Idea launches VoLTE services across six circles, offers 10GB free data

Couple of months back Idea Cellular started roll out of its VoLTE services in Maharashtra & Goa, Kerala, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh & Telangana for its employees in the first phase. Today the company has started commercial roll out of VoLTE services across six circles  – Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai) & Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana , and, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh. The company had promised to roll out VoLTE services by the end of 2017. It is also offering 10 GB of free data to its customers in these circles. The free data will be credited to the customer’s account within 48 hours of making the first VoLTE call. With the roll-out of VoLTE, Idea customers will now get benefits like "HD-quality" voice calls, faster call setup times, and, the ability to use 4G data simultaneously while on a voice call. Moreover, customers also don’t have to pay anything extra to make calls on VoLTE, as call (and data) charges will be based on existing plans. Furthermore, in an event of unavailability of 4G network, customers will be automatically switched to 2G/3G network using Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC) to ensure constant connectivity. To be able to use Idea’s VoLTE service, ...

Government confirms Aadhaar card not mandatory to get mobile SIMs

The Center has announced that Aadhaar card is no longer mandatory for getting a mobile SIM, meaning that telecom operators can now accept another form of verification like driving license, passport, and voter ID card. The operators have been asked to follow the directive immediately. Aruna Sundararajan has said that The ministry has issued instructions to all telecom companies, not to deny SIM card to any individual who does not have an Aadhaar number, instead it asked to accept other forms of KYC  documents and continue to issue SIM cards. Telecom operators prior to this notification had made Aadhaar mandatory for mobile SIM purchase. This new move comes as a relief for those who don't have Aadhaar number especially the NRIs. Though the mobile operators haven't made a comment yet, it is heard that government has taken the new ruling very seriously. This move should also put an end to the telecom operators bombarding users with calls, messages to link Aadhaar card for verification purposes. Back in March,  deadline to link Aadhaar with mobile, bank accounts was extended indefinitely till SC delivers a verdict. Source

Telecom Commission approves internet telephony, use of mobile services in flights and ships in India

Telecom Commission on Tuesday has approved the proposal to allow internet telephony in the country as well as in-flight mobile services. With this new approval, users can now make calls to mobile phones as well as landlines using the Wi-Fi broadband. The proposals were approved by the commission chaired by telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan. Telecom operators who obtain a telephony license will offer a new mobile number; one that doesn't require a SIM card but can be activated by downloading an internet telephony app. TRAI had recommended the proposal last October, with the aim of giving new connectivity options to consumers in India where call drops are frequent. This new approval will allow the rollout of internet telephony services by companies such as Reliance Jio, BSNL, Airtel and other operators. Using the app which an operator may offer and the 10-digit number which is like any other mobile telephone number, users can make calls using the broadband. This number will be different from your regular 10-digit mobile number. However, if you wish to adapt to the same carrier that you might be using currently, then you can have the same number, an official said. The rollout of this service is expected to kick-start in the coming months. As for the in-flight connectivity, TRAI ...

Nokia to sell its Digital Health business back to Withings co-founder Éric Carreel

Nokia announced a review of strategic options for the Digital Health business in February 2018. After rumors that Google’s Nest is looking to acquire Nokia’s Health Division, the company today confirmed that plans to sell back its Digital Health business to Éric Carreel, co-founder and former chairman of Withings. Back in 2016 Nokia acquired Withings, popular for its digital health products and services, for 170 million euros ($191 million) in cash. Last year it re-branded Withings and launched Nokia trackers, scales, vital health devices and home products under its own brand. Nokia said that the planned sale is part of Nokia's honed focus on becoming a business-to-business and licensing company. The transaction is subject to terms agreed in the negotiations and completion of the information consultation with the Works Council of Nokia Technologies (France) SA., with the deal expected to close in late Q2 2018. Value of the deal has not been revealed. Digital Health's business portfolio includes consumer and enterprise products, and it manufactures and sells an ecosystem of hybrid smart watches, scales and digital health devices to consumers and enterprise partners. The company confirmed that the licensing businesses of Nokia Technologies are not affected by this announcement.

Airtel announces roll out world’s first carrier digital platform for wholesale voice business

Bharti Airtel today has announced the launch of first-of-its-kind carrier digital platform which will enable global carriers with wholesale voice business with Airtel at the click of a button. This platform will offer paperless sign-up, quick voice interconnects and real-time traffic analytics for global carriers across the world. The platform will offer a unique model to global carriers, and also enables them to propose sell rates for their target markets. With the inclusion of on-boarding time reduction to few hours, the platform offers live rates for routes across the world enabling faster decision making for traffic exchange. This benefits user with real-time online reports that will track key performance indicators (KPIs) including traffic, traffic rates, payment, etc. for destinations of their choice. The company said that it would soon also provide a single window on the digital platform for product discovery, on-boarding, billing, payment, inquiry, and support across multiple B2B products. Ajay Chitkara, Director and CEO Global Voice & Data Business, Bharti Airtel said: This is yet another digital innovation from Airtel to empower our customer, who can now leverage Airtel’sglobal voice network on a real-time basis with high-quality voice termination. The platform will bring enhanced efficiency, convenience, agility, and transparency and further strengthen our position as the preferred partner for customers across the world.

Facebook smart speaker said to launch in international markets first, might come with ‘M’ smart assistant

Facebook's smart speaker has been in the news for quite some time now, the company actually planned to launch it at the F8 event but backed out after the privacy concerns. Now it is said that the company will first launch the smart speaker in the international markets first to avoid U.S. public scrutiny of data privacy issues. Not one but two Facebook smart speakers will include a voice assistant based on the same technology that powers "M" chatbot, which was discontinued in January. With American users and Govt giving extra attention to Facebook and its user privacy, this new report comes as no surprise. Facebook is launching these two new speakers as competitors to Amazon's Echo and Alphabet's Google Home products. Of the two new speakers, one is said to come with a camera and a touchscreen, and it will also connect directly to Facebook Messenger which will make it easier to chat with friends and family. Though Facebook recently shut down the M chatbot, the company is reportedly taking the program and developing it into a voice assistant with voice commands as well. Having a smart speaker that listens to users and stores their data raises more privacy concerns, and it is the last thing Facebook would ...

OnePlus 6 pre-sale pop-up events will be held across 8 cities in India on May 21st and 22nd

OnePlus is all set to introduce its flagship OnePlus 6 smartphone in a couple of weeks, including the Avengers Edition. Today the company has announced pop-up events globally, including India, as usual. Pop-ups will be held across 8 cities in Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata & Ahmedabad in India. Across the globe pop-ups will be held in New York, London, Paris, Milan and Beijing. On the 21st of May, OnePlus 6 pop-ups will open globally in India, US, China, and Europe. "Ahead of general open sales, pop-up attendees will be the first ones in the world to be able to buy the new OnePlus 6," said the company. Mumbai-High Street Phoenix Pune-Phoenix MarketCity Chennai-The Forum Vijaya Hyderabad-The Forum Sujana Delhi-DLF Place Saket Kolkata-South City Mall Ahmedabad-Gulmohar Park Mall Bangalore-OnePlus Experience Store, Brigade Road OnePlus will also offer goodies for people purchasing the phone.  In India, the OnePlus 6 pop-ups will take place between 3:30PM-8PM on 21st May , and between 11AM-7PM on 22nd May. Stocks will be limited, so you will have to get there early to buy the OnePlus 6. You can check out OnePlus India site for more details. The OnePlus 6 is launching in India on May 17 at NSCI @ Dome, Mumbai. , and Amazon.in Prime members will be able purchase ...

Honor 10 with 5.84-inch FHD+ Display, 6GB RAM, dual rear cameras launching in India exclusively on Flipkart by May-end

Huawei’s Honor brand announced its flagship Honor 10 smartphone in China last month. Today Honor India has confirmed that the phone will launch in the country by the end of May exclusively on Flipkart. The Honor View 10 was launched in India exclusively on Amazon earlier this year. The Honor 10 is expected to be introduced for the global markets at an event in London on May 15th. To remind you, the phone packs a 5.84-inch Full HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with a notch and 19:9 aspect ratio,n Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 970 10nm SoC with i7 co-processor, Android 8.1 (Oreo) with EMUI 8.1 on top, dual rear cameras with 16-megapixel RGB sensor and 24-megapixel monochrome sensor with 2x Zoom, LED flash, AI scene recognition, and a 24-megapixel front-facing camera with AI beautification and support for face unlock. It has a 3400mAh battery with support for Super fast charge (5V/4.5A) that can charge from 0 to 50% in just 25 minutes. It has a curved glass body and also comes in Purple color achieved by applying several layers of NCVM optical coatings underneath the glass back, so light hitting the surface refracts and creates a vivid, yet gradual change of hue. It is doubtful if we will see ...

Fitbit partners with Google to accelerate digital health and wearables

Fitbit has announced that it has partnered with Google across wearables and digital health. Under this partnership, Fitbit will be using Google's Cloud Healthcare API to provide an interoperability solution to enable users to collaborate on care with their own healthcare providers.  It now connects the user data with electronic medical records (EMR) and by combining the Fitbit data with EMRs can provide patients and clinicians a more comprehensive view of the patient profile, leading to more personalized care. Both the companies will also help in managing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension by using Fitbit’s recently acquired Twine Health services. Twine with the help of  Google’s Cloud Healthcare API aims to make it easier for clinicians and patients to collaborate on care, health plans, and hospitals. Google cloud services will help Fitbit with next-generation cloud services and engineering support. Majority of Google Cloud products supporting HIPAA compliance, including Cloud IoT Core. Google’s AI and machine learning capabilities and new predictive analytic algorithms will further help Fitbit to bring more meaningful data and insights to consumers to help them achieve positive health outcomes. Commenting on the partnership, James Park, co-founder, and CEO of Fitbit said: Over the past decade, we have built an incredible foundation as the leading wearables brand, helping ...

Twitter releases new app with refreshed look, push notifications for Windows 10

Twitter app is now available for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store. It packs most of the essential features like longer Tweets, the Explore tab to find topics relevant to your interests, and the ability to bookmark Tweets to be read later. The new Twitter app also supports Windows features including a refreshed look and feel with taskbar pinning, push notifications in Action Center, and share integration with Windows apps. Night-Mode will be coming soon, says Microsoft. The new app is built on open web standards that is powered by the fast and efficient Microsoft Edge engine in Windows 10. Twitter has also enhanced the in-app experience with unique UWP differentiators like share integration, and more while building from a common core of web code. The new Twitter app replaces the previous Twitter Windows desktop and mobile apps, and users can download the new Twitter app for Windows 10 from Microsoft Store starting today. However, your PC or tablet must be running the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update or Windows 10 April 2018 Update. Source