight as it weighs only 44.8 grams. To access the menu and navigate across the user interface of the watch, the smartwatch has been equipped with a rotating crown on the side. The latest device from Boat offers the choice of over 100 watch faces, which can be downloaded via the Boat wearable app. As far as health features are considered, Boat Wave Lite comes with a 24/7 heart rate tracker, a SpO2 monitor to keep track of the blood oxygen level and sleep tracking, which offers insights like total sleep time, light sleep and deep sleep. For the fitness part, the wearable comes with support for ten sports modes, including running, walking, cycling, yoga, football, badminton, basketball, skipping, climbing and swimming. In addition to this, the watch will also support Google Fit and Apple Health integration, which is usually not available in a budget smartwatch. Boat Wave Lite is claimed to last up to 7 days on a single charge. Additional features include notifications from the phone for calls, texts, social media apps, sedentary reminders, and IP67 dust and water-resistant rating. Boat Wave Lite Price The new Boat Wave Lite has been priced at Rs 1,999 and will be available for sale via Amazon. The device comes in Black, Blue, and Red colour options and will go live on March 31 at 12 noon.

TRAI Gearing to Submit Recommendations for 5G Spectrum Auctions in About 10 Days Posted: 29 Mar 2022 06:18 AM PDT The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is all set to submit its long-awaited recommendations around the working of the 5G spectrum auction and its pricing in about 10 days' time as informed by a prominent TRAI official. The government has asked the telecom regulator to submit the recommendations by March 31 so that the auction process can be commenced in May or June 2022. This would allow the government to roll out the initial services based on the next-gen technology by August 15 which is India's Independence Day. The Current Situation According to a report from ET Telecom, TRAI secretary V Raghunandan in a statement said that the 5G recommendations are expected to be out in a week or 10 days since the initiative is voluminous including multiple bands. He further informed that the regulatory body is almost ready with its recommendations and teams across three divisions are working on it to make it comprehensive and error-free. Department of Telecommunications, back in September 2021, had asked the telecom watchdog to share its recommendations on the applicable reserve price, band plan, block size, the quantum of spectrum to be auctioned, and associated conditions for the auction of spectrum in the 526-698 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz, and 24.25-28.5 GHz bands for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) or 5G. The current price of the 5G spectrum in the 3300 MHz to 3600 MHz bands priced at Rs 492 per MHz has been called extortionate by the telecom industry based on the recommendation by TRAI. The industry had called for a price cut by as much as 95% and the government has supported the call by stating that it wouldn't think about making the price reasonable so that the services are available for users across the country. This is crucial as in March 2021, the popular 700 MHz bands weren't sold for the second consecutive year as the telecom giants thought that the base price was too high even after it was slacked by 43% from Rs 11,485 crore per megahertz in the 2016 auction down to Rs 6,568 crore per unit. Moreover, TRAI is also taking necessary steps towards generating more availability of spectrum in the 800 MHz and 900 MHz spectrum band for the upcoming auction as recommended by DoT.

Redmi 10A Budget Smartphone Launched with Helio G25 Chipset, 13MP Camera and More Posted: 29 Mar 2022 05:28 AM PDT The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has just launched its new budget smartphone – the Redmi 10A in its domestic market. The company has introduced the device without any major announcement as a successor to the Redmi 9A which was launched back in 2020. Redmi 10A has striking similarities with its predecessor which includes the processor and camera specs on the device. Redmi 10A is the most affordable handset from the brand and for a change comes with a fingerprint scanner which was missing in previous iterations. Let's take a look at the specifications and price details of the new Redmi 10A. Redmi 10A Specs Redmi 10A has been launched with a 6.53-inch HD+ (720×1,600 pixels) display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 400 nits of peak brightness. The display panel houses the front selfie shooter inside a waterdrop notch. Redmi 10A is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G25 processor which comes with PowerVR8320 GPU. The processor on the device has been coupled with up to 6GB of RAM. For the camera part, Redmi 10A has been launched with a 13MP camera on the back panel with an LED flash whereas the front of the device features a 5MP camera. The back camera is also powered by Xiaomi’s AI Camera 5.0 which brings scene recognition for up to 27 scenes. Redmi 10A runs on Android with MIUI 12.5 on top and features up to 128GB of onboard storage expandable via a microSD card. Redmi 10A is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that supports standard 10W charging. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light, and a proximity sensor. Redmi 10A Price Redmi 10A has been launched in China with three storage options. The base model with 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage has been priced at CNY 699 which is about Rs 8,300. Redmi 10A also comes in a 4GB + 128GB model at CNY 799 which is about Rs 9,500 and the top-of-the-line 6GB + 128GB variant priced at CNY 899 which is roughly Rs 10,700. Redmi 10A is available in Shadow Black, Smoke Blue, and Moonlight Silver colour options.

COAI Urges DoT to Help With the Network Outrage Situation in Bihar Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:52 AM PDT The news comes in from Bihar where the Indian non-governmental industry body of telecom operators of India – Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Tuesday stated that it has sought the help of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to prevent the malpractices of diesel pilferage from the towers by unscrupulous elements. Reports suggest that the teams working for the maintenance are facing huge threats, obstructions and manhandling issues while carrying out the maintenance work. COAI has approached the Department of Telecommunication to engage the Chief Secretaries of Bihar & to issue appropriate directions to District Magistrate/District Authorities/Police to be vigilant and safeguard the Telecom/Digital infrastructure. The Current Scenario The Director-General of COAI, Lt. Gen. Dr SP Kochhar in a statement said that telecommunication infrastructure and its services are a crucial part of the life of individuals as well as organizations. He informed that to ensure uninterrupted connectivity, the industry has accelerated the roll-out of Telecom Infrastructure. However, these telecom towers require a lot of diesel which has become a subject to pilferage by unscrupulous elements across Bihar. The Director-General further informed that the members of the industry have been facing threats from the Union Leaders for shutting down telecom sites on 29th March 2022. This could cause complete connectivity shut-down / major telecom service disruption across Bihar. He said that the industry members are fully committed to providing uninterrupted connectivity to the citizens of Bihar, however, the local Union and Diesel Mafia are threatening the industry to shut down the telecom Infrastructure which will lead to network outrage across the state One cannot deny the need for the telecom industry in today's time. Telecom services is a public utility and are crucial for providing a robust network of mobile towers to boost connectivity and improve the overall socio-economic development of the country. To make the country more digitally advanced, it is necessary to develop a robust and secure state-of-the-art telecommunication network providing seamless coverage. To meet the National Broadband Mission (NBM) targets and realization of the Gati Shakti initiative, extensive laying of OFCs has commenced and is still underway by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs).

You are subscribed to email updates from TelecomTalk. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States