India’s internet landscape is on the cusp of a significant transformation as Airtel and SpaceX forge a new alliance to introduce Starlink’s satellite internet services to one of the world’s most populous nations. This landmark agreement, announced today, is a major step toward bridging India’s digital divide, particularly in underserved and rural regions.

A Groundbreaking Partnership for Connectivity

The deal, however, hinges on SpaceX securing regulatory approval to operate Starlink commercially in India. Once cleared, this partnership will leverage Airtel’s extensive market reach and Starlink’s cutting-edge low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology to provide seamless broadband access across the country. It’s a move that could redefine how India’s remote villages, businesses, and essential services like schools and healthcare centers connect to the digital world.

The collaboration envisions Airtel selling Starlink hardware through its retail outlets while also making enterprise-grade satellite connectivity available to business clients. The implications are far-reaching, imagine a scenario where businesses in remote Himalayan towns or deep within the Thar Desert can finally access stable, high-speed internet without relying on patchy terrestrial networks.

This move isn’t Airtel’s first foray into satellite internet. The telecom giant already has an established partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb, another LEO satellite provider. But adding Starlink into the mix supercharges its ambition to dominate the satellite broadband space, offering customers unprecedented coverage and redundancy. With a combination of fiber, terrestrial mobile networks, and now multiple satellite internet providers, Airtel is positioning itself as the most versatile connectivity provider in India.

For SpaceX, cracking the Indian market is a long-awaited breakthrough. India’s sheer geographical and infrastructural challenges make it the perfect proving ground for Starlink’s satellite-powered broadband. With Airtel’s deep understanding of local telecom regulations, consumer behaviors, and distribution channels, SpaceX gets a crucial foothold in a country where connectivity gaps still persist.

If the partnership overcomes regulatory hurdles, Starlink could become a game-changer in India’s telecom space, delivering high-speed internet to areas where traditional broadband has failed.

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Bharti Airtel, a leading Indian telecommunications company, is facing allegations of a data breach impacting a staggering 375 million users. The company, however, has vehemently denied these claims, calling them a “desperate attempt to tarnish Airtel’s reputation by vested interests.”

Dark Web Informer on X.com reported that an anonymous seller known as “xenZen” has made the data of 375 million Airtel subscribers available for sale on a hacker forum called BreachForums.

The data supposedly included sensitive details like names, family information, contact details, and even Aadhaar numbers, a unique 12-digit identification number assigned to Indian citizens.

Airtel responded swiftly to the allegations with a statement from a spokesperson, asserting, “There has been an ongoing report alleging that Airtel customer data has been compromised. This is nothing short of a desperate attempt to tarnish Airtel’s reputation by vested interests. We have done a thorough investigation and can confirm that there has been no breach whatsoever from Airtel systems.”

Unimpressively, xenZen also claimed responsibility for another recent data leak involving the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This breach, identified in late June, reportedly exposed data from around 200,000 users registered on the MEA’s eMigrate portal. However, the authenticity of both these claims remains unverified.

While the truth behind these allegations is yet to be determined, it reminds us of the constant threat of cyberattacks. Here are some steps to protect your personal information:

• Be cautious about the information you share online. Limit the amount of personal data you share on public platforms and websites.
• Use strong and unique passwords for all your online accounts. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second verification code in addition to your password when logging in.
• Be wary of phishing attempts. Don’t click on suspicious links or attachments in emails or text messages, even if they appear to be from legitimate sources.
  pen_spark

By following these basic security practices, you can help safeguard your personal information and minimize the potential fallout from a data breach.

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In a move to cater to the growing demand for international travel, Airtel, a leading Indian telecom provider, has announced a revamped international roaming offering. The new plans prioritize affordability and convenience, aiming to eliminate the hassle of managing multiple packs for various destinations.

One Pack for Global Connectivity

Airtel’s revamped international roaming packs address a key pain point for frequent travelers. Customers can now choose a single plan based on travel duration, offering seamless connectivity across 184 countries. This eliminates the need to subscribe to separate packs for different destinations, simplifying the pre-travel process.

The new packs start at a competitive price point of Rs. 133 ($1.60) per day (based on Rs. 3,999 plan), making them a potentially more affordable option compared to purchasing local SIM cards in certain countries. This can be particularly beneficial for short trips or for those who don’t anticipate high data usage.

According to the company’s official “Thanks App,” plans start at Rs. 649 ($7.78) for a single day of travel, offering 500MB data and 100 minutes of free outgoing and incoming calls. Higher tiers offer increased data allowances, voice call minutes, and even in-flight benefits.

Airtel’s new packs include additional features like in-flight connectivity, auto-activation on landing, and 24×7 contact center support for a smoother travel experience.

Airtel also introduces an optional auto-renewal feature for frequent travelers through the “thanks app.” This feature automatically renews the international roaming pack upon its expiry, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity during subsequent trips abroad.

Airtel’s Director of Customer Experience and Marketing, Amit Tripathi, highlighted the company’s commitment to solving customer problems and providing greater convenience. He stated that the new packs offer “greater value with enhanced benefits that are economical when compared to local in-country sims across many countries.”

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Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has recently confirmed the company’s plan to increase mobile phone call and data rates across all plans in 2023. The minimum recharge for the 28-day mobile phone service plan has already been increased by 57% to ₹155 in eight circles. Mittal explained that the return on capital in the telecom business is low, and a tariff hike is expected this year. He emphasized that the increase would be across the board, but the rise would be low compared to the spending people are making on other things.

Mittal also highlighted the need for a robust telecom company in India, with the dream of India being digital and economic growth fully realized. He mentioned that the government and regulator are conscious of the situation, and people are also aware of the changes that need to happen. He added that the focus on digital infrastructure in particular is reaping benefits for India, and companies operating in this environment have a lot to gain.

Regarding the impact of inflation and the global macroeconomic situation on the company, Mittal said that India is moving very fast, and all sectors of the Indian economy are getting a lot of attention from the government and investors. He stated that the government has done a lot to make telecom industry infrastructure healthy with support to BSNL and Vodafone Idea.

Mittal also discussed the company’s focus on the rollout of the 5G network, saying that monetization would happen after the network base is ready. He also mentioned that the company would not shut down 2G services until the entire customer base migrates to 4G or 5G. Mittal further confirmed that the company’s payments bank is moving well, and it has become profitable, providing financial inclusion for over 65 million customers.

Overall, Mittal’s announcement of the tariff hike came across as pragmatic, with the need for sustainable operations being the driving force behind the decision. He conveyed the message that while the hike was necessary, it would be implemented in a manner that was low and manageable, and would not create an undue burden on consumers.

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Airtel, one of the major telecom services providers in India, has launched two new recharge plans for its prepaid users. Priced at Rs. 489 and Rs. 509, these plans offer massive data benefits of up to 60GB and unlimited calling. Both plans come with a validity of 30 days and include 100 SMS per day, free access to Wynk Music, Hello Tunes, Rs. 100 cashback on FASTag, and more. Let’s check out the details about these new plans.

Airtel’s new prepaid plans aim to serve the needs of users who require a lot of data to get by the day. With the latest Rs. 489 tariff plan, you’ll get 50GB of data without any daily limit, meaning you can use it all in one go. In addition, there are unlimited STD and local calls and 300 SMS for a validity of 30 days. The telco is also offering various other benefits, including a free subscription to Wynk Music, Free hello tunes, Apollo 24 by 7 Circle, and up to Rs. 100 Cashback on FASTag.

The Rs 509 prepaid plan, on the other hand, comes with a validity of exactly 1 month, meaning users will receive the full benefits of the plan for the entire month, regardless of the number of days in the month (28, 30, or 31 days). This latest plan from Airtel offers unlimited access to voice calling benefits to any network, 60GB bulk data, and 100 SMS per day. The additional benefits include a free subscription to Wynk Music, Free hello tunes, Apollo 24 by 7 Circle, and Cashback on FASTag.

Interested readers can recharge with these new plans through the Airtel Thanks app or from any other payment platforms like Paytm, PhonePe, and GPay.

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Telecom companies in India are constantly in competition. With many people needing to stay in touch with each other, companies make sure that they offer the most attractive and enticing plans to their customers in order to attract new customers and retain the loyalty of old ones. However, companies may sometimes take decisions for their own betterment. This could be to keep the company afloat or to simply boost the organization’s revenue. In recent news, popular Telecom company Bharti Airtel has ended its minimum recharge plan of INR 99.

Bharti Airtel has made this change in seven more circles, following its discontinuation in the circles of Odisha and Haryana. The company is now offering an entry-level plan of INR 155, which includes 1 GB of internet data, 300 text messages, and a validity of 28 days. Previously, Airtel offered a minimum recharge plan of INR 99 with 200MB data and a rate of Rs 2.5 paise per second for 28 days.

The discontinuation of this plan began in November 2022 and will eventually result in an increase in average revenue per user for the company. However, users would have to face a 57% increase in monthly costs for customers who used the INR 99-pack, in spite of getting more bang for their buck overall. An Airtel spokesperson further stated that the company’s new plan would provide users with more flexibility, convenience and superior value for their money. 

While it has increased the price of its base plan, the company is also trying to attract new customers with more bundled subscriptions. The company recently started offering bundle plans to its customers as a part of its Airtel Black subscriptions, which allows users to combine their Airtel mobile, DTH and fiber services in one plan so that they don’t have to deal with multiple bills. In addition to benefits such as unlimited calling and internet perks, users get free subscriptions to Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and more.

It will be interesting to see how Bharti Airtel rivals its competitors, such as Jio Telecom, in the future.

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Two of India’s leading telecom providers are Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Both providers had recently launched their 5G network services across the nation. Both telecom behemoths have also expanded their 5G service to a few selected Indian cities in a very short span of time.  The prices of their tariff plans were supposed to go up after the 5G network launched, but this didn’t happen right away. Whatever the case, it appears that both industry giants are planning to raise the prices of their tariff plans across the nation.

According to analysts at Jefferies, mobile bills could increase soon as telecoms are expected to raise prices by as much as 10%. According to the brokerage’s most recent analysis, 10% pricing increases from Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are predicted to be announced in the fourth quarters of FY23, FY24, and FY25. The telcos have already reaped most of the benefits of the recent tariff increase, and pressure is mounting on their revenue and margins. Analysts claim that this requires telcos to raise their rates.

Airtel removed the 99-pack in a few circles earlier this year to test the rate rise boundaries. The tariff increase strategy, according to analysts at Jefferies, is ideal for the telco’s intentions to expand into rural areas, which would likely further reduce profits. Airtel’s EBITDA margin decreased from 43.7% in Q1 to 36.9% in Q2. Additionally, analysts at Jefferies claimed that rising subscriber attrition and requests for mobile number portability (MNP) indicated escalating competition in the Indian telecom industry.

“The increase in MNP requests over the previous five months suggests increased market competitiveness for customers. The greater churn rates observed during Q2 FY23 across telcos are more evidence of this, according to the Jefferies analysis.
Jio and Airtel combined attracted 2.2 million new users, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) subscriber data for October 2022. However, Vodafone Idea’s troubles persisted as its subscriber base shrank by 3.5 million.

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Only a few months ago, the official launch of India’s 5G network was announced. Two of the industry’s top behemoths were Jio and Airtel. While Airtel is leveraging the current 4G infrastructure to deliver the 5G technology, and their full coverage may take some time, Jio is working on standalone 5G technology and has pledged to reach all of India with 5G by the end of 2023. It has been reported that up to 50 different Indian cities are now covered by the 5G network as both telecom companies are deploying 5G at a rapid rate.

Prior to addressing Tier-based cities, the operators are focusing on covering metropolitans and megacities. Both providers’ 5G networks have already been extended to major cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. The list of cities that are compatible with 5G networks has since been expanded by the telecom giants.

Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed the information during the parliamentary question period. The minister stated in response to a question in the parliament that “Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have started offering 5G services in the country from January 1, 2022, onward, and as of November 26, 2022, 5G services have started in 50 towns.” He also emphasises the fact that both providers presently offer 5G services at no additional charge.

Airtel customers can access 5G if they move to an area that is covered by 5G support without any invitation or something, whereas Jio is now offering invite-only access to 5G. A 5G-capable device is necessary, though. However, it is important to note that Jio is presently dominating the country’s 5G network fluency by offering a quicker and more reliable speed when compared to Airtel. Since neither of them has yet reached the mature level, they are both now in their starting stages. As time goes on, we might start to notice other improvements.

Currently, only a few cities, including Delhi, Siliguri, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Nagpur, Mumbai, Chennai, Gurugram, Panipat, Guwahati, and Patna, have access to Airtel 5G. Jio, on the other hand, has a larger coverage area thanks to the 5G network that is being deployed in cities like Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, Mumbai, Varanasi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nathdwara, Pune, and Ghaziabad. Unexpectedly, all 33 district headquarters in Gujarat now have access to Jio True 5G.

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Earlier this week, Oppo had announced that it is bringing 5G connectivity support for Airtel users in India who own the company branded smartphone models that support 5G networking.

For those unaware, India is seeing the initial stages of 5G network roll out from different telecom operators in the country. So now, the Chinese smartphone maker is bringing support for the newer and faster network standard for all Airtel users in the region. This arrives as the company partners with the Indian telecom giant. According to Shashwat Sharma, Director of Consumer Business Airtel, “OPPO has been a long standing partner to Airtel and we are thrilled to collaborate with them yet again in our 5G journey.”

He further stated that “Airtel 5G Plus is already live in 8 cities and we plan to ramp up our services soon across the country. Existing Airtel 4G SIM is 5G enabled therefore customers can enjoy ultrafast 5G services across all OPPO 5G devices just by selecting the 5G network under settings. Our network will deliver the best experience – between 20 to 30 times higher speeds than today coupled with brilliant voice experience and super-fast call connect”

This basically means that users won’t have to shift to a separate Airtel SIM card to enjoy the benefits of 5G networking. So Airtel and Oppo 5G phone owners living in cities that are rolling out 5G services, just need to enable the option in settings to get the benefits of the faster internet connection.

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5G services have finally started in India. Yesterday (Oct. 1), the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, was at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) to launch commercial 5G services in the country. Airtel 5G, Reliance Jio, and Vi are the first telecom operators in the country to confirm when their 5G services will be available.

5G will be made available in a phased manner across India. The first batch of cities where the 5G network will be available include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Siliguri, and Varanasi.

Airtel 5G

Airtel’s 5G networks are now available in eight cities, such as Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Siliguri, and Varanasi. The telecom operator will add more cities by March 2023, and its 5G services will be available across India by March 2024.

Reliance Jio 5G

Reliance Jio’s 5G services are set to begin by Diwali (Oct. 24) this year. It will arrive first in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai.  By December 2023, its 5G services will be made available across the country.

Vi and BSNL

Vi is yet to confirm the 5G rollout timeline. Hopefully, the telecom operator will reveal more details about its 5G plans soon. BSNL confirmed that its 5G services will be available from Aug. 15, 2023, onwards.

None of the above-mentioned telecom operators have announced their 5G tariffs and pricing. However, Jio has claimed that its 5G plans will be affordable. As it is known, Reliance Jio is a planned to launch an ultra-affordable 5G phone in the country. A recent report revealed the key specifications of the alleged Jio Phone 5G.

It goes without saying that users need to have a 5G phone to get connected to a 5G network. Airtel has said that the existing Airtel SIM is 5G-ready. So, there is no need to replace the existing 4G SIM. As far as pricing is concerned, Airtel confirmed that, at present, its 5G services will be available at the existing 4G rates. The company will confirm new 5G tariffs at some point later.

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After waiting for years, India will finally get 5G connectivity soon. Airtel, one of the largest Telecom service providers in the country, has announced that it will start rolling out 5G connectivity in India by the end of August. The telco has signed an agreement with Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung for the implementation of 5G network.

“We are delighted to announce that Airtel will commence roll out of 5G services in August. Our network agreements are finalised and Airtel will work with the best technology partners from across the world to deliver the full benefits of 5G connectivity to our consumers,” an Airtel press release noted.

To recall, the Department of Telecom in India recently conducted a spectrum auction where Airtel acquired a 19867.8 MHZ spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz frequency for Rs. 43,084 crores.

“Choice of multiple partners will enable Airtel to roll out 5G services spanning ultra-high-speeds, low latency and large data handling capabilities, which will enable a superior user experience and allow the pursuit of new, innovative use cases with enterprise and industry customers,” the press release added.

As mentioned, Airtel has joined hands with Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung as network partners to deliver the 5G services in India. Airtel has been using Ericsson’s mobile communications services for over 25 years, across every generation of mobile devices. Samsung is a new addition and Airtel’s partnership with the South Korean giant will begin this year onwards.

Airtel will likely become the first telco to provide 5G services in the country as there has been no official confirmation from rivals like Reliance Jio and Vodaphone. There are rumors that Jio will commence its 5G services on 15th August.

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The Airtel Xstream Box that was first launched back in 2019 has just received a price cut in India. Now, the company has cut down the price of the Xstream Box in the country and is even pairing with another attractive offer as well.

As of right now, the Indian telecom giant has slashed the cost of the Xstream Box by 499 INR (roughly 7 US Dollars), bringing its price tag down to 2,000 INR (roughly 26 US Dollars). The new pricing is only available to customers that are purchasing a new Airtel Digital TV connection along with the Xstream Box option through the company’s official website and authorized dealers. At the moment, it appears to be available only for a limited period of time.

For those unaware, the Xstream Box was previously available in the region for 2,499 INR (roughly 33 US Dollars). It arrived with support for various OTT services, including the likes of Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, SonyLIV, Eros Now, Hungama, and others. But now, sources close the matter (Via MySmartPrice) have stated that the updated price package also includes a one year Disney+ Hotstar subscription, along with three months of Amazon Prime Video, SonyLIV, Eron Now, and Hungama as well.

Talking about the product itself, the Airtel Xstream Box runs on the Android TV OS, which is based on the Android 9 Pie operating system. In other words, it also has access to Google’s Play Store and a number of other apps. Apart from OTT services, the box also supports traditional DTH services as well. So, customers also have to note that they are required to also maintain their Airtel DTH account recharged.

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5G phone availability may see a sharp decline if the government goes forward with a new ruling that makes local testing and certifications of devices mandatory, Airtel, Jio, and Vi have warned. The telecom providers also suggested that the move will impact data consumption and restrict market access.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently decided to bring 5G phones under phase-5 of the ‘Mandatory Testing & Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE)’ control scheduled from January 1st, 2023 (via Economic Times). Moving forward with this would also hamper India’s ambitions of becoming a global manufacturing base, stated the operators.

“We urge your intervention to instruct TEC to rescind the existing notifications covering all existing consumer electronic products under the MTCTE Certification regime and to desist in pursuing smartwatches, wearables, and smart cameras under Phase III and 5G mobile phones under the proposed Phase V of MTCTE,” the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said in a letter to telecom secretary K. Rajaraman, according to the report.

The COAI represents operators like Jio, Airtel, and Vi along with global companies like Apple, Google, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, and others. These have collectively urged DoT and TEC to not interfere in mobile manufacturing and leave it under the regulatory framework of the Bureau of Industrial Standards (BIS) and the Ministry of IT & Electronics (MeitY).

Industry executives added that MTCTE is quite a time-consuming procedure and would burden OEMs with compliance costs, restricting market access and delaying device launches.

As one senior executive put it: “TEC’s latest decision is causing unease and uncertainty in the industry as any potential disruption in the availability of 5G smartphones would automatically slow down the pace of adoption of 5G services in India, and also reduce overall data consumption levels, which would ultimately hit telco ARPUs.”

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Indian Finance minister stated earlier today (1st February 2022) that the nation will begin 5G airwaves auction later this year. With this schedule, the next generation of telecommunications will begin rolling out in India by the end of March 2023.

According to a Reuters report, the news arrives as New Delhi is aiming on offering incentives to accelerate the 5G networking in the country. In a statement, Peeyush Vaish, partner and telecom sector leader at Deloitte India stated that “The (5G) roll-out across the country will also happen much faster than other previous generation roll-outs considering the fact that the finance minister in her speech has also talked about fiberisation of all villages by 2025.”

Back in November 2021, we had reported on the government delaying the 5G auctions with telecom operators like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea received a six months trial expansion. In other words, this news is also in line with our previous report. Notably, the three major carriers in India are also rushing to roll out their respective 5G networks, with Jio claiming that it will be the first operator to launch 5G services in India.

As of right now, the country has more than a billion wireless subscribers and its market potential has led to tech giants like Facebook and Google to invest billions into the region as well. Interestingly, Google and Facebook have poured together 10 billion US Dollars into Reliance Jio, which is the the largest mobile operator, back in 2020. Although, the Search Engine giant has also invested 1 billion US Dollars into its rival Bharti Airtel just last month.

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With 5G spectrum auctions set to start in a year, Indian telecom operators have raised their 4G capacities. The recent spectrum auctions excluded the newer and faster bandwidth, but offers for 4G spectrum has still seen high biddings.

According to the LiveMint report, the results of the recent auctions came as a surprise as the local government received bids worth 77,815 crore INR (roughly 10.6 billion US Dollars). This signifies that the telecom operators are bidding on what’s currently available rather than waiting for the next auction, which would include 5G spectrums. Notably, the figure is also much higher than what the government had previously estimated to receive. A few of the bids were for renewal of spectrums, but a majority were for growth.

As per the report, the auction saw a more aggressive response than what was expected, with the total bids being over 70 percent higher than the renewal spectrum requirement. Furthermore, Reliance Jio spent the most during the auction, spending 800MHz on renewals worth 20,000 crore INR, and even raised its Sub GHz capacity for better indoor coverage. The company has even spend a lot on capacity spectrum in the 2300MHz band, along with the mid range 1800MHz.

On the other hand, Bharti Airtel spent an amount far lower than Jio, amounting to only 18,699 crore INR in the overall auctions. This arrives as the company’s data volumes grew by 52 percent last year, much higher than the 22 percent growth in data volumes on Jio’s wireless network, which also appeared to have capacity constraints as well.

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Chinese telecom equipment providers Huawei and ZTE being left out of India’s trusted suppliers sources could cause telecom operators in the region to spend 5 to 10 percent more on networking gear from other suppliers.

The Chinese firms being banned in the region would mainly affect local telecom giants like Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Although, the exact increase in gear costs might be a bit lowered considering non Chinese network vendors like Nokia, Samsung, and Ericsson would have less bargaining power in demanding a premium as there are fewer telecom carriers to choose from in the first place.

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According to Rohan Dhamija, head (India & Middle East) at Analysys Mason stated that, “If vendor options shrink with the new network security rules, incumbents could face around 5-10% rise in gear purchase costs, which they should be able to easily recover with the next round of price hikes likely soon,” when speaking with ET. Unfortunately, both Vi and Bharti Airtel have yet to respond to any queries or comment on the matter at the moment.

For those unaware, the Indian government recently declared a list of “trusted sources” for acquiring equipment for mobile networking systems and even amends certain telecom licenses as well. This move was seen as one of the first steps to restrict Huawei and ZTE’s role in India’s future telecom development as well as its 5G technology roll out. This also arrives amid growing political tensions between India and China, caused by military clashes in the Indo Chinese borders.

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A few weeks back, Facebook announced to invest $5.7 billion in Reliance Jio for a 9.9% stake. It was soon followed by a report, which revealed Google is also in talks with Vodafone Idea to buy 5% stake in the company. Now, a fresh report by Reuters says Amazon is also joining the bandwagon as it is eyeing to buy 5% stake in Bharti Airtel for $2 billion.

According to the report, the sources close to the matter revealed both the US-based tech giant and India’s third-largest telecommunication company are in early talks for a new deal.

Amazon is willing to invest $2 billion for 5% stake in Airtel, however, the deal could either change or even agreement may not be reached according to the sources.

Having said that, one of the sources also cited that if the stake buyout fails, the companies will look at a commercial transaction that could give Airtel customers cheap access to Amazon products.

Both the companies declined to comment on the deal when Reuters reached out to them.

The investments from US tech giants can sort of help the suffering carriers in India, which are yet to pay out their AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue) dues. In return, these companies get access to one of the largest market in the world to push their products.

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Telecom operators in India are struggling hard to pay off their AGR(Adjusted Gross Revenue) debts but that is not stopping Bharti Airtel to improve and expand its 4G coverage. The Indian firm has just signed a contract worth crores (₹) with Finnish network equipment manufacturer Nokia.

Airtel plans to expand and upgrade its network in nine circles across India, including rural areas. The equipment used in these locations were provided by Nokia. Hence, once again, the company makes a deal with the Finland-based corporation for modernising them.

Nokia was the original 4G equipment provider for Airtel in 9 circles – Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal excluding Kolkata, Odisha, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Kerala and UP East. This deal in 2016 was estimated at $500, however, the exact cost of the new contract is unknown at the moment.

In addition to Nokia, Airtel has also confirmed to be in talks with other vendors like Ericsson, Huawei, and ZTE, who have provided equipment to the telco in certain circles earlier.

Recently, Airtel welcomed bids (RFP – Request For Proposal) for Tamil Nadu circle, which is currently served by Huawei. On the other hand, the telco replaced Huawei with Ericsson for 4G expansion and modernisation in Rajasthan for services like VoLTE.

At present, Chinese telecom companies such as ZTE and Huawei handle three circles each for Airtel. Whereas, Ceragon, an Israeli company was given a contract last week by Airtel to expand 4G networks in rural areas.

Airtel is expanding its 4G coverage in rural areas to compete Reliance Jio, the firm’s main rival. In March, the telco revealed its plans to add 22,000-26,000 4G sites across the country. This will not only help in improving coverage in rural areas but will also support data demand surge in urban areas.

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Indian telcos request OTT services like Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar, YouTube, and others to reduce the burden on their infrastructure networks. They are appealing this so that they can offer stable services to healthcare, banking, education, businesses, and others amid lockdown across India due to coronavirus outbreak.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) which comprises of the country’s telecom operators such as Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea has requested the popular video streaming services in the country to temporarily offer SD playback over HD and above quality for a certain period of time till the lockdown persists. The association has also asked them to avoid feeding high-bandwidth consuming advertisements and pop-ups to users.

Rajan Mathews, the director-general of the Association told Economic Times that they have appealed Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as well as Home Ministry to urge ‘video streaming service providers/broadcasters’ to manage their traffic distribution pattern in a way that they don’t stress the networks of telcos. By this, the network infrastructure can be used for other critical needs such as healthcare, online/digital education, digital banking transactions, and other important purposes.

Almost all the streaming services have already started taking steps to avoid using more bandwidth without compromising on the quality of the stream by using their proprietary software and algorithm. However, we are not sure whether or not they will limit playback to SD quality like the popular international services such as Netflix and Prime Video have done in other markets.

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Google Search has become an intuitive window to services such as flight bookings, SOS alerts, conversions and much more. In addition to these services, Google today announced an impressive prepaid mobile recharge feature for its users in India. It will help the users to recharge the prepaid mobile number simply and rapidly by simply typing ‘prepaid mobile recharge’.

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The new feature will allow users to search, compare and recharge their prepaid mobile phones directly from the search page itself. Moreover, the user can compare discounts from retailers including Paytm, Freecharge, Google Pay and MobiKwik.

After confirming the number and carrier details, the user can compare recharge plans, and then can select a third-party recharge platform to complete the transaction. Upon a successful transaction, the app redirects the user back to Google Search with relevant customer support information.

Google Search Prepaid Recharge feature currently supports Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, Jio, and BSNL. Surprisingly, the new feature is limited for Android users until now.

“Prepaid cellular subscribers use a variety of ways to recharge their mobile phone. Today, we make it easier for people in India to recharge prepaid SIMs with a new Google Search experience,” Google said in a blog while announcing the new feature.

Google is planning to add a few more payment providers and a couple more carriers to the list in the coming weeks.

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(source)

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Huawei, the electronics giant, is well known for its consumer products like smartphones and other home appliances. However, the company is also a renowned telecommunications equipment provider, especially for the 5G network. Now, the Chinese company is partnering with local network providers like Airtel and even Vodafone to start 5G trials in India.

According to a new report, Huawei will team up with Bharti Airtel for the first 5G trials in Bangalore, alongside testing in Delhi with Vodafone. The telecom firms have already submitted the applications, as per an anonymous source. On 31st December 2019, the Indian Government had initiated the process of rolling out 5G network in India and had met various operators and vendors for the same. As per the road map, the early trials will take place during January and March of 2020.

Furthermore, the last date to submit an application for the trials was yesterday, 15th January 2020. These applications will be taken into consideration by the Government, which will distribute trial regions to the licensed telecom service providers. The reporting agency had also tried reaching Huawei for a statement but the company has yet to respond.

Currently, Huawei is facing scrutiny in various western regions like the US and other European countries. It has faced multiple allegations from foreign Governments regarding a possible link to China and the security of the data it handles through its telecommunications equipment and smartphones. The US is at the forefront of such accusations and believes the company has the capabilities of spying on other countries for the Chinese Government.

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Huawei has frequently denied such claims but it still faces obstacles even in Australia, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand. On the other hand, nations like, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are accepting of Huawei. 5G is the next major step in networking advancements and is also being seen as a hallmark of a developed nation. Thus, countries like China and South Korea which are leading in this regard are seeing an increase in 5G smartphones in their home markets.

In India, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has already approved the prices for the spectrum auction, which is scheduled to be held by April 2020. Out of the 8,300MHz of airwaves, 6,050MHz has been allocated to 5G network with a cost of INR 492 crore (roughly $69 million) per megahertz. The Government is also pushing for telecom firms to conduct experimental spectrum trials by providing incentives and lesses fees per trial.

As of right now, Huawei has secured more than 50 commercial contracts for 5G networking in various countries. In comparison, India is behind on the adoption curve of the newer and faster bandwidth. However, the local Government is placing an increased emphasis on network advancement alongside education, agriculture, waste management, and healthcare.

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HMD Global has recently launched a 3G edition of Nokia 3310 (2017) for some markets like Australia, Singapore, Canada and the U.S. However, it seems India that has already received the 2G version of Nokia 3310 (2017) will not be getting its 3G version. Instead, the Finnish firm may debut a new 4G feature phone for Indian markets. Hence, the rumor mill is speculating that the 4G edition of Nokia 3310 will arrive to rival with JioPhone feature phone in India.

In a recent interview, Ajey Mehta, the Vice President of HMD Global has strongly suggested that the company is considering launching a 4G feature phone in India. However, he has not confirmed whether the 4G feature phone would be another variant of Nokia 3310 (2017).

Reliance Jio has recently launched JioPhone 4G feature phone with a pricing of Rs. 1,500 (~$23) in India. Since the JioPhone is expected to impact the market for feature phones, HMD Global is monitoring is its market response. If it is received well, it will also consider releasing a feature phone with 4G connectivity. Initial reports have revealed that the Reliance Jio will be shipping 6 million JioPhone units by December 2017.

Micromax is already working on a competitor phone for JioPhone. Micromax will be teaming up with BSNL service provider to launch a handset called Bharat One that will carry support for 4G VoLTE. Another Indian carrier Airtel, is also getting ready to debut a 4G smartphone with a price tag of Rs. 2,000 (~$30). This shows that competitor phones for JioPhone will be also available in the market soon. As far as HMD Global is concerned, it also seems to be very keen on taking on the JioPhone with its own 4G phone.

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The recently launched Nokia 3310 3G edition is heading to those markets where its 2G variant is unusable. It has already launched in Australia and it is coming to Singapore in this month. Canada and the U.S. are the other markets that are rumored to get the 3G Nokia 3310.

Do you think that Nokia’s upcoming 4G feature phone will disturb sales of JioPhone? Share us your views by commenting below.

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