Xiaomi Redmi 8: Rumoured Specifications and Features Firstly, let’s talk about the confirmed features of the Xiaomi Redmi 8. The Redmi 8 will feature dual rear cameras and one of them will be a flagship Sony camera sensor (details of which are unknown at the moment). There may be a depth sensor accompanying the primary camera sensor. Another feature confirmed by Xiaomi is a big battery- probably a 4500mAh one....

At the virtual launch event of Redmi 9, Xiaomi teased that it will soon launch another smartphone in the country. And just a day after the Redmi 9’s launch, the Chinese company started teasing the launch of Redmi 9A. The Xiaomi Redmi 9A aka ‘Desh ka Smartphone’ will launch on September 2. To recall, the Redmi 9A was launched alongside the Redmi 9C in global markets back in June this year....

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi on Monday released its latest flagship, the Mi 11 in Europe. Having previously been launched in China, the device marked the debut for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset. The device also ditched the charger in the box, which made headlines, that being said, the company is offering an option to get the charger in the box if one wishes for a charger, free of charge. The Mi 11 includes some stand out features such as a 108MP sensor, 120Hz display and up to 55W GaN-based fast charging....

According to a report from MSP, the company has confirmed the availability of the 67W fast charger in the country, but the new charger will not be bundled with the Mi 11 Ultra. The report suggests that the company is expected to sell the new charger separately as an accessory. This means that the retails box of Mi 11 Ultra will continue offering the 55W charger. Xiaomi is yet to reveal any information regarding the availability and pricing of the 67W fast charger....

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has announced a new pay-per-view movie service called ‘Zee Plex.’ According to the company, the Zee Plex is India’s 1st ‘Cinema2Home’ (C2H) service on television and digital platforms. The core idea of this offering is to allow consumers to watch their favourite movies in the comfort of their homes at an attractive per film price point. Zee Plex will be available in India from October 2 as a Pay Per View service to the subscribers of leading distribution platforms like Dish TV, D2h, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV....

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will upgrade about 1.35 lakh 4G towers to 5G in a span of five to seven months, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The telecom operator has been largely unsuccessful in launching widespread 4G networks even after several years in India. The minister also said that BSNL is going to play a crucial role in enabling connectivity in rural areas, which are still not completely covered by the other telecom players....

The rise in over-the-top (OTT) content consumption has been very significant over the last two years since the pandemic arrived. While many believed that this would slowly phase out the traditional Direct-to-Home (DTH) or cable TV operators, Tata Sky found a way through it. Tata Sky introduced its own Android Set-Top Box (STB) capable of both delivering OTT content as well as satellite TV content to the users. If you are a person who loves watching content on the go, Tata Sky Binge+ STB can be a good option for you going forward....

WhatsApp Web has a new function, which many users will love. Users may now filter their unread chats; thus, when you enable this option, just the unread chats will be exposed. Although there is not a comparable setting on Android, the option is currently available on iOS. Users of WhatsApp on the web should notice a three-line option next to the box that says, “Search or Start new chat,” which is located directly at the top....

Fibre broadband networks have become a popular medium for people to get stable and high-speed internet. One of the high-speed plans which is sought by customers the most is 100 Mbps broadband plans. There are a number of internet service providers (ISPs) in India which provide this kind of speed. Amongst them, BSNL, Airtel, Jio, and Hathway have garnered the attention of a lot of customers. But there are other ISPs as well which provide 100 Mbps speed broadband plans to their customers such as Eronet and Railwire....

The telecom operators are likely to be unhappy after hearing the stance of the Digital Communications Commission (DCC). The DCC, an inter-ministerial panel with the telecom secretary as its chairman, has backed the recommendations provided by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for the upcoming 5G spectrum auctions. The body has said that airwaves in the 27.5 GHz to 28.5 GHz should be reserved for the satellite broadband service providers....

The fifth-generation network is now being used in countries like the USA, China, and other places all over the globe. However, in India, the technology remains only limited to trials by telecom operators. The early auction of the 5G waves in these countries, coupled with robust finances and thriving telecom industry, led to the early launch of 5G in these places. However, the same is not the case for India....

In a new trial conducted by US Cellular in collaboration with Nokia and Qualcomm, the telecom operator has achieved a new distance record over 5G mmWave. The three companies were able to achieve an extended range connection of more than 10 kilometres over the 5G millimetre wave. This comes just weeks after US Cellular demonstrated sustained average downlink speeds of about 1 Gbps and a peak speed of 2 Gbps in its live network at a distance of 7 kilometres....

Indian market saw an influx of 5G smartphones in the first half of 2021. The second half is also going strong, with multiple new 5G smartphones launching in the affordable and mid-range category. But the market is yet to mature. In terms of 5G networks, India isn’t even in the beginner’s stage since there are no live 5G networks. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t purchase a 5G smartphone. You can; it is just not in your best interest to do so now....

The pricing of 5G airwaves set by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has been opposed by the telecom operators since the beginning. All the major telcos operating in India have shown their concern around the exorbitant pricing of the available spectrum. Since 5G is on the cliff, the Department of Telecommunications is planning to hold 5G auctions by seeking a revised base price from the telco regulator for the 3300-3750 MHz along with floor prices for other spectrum bands to support the 5G technology....

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has informed the parliamentary panel on IT that 5G trials will start in two to three months. The telecom department has already received 16 applications for 5G field trials using both indigenous and imported technologies. However, the panel is not happy with how the telecom department has gone about the 5G business. According to an ET Telecom report, the panel said that what has happened is in complete contradiction from what DoT had informed the committee during the examination of Demands for Grants in February 2020 — more details on the story ahead....

When choosing a broadband connection for your home or your workspace, it is important to compare all the plans and their benefits as well as pricing. This could get very hectic as some plans offer good benefits but are expensive whereas some plans are cheap but do not offer compatible internet speed. Users are always in search of plans that offer a balance between benefits and pricing or in simpler words, plans that offer value....

ACT Fibernet Broadband Plans Under Rs 1,000 in Bengaluru As mentioned above, ACT Fibernet has a total of ten broadband plans in Bengaluru and they start at Rs 685. The first plan in the list is ACT Swift which used to offer 15 Mbps speeds and 100GB FUP limit; After the revision, the same plan offers 40 Mbps speeds and 200GB FUP for one month. Sadly, this plan does not come with any additional data like other ACT Fibernet plans in Bengaluru and the cost of this plan is Rs 685 (excluding taxes)....

City Authorities Praise Telcos for the Step The telcos have done this to ensure proper communication between the citizens and to help them get through perilous times. Users who would like to use data will also be able to do so by going to the Settings and turning on the Data Roaming option. All the operators in the state, BSNL, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio have come together and merged their network so people will be able to experience seamless communication....

Airtel has expanded its 5G Plus services. Since launching its 5G network in early October, the business has been steadily expanding its “5G Plus” network, which is based on the non-standalone (NSA) architecture, at airports and in cities, in contrast to rival telecom Reliance Jio, which is first focusing on cities. 13 cities are currently receiving the major telecom provider’s 5G services. Airtel 5G Plus: Availability in Cities Initially, only 8 cities received the company’s 5G services....

Airtel 5G Plus has now reached three more cities of Bihar, apart from Patna. The three new cities of Bihar that have got the 5G Plus services from Airtel are - Muzaffarpur, Bodh Gaya, and Bhagalpur. In addition, Airtel has announced 5G Plus services for two cities of Jharkhand - Ranchi and Jamshedpur. Airtel 5G Plus has now reached 33 cities of India. Airtel is deploying 5G NSA (non-standalone) for customers throughout the country and plans to reach every corner by March 2024....