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• Low-Cost Broadband Plans That Offer Moderate Speed and Plenty Data
• DoT Signs First License Agreement for Satellite Broadband With OneWeb
• OnePlus Buds N and OnePlus Cloud Ear Z2 Launched – Check Specs and Price
• Bharti Airtel Pushes for Faster 5G Network Rollout and Keeping Spectrum Prices Low
• These Three Prepaid Plans From BSNL Offer An Excellent Deal
• OnePlus Ace Launched With MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC, Check Complete Specs
• Reliance Jio Overtakes Bharti Airtel in Wireline Subscriber Market Share
• Call Recording Apps Are Going to be Banned by Google Play Store
• Realme Pad Mini, Realme Buds Q2s Launch Date Set for India
• iPhone 16 Rumours Suggest Under-Display Face ID
• Netgear Announces New RAX10 4-Stream Wi-Fi 6 Router
• OneWeb to Launch Satellites from New Space India

Low-Cost Broadband Plans That Offer Moderate Speed and Plenty Data Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:38 PM PDT Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country not only high-speed high-end broadband plans but also offer affordable plans for their users which also provides good connectivity speed. These plans are suitable for first time users, students, individuals or anyone who wants to go for a budget option. Mentioned below are the low-cost broadband plans offered by multiple ISPs in India with moderate connectivity speed and plenty of data. Basic Pack from Airtel Airtel with its Xstream Fiber connection offers one of the fastest broadband connections and users can get access to the 'Basic' pack which provides 40 Mbps of internet speed at a monthly cost of Rs 499 exclusive of taxes. Users get 3.3TB or 3300GB of monthly fair-usage-policy (FUP) data with this plan. Airtel also provides 'Airtel Thanks Benefits' with its broadband plans which in this case include a subscription to Wynk Music and Shaw Academy. Jio’s 30 Mbps Plan Jio is one of the country's leading ISP that offers broadband plans with up to 1 Gbps. However, the most affordable option from the company offers connectivity with 30 Mbps speed. JioFiber provides a 30 Mbps internet speed data plan at the price of Rs 399 per month. The FUP limit set on this plan is 3300Gb or 3.3TB. Using the 30 Mbps plan from JioFiber, customers can get access to smooth and seamless internet across multiple devices. This is one of the best budget plans as users also get a symmetrical download and upload speed. It is to be noted that the price of the plan is exclusive of GST. BSNL Offers This Cheap Plan The most affordable option from the state-owned operator BSNL used to be the 'Fibre Basic' plan which offers an internet speed of 30 Mbps at a cost of Rs 449. The mentioned price is exclusive of GST and the plan comes with a FUP limit of 3300GB or 3.3TB. However, the telco has recently introduced a new broadband plan called "Fiber Entry". Using its Bharat Fiber connection, the telco offers a Fiber Entry plan which provides 20 Mbps speed at a cost of Rs 329 per month. The data limit on the plan is 1000GB beyond which the speed is reduced to 2 Mbps. ACT's Affordable Offer The Internet Service Provider based in Bengaluru provides a 40 Mbps unlimited data plan called 'ACT Basic.' The plan usually costs Rs 549 for a month, but the ISP is providing a unique offer for its customers, wherein the 'ACT Basic' plan is available for a price of Rs 470 per month for a duration of 6 months. In addition to this, the FUP data limit levied on the broadband plans is 500GB post which the internet works at speed of 512 Kbps. Connect Broadband Connect Broadband is a popular company that provides FTH connections in a few of the northern states of India such as Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. The company provides budget plans with ample internet speed and the most basic 40 Mbps plan from the ISP comes with a price tag of Rs 499 per month and offers fully unlimited data along with completely unlimited Local and STD calls. Netplus' 40 Mbps Plan Netplus is an ISP that offers its services in seven Indian states in the North. Netplus can provide connectivity with up to 1 Gbps of internet speed. However, the company also provides a truly unlimited plan offering 40 Mbps of internet speed at a price tag of Rs 499 per month which is exclusive of taxes. Users get unlimited data and calling benefits with this plan. Netplus also offers OTT subscriptions with its higher-priced plans for users that are interested. Data offered by Netplus is truly unlimited and no FUP data is levied.

DoT Signs First License Agreement for Satellite Broadband With OneWeb Posted: 21 Apr 2022 08:36 AM PDT The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has just announced that it has signed the first license agreement for satellite broadband services in India with OneWeb. Bharti backed OneWeb will offer broadband internet services via a constellation of low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites making it the first of a kind broadband service delivery platform in India. OneWeb already had plans to commence services by May 2022 in India. Things seem to be rolling for OneWeb in India, while its competitor Starlink (SpaceX owned LEO satellite company) hasn't made any progress at all. DoT made the announcement for the same via a tweet on its official Twitter handle. OneWeb Recently Signed Agreement With New Space India Limited It is worth noting that OneWeb had recently signed an agreement with the New Space India Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). OneWeb will take the help of New Space India in launching satellites into the lower earth orbit. So far, OneWeb has launched a total of 428 satellites into space. This is 66% of its planned total fleet. New Space India is expected to start launching OneWeb satellites in 2022 itself from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. OneWeb will certainly get a first-mover advantage over its competitors such as SpaceX owned Starlink, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and more companies that plan to come to India to offer satellite broadband services. However, satcom (satellite communications) companies are going to need to make huge fresh investments in order to get going in India. This will also include getting access to scarce natural resources, which is the spectrum. Since the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) hasn't recommended reserving any part of the 28 GHz (mmWave) airwaves for the satcom companies, there's no case for administrative allocation. The satcom companies will need to compete with the telecom operators in order to get their hands on the spectrum.

OnePlus Buds N and OnePlus Cloud Ear Z2 Launched – Check Specs and Price Posted: 21 Apr 2022 08:17 AM PDT The Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer OnePlus has launched OnePlus Buds N true wireless earbuds and the OnePlus Cloud Ear Z2 Bluetooth neckband earphones in its domestic market alongside the OnePlus Ace affordable flagship smartphone. Out of the two newly launched audio products in China, OnePlus Buds N is expected to arrive in India with the moniker OnePlus Nord Buds whereas the OnePlus Cloud Ear Z2 is a rebranded version of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 which has already been introduced in India. Let's take a look at the specifications and pricing of the two new audio products from OnePlus. OnePlus Buds N Specifications and Pricing OnePlus Buds N has been launched with a 12.4mm driver setup and Bluetooth v5.2 for wireless connectivity. As far as the battery backup of the TWS earbuds is considered, each earbud is equipped with a 41mAH battery whereas the case will be backed by a 480mAh battery. The buds along with the charging case will offer approximately 30 hours of battery life. Based on the rumours, the earbuds on themselves will offer 7 hours of playback time on a single charge. Moreover, a quick charge of 10 minutes will offer 5 hours of playback time. OnePlus Buds N also come with support for Dolby Atmos audio and 94ms Low latency for gaming on select phones. OnePlus Buds N is one of the most affordable audio products from the brand and has been launched at a price tag of CNY 199 which is about Rs 2,350. The device is available in Black and White colour options. OnePlus Cloud Ear Z2 Specs and Pricing OnePlus Cloud Ear Z2 has been launched with a 12.4mm driver setup and features Bluetooth v5.0 for wireless connectivity. The audio product has an angled in-ear style design for a secure fit. The neckband style earphones come with magnetic earbuds and an auto-pause and play features. The earphones are claimed by the company to last up to 30 hours on a single charge and a quick 10-minute charge is rated to last up to 20 minutes. There is a volume rocker and multi-function button for controlling playback and accessing voice assistants. OnePlus Cloud Ear Z2 has also been launched at the same price tag of CNY 199 which is about Rs 2,350 just as the OnePlus Buds N. The audio product is available in Black and Blue colour options.

Bharti Airtel Pushes for Faster 5G Network Rollout and Keeping Spectrum Prices Low Posted: 21 Apr 2022 07:39 AM PDT One of the leading telecom operators in the country Airtel has appealed to the government to keep a check on the high fees when it comes to the allotment of the 5G spectrum. The company put forward the case that it will be far more beneficial if the next-generation telecommunication network witnesses a faster rollout than to collect revenues at the upfront cost. The Chairman of the Bharti Airtel, Sunil Mittal talked about the importance of the 5G network for the future of the industry. Let's find out more. The Impact of Faster Rollout Could be Better According to a report from PTI, Sunil Mittal who currently runs India's second-largest telecom company in a statement said that there are a variety of applications across sectors ranging from healthcare to video interactions, which will make 5G a technology to be introduced as soon as possible. The chairman was speaking at the Times Network India Economic Conclave where he added that the 5G spectrum is very crucial for enabling a number of things and that's the reason why telcos keep urging the government for affordable pricing. Mittal argued that service provider needs to invest in a faster rollout of the network instead of putting in money on spectrum acquisition allowing for high-speed connectivity with lower latency. It is no secret that the telecom industry has been going through a financial crisis and has always complained about the high reserve prices and now the high cost of the spectrum can be named as one of the reasons. For those unaware, released its much-awaited spectrum pricing recommendations, and proposed to cut the base price of the premium 3.3-3.67 GHz frequency range by nearly 36% to Rs 317 crore a unit and the rate of the coveted 700 MHz spectrum, by 40% to Rs 3,297 crore per MHz. This move from the regulatory body came to encourage telecom operators to bid aggressively in the upcoming 5G airwaves auction. Separately, the chairman backed finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman when it came to private and unregulated cryptocurrencies. He stated that such instruments pose a “serious problem.” He added that there are issues around Know Your Customer (KYC) with such currencies, however, technologies should not be completely banned.

These Three Prepaid Plans From BSNL Offer An Excellent Deal Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:10 AM PDT While the telecom sector is dominated by the three private operators – Jio, Airtel and Vi, the state-owned telco BSNL also provides a wide range of prepaid plans for its users. BSNL offers prepaid plans that not only provide unlimited calling benefits but also offer amazing data benefits as well as in some cases come bundled up with OTT platforms. Mentioned below are three plans from BSNL that offer an excellent deal for the users in terms of data and call benefits. The Prepaid Plans The first prepaid plan on the list is the STV_429 plan offered by BSNL comes with access to an OTT platform. This plan comes with a validity of 81 calendar days and offers unlimited voice calling at Rs 429. Moreover, users also get 1GB per day and unlimited data at 40 Kbps after the set daily limit. Users also get access to 100 SMS/day along with access to Eros Now entertainment services. The plan can be purchased under the 'Voice Voucher' section on the website. The next on the list is a data-oriented prepaid plan offered by the telco. The plan comes at a price tag of Rs 447 and offers a total of 100GB of high-speed data. Beyond the set limit of 100GB of data, users can access the internet at 80 Kbps of speed. The plan comes with a validity period of 60 calendar days and even though it is mentioned under 'Data Voucher' on the website, it still offers unlimited voice calling along with 100 SMS per day. Along with the STV_447 plan, users can also get a subscription to BSNL Tunes and Eros Now Entertainment Services. Last on the list is the long-term as well as high data prepaid plan offered by BSNL. The prepaid plan called STV_WFH_599 from BSNL comes at a price of Rs 599 and offers 5GB of data per day. Post the usage of the set data limit, users can enjoy the internet at 80 Kbps. Moreover, the validity period of this plan is 84 days. Users also get truly unlimited calls and 100 SMS per day in Home LSA and national roaming including while roaming in Mumbai and Delhi. The plan also offers a subscription to the Zing streaming platform which allows users access to thousands of songs, movies and other entertainment content. Another benefit this plan includes is that users can get unlimited free night data from 00:00 hours to 05:00 hours.

OnePlus Ace Launched With MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC, Check Complete Specs Posted: 21 Apr 2022 05:35 AM PDT 'Ace' is a smartphone series that was initially introduced by Oppo in China. It included smartphones that were true flagships and offered great value to the users. But later on, Oppo discontinued the 'Ace' series. Now it is back with the OnePlus branding, thanks to the merger of both the companies. OnePlus Ace is said to launch in India as well, but as the OnePlus 10R 5G (rumour). OnePlus 10R 5G is already confirmed to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC, and since the OnePlus Ace has launched with the same chip, the rumour might be true. OnePlus Ace, What Will You Get With It? OnePlus Ace looks very much like the Realme GT Neo 3, however, with a slightly tweaked design. There's a dual texture on the rear of the OnePlus Ace. As mentioned above, the device is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC and features a 6.7-inch FHD+ 120Hz OLED display (Gorilla Glass 5) on top. There's a triple-camera system at the rear where the primary sensor is a 50MP IMX766 sensor with OIS. Further, there is an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP macro lens. At the front, users get a punch-hole cutout with a 16MP sensor. The device sports a 4500mAh battery with support for 150W fast-charging. OnePlus claims that the battery of the smartphone can go from 0% to 50% in just 5 minutes. To the people who are concerned, OnePlus said that the battery health of the OnePlus Ace would only drop to 80% even after 1600 charging cycles (equivalent to over four years). There's also a version of the smartphone which comes with a 5000mAh battery with support for 80W fast-charging. Since the 150W fast-charging supported device is not a bad deal, there's no reason why anyone would go for the 80W fast-charging variant. OnePlus Ace Price OnePlus Ace starts at 2499 yuan (approximately $387) for the 8GB+128GB variant and goes up to 3499 yuan (approximately $542) for the 12GB+512GB variant.

Reliance Jio Overtakes Bharti Airtel in Wireline Subscriber Market Share Posted: 21 Apr 2022 04:40 AM PDT Since the time Reliance Jio has come into the market, it has been achieving new milestones one after another. This time, according to the data published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Reliance Jio has overtaken Bharti Airtel in the wireline subscriber market share. In the wireless category, Jio is already ahead. But in the wireline category, until January 2022, BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) was at the top, followed by Bharti Airtel in the second and Reliance Jio in the third. But now that has changed. Airtel has slipped to the third position, and Jio has claimed the second spot in February 2022. BSNL is still at the number one spot comfortably. Jio Adding New Wireline Users Aggressively Reliance Jio has been adding new wireline users aggressively. In the month of February 2022, Jio added 0.24 million new wirelines users. Compared to this, Airtel and Vodafone Idea added 0.091 million and 0.024 million new wireline subscribers. BSNL and MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited), both state-run telecom companies, lost wireline users. In January 2022, BSNL had a wireline users market share of 31.50%. At the same time, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel had 23.30% and 23.44% market share in the same category. But in February 2022, the figures changed to 30.90% for BSNL, and 24% for Reliance Jio, followed by 23.52% for Bharti Airtel. With the speed at which Reliance Jio is adding new wireline users, it won't be long before it also overtakes BSNL later in 2022. The state-run telco doesn't have the cash flow to raise capex levels to compete with private telecom companies. It is a good sign for Vodafone Idea that it added new wireline users. Vodafone Idea has a broadband arm called You Broadband which also provides wireline landline connections to the users along with an internet connection. Jio is definitely benefiting from the popularity of the JioFiber brand across India.

Call Recording Apps Are Going to be Banned by Google Play Store Posted: 21 Apr 2022 03:52 AM PDT Voice call recording applications are going to be banned by Google Play Store starting May 11. All the developers offering third-party voice call recording applications are going to be banned from the Play Store. Only the native system voice call recording function will be there. According to a TOI report, Android smartphone users will not be able to record calls anymore if they don't have a built-in call recorder from May 11. The new changes in the policy of the Google Play Store will only affect the voice calling apps that are offered by third-party developers. Smartphones from Google, Xiaomi, and Samsung come with an in-built call recorder. No Call Recordings Via Third-Party Softwares Anymore Google has said that if a smartphone is recording calls via the default calling app which comes pre-loaded, then it isn't in violation of its policy. However, all the third-party apps are in violation and will be stopped from recording calls starting May 11, 2022. It is worth noting that Google has been trying to get rid of call recording on Android smartphones for quite some time now. A few years back, with Android 6, Google had restricted real-time call recording and further restricted call recording over the microphone with Android 10. Regardless, the apps started using Accessibility Service for recording calls with Android 10 and later versions. But this won't happen anymore as Google has updated its policy, and it is all set to come into effect from May 11, 2022. This is bad and disappointing news for many fans of call recording applications. How these apps will stop working is something that remains to be seen. Whether these apps will be removed from the Play Store completely or whether they will just be rendered useless once the new policy comes into effect is something that we will have to wait and watch.

Realme Pad Mini, Realme Buds Q2s Launch Date Set for India Posted: 21 Apr 2022 02:29 AM PDT Realme Pad Mini is all set to launch in India. Along with that, Realme will also be launching affordable, truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones. Both the products will be launched by the Chinese company on April 29, 2022. It is worth noting that on the very same day, Realme will also be launching the Realme GT Neo 3 and two new Smart TVs under the X series in the country. The Realme Pad Mini is an exciting product and much anticipated in the market. The Realme Buds Q2s and the Realme Pad Mini have already been announced for China and the Philippines market, so we can expect what to get from them. The products will be unveiled during a live online stream and made available on Flipkart and the official website of Realme in early May. Let's take a look at what we can expect from the Realme Pad Mini. Realme Pad Mini Specifications The Realme Pad Mini is expected to feature a large 8.7-inch LCD display with support for 1340×800 pixels resolution, so nothing that great. The device is expected to sport the Unisoc T616 processor coupled with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage. There might also be a microSD card slot for allowing the storage to be expanded up to 1TB. The Realme Pad Mini might come with a 6400mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. In the optics department, the Realme Pad Mini might feature a single 8MP sensor at the rear and a 5MP front sensor. The tablet is expected to boot on Android 11 based Realme 2.0 out of the box. It might also sport dual speakers. The price of the Realme Pad Mini is not known at the moment. But since the launch is not that far away, you will get to know the confirmed price and specifications of all the products that Realme is launching on April 29.

iPhone 16 Rumours Suggest Under-Display Face ID Posted: 21 Apr 2022 01:40 AM PDT iPhones are the most popular premium smartphones across the globe. Apple takes its time in doing something but then does it better than its competitors. The company is reportedly making an iPhone that will come with an under-display Face ID. It could be the iPhone 16 series that might feature the technology for the first time, said Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple analyst. This is a very exciting development for iPhone fans and will certainly give them something to look forward to. iPhones Without Notch and a Punch-Hole Cutout Would be a Sight for the Sore Eyes iPhones which will come without a notch and feature a punch-hole cutout would be a sight for the sore eyes. The concept design of such an iPhone has been already shared by Ben Geskin on Twitter. The iPhone 14 series is rumoured to do away with the notch completely and feature a punch-hole cutout at the front. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple could be going the under-display camera route as early as 2024 which is the expected year for the iPhone 16 series to arrive. Apple might reserve the technology for high-end Pro models only. What's interesting is that Apple still hasn't introduced Touch ID on the new generation iPhones without a physical button. Users who don't have a registered Face ID on their iPhones need to enter the password each time they use the device. With a Touch ID, things would get so much better for iPhones. Something that Apple will have to really take care of is the quality of the camera sensors under the display. During this digital age, users don't want a smartphone with a bad front-camera sensor. Apple hasn't confirmed anything of this sort. So take this development with a grain of salt. But it would be good to see Apple trying something new before someone else does it.

Netgear Announces New RAX10 4-Stream Wi-Fi 6 Router Posted: 21 Apr 2022 12:04 AM PDT Netgear, a global networking company service to both consumers and businesses, has launched a new Wi-Fi router called 'RAX10' 4-Stream. If you have been facing issues with getting seamless high-speed internet directly on your device, it is because of multiple reasons. Thus, simply upgrading your broadband plan won't do the trick. You also need to get a high-capacity Wi-Fi router that can deliver that high-speed data to your device. The newly launched RAX10 – an affordable 4-Stream AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 router can be a good option for your home if you want a high network capacity router. The company said that this router is capable of covering up to 7500 square feet of area. RAX10 Capable of Delivering Up to 1.8 Gbps of Download Speeds RAX10 is capable of delivering up to 1.8 Gbps of wireless data throughput, which is more than enough for many to replace the physical internet or ethernet cables and go wire-free. It is a dual-band four-stream Wi-Fi 6 wireless router that features 4x more capacity with 40% increased data throughputs and 100% backward compatible with older devices. The 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands of the router are capable of delivering max data throughputs of 600 Mbps and 1200 Mbps, respectively. The RAX10 is powered by a powerful quad-core 1.5 GHz processor and three high-gain antennas and can handle four simultaneous streams of Wi-Fi 6. This will ensure that users get a lag-free gaming experience and can stream videos in UHD resolution. The router can be configured very easily through the Netgear Nighthawk app. Let's see what it will cost. Netgear RAX10 Price in India Netgear RAX10 4-Stream AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 router will be available in India via the official website of Netgear and is priced at a discounted rate of Rs 8,149. You can also check out other Wi-Fi routers from the company that are available on its website and also on its e-commerce platforms.

OneWeb to Launch Satellites from New Space India Posted: 20 Apr 2022 11:03 PM PDT OneWeb, a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications (satcom) company in India, has just announced that it has partnered with New Space India Limited to launch satellites starting in 2022 (anticipated time). New Space India Limited is the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). New Space India will ensure that OneWeb stays on track with its goal to build a global constellation of satellites to provide broadband services. First Launch Anticipated in 2022 from the SDSC OneWeb said that the first launch with the New Space India is anticipated in 2022 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. OneWeb has already built an in-orbit constellation of 428 satellites, 66% of its planned total fleet. The new launches from the SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, will add to the existing fleet of the company. OneWeb Executive Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, said this agreement on launch plans would add considerable momentum to the development of OneWeb's network. It is worth noting that OneWeb had also signed an agreement with SpaceX to enable the company to launch satellites. The company said that other terms of the agreement with New Space India are confidential. OneWeb, along with multiple other satcom companies, including SpaceX, Amazon's Project Kuiper and more, are expected to provide services in India in 2022. The commercial launch of the services is still a little far because the spectrum auction is yet to take place. There are some uncertainties revolving around the spectrum auction as well. The satcom companies want spectrum to be reserved for satellite broadband services in the 28 GHz band. But the telcos are against this notion and what will really happen is unclear. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) hasn't talked about any reservation of airwaves for the satcom players in its recommendations. Thus, it is most likely going to be that way to ensure a level playing field for all the communication services providers (CSPs).

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