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Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the industry body which represents private telecom operators, has again made a pitch to include the OTT (over-the-top) apps under the telecom licensing regime. Note that here the OTT communication apps are being talked about. OTT communication apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal have enjoyed the benefit of offering voice, video and text-based services to their users but have never been put under a licensing regime like the telecom operators....

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has asked the government to completely remove the system of bank guarantees (BGs) for the telcos. Further, the industry body has asked for redefining the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. Both have become issues for the industry, particularly Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Through a tweet, SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, said that the AGR definition should only include telecom revenues. In another tweet, Kocchar requested the government to dispense the requirement of bank guarantees immediately and also asked that all existing bank guarantees should be removed as well....

“The definition of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) should be reviewed to include revenue from licensed activities only … Telecom Department should adopt the recommendations given by the regulator on the issue of determination of AGR,” Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General Rajan S Mathews told reporters of PTI. COAI said that income from interest, dividend, capital gains from the sale of fixed assets, gains from forex fluctuation, income from rent, insurance claims, and distributors margin should not be included in the revenue of the telecom operators for the purpose of computation of licence fee and spectrum usage charges....

DEN TV+ OTT App Available to Both Android and iOS Users Similar to OTT apps from other service providers, DEN TV+ also offers Live TV channels along with other content like movies, News, Music in English and so on. As for the Live TV service, DEN TV+ currently has more than 150 channels on offer and all of them are Indian channels, according to Den Networks. Besides the Live TV channels, DEN TV+ also allows users to watch content like movies, new channels and other shows in various regional languages....

The Tamil music channel Vijay Music of Disney Star will change its name to Vijay Takkar starting of Sunday, October 9, 2022, according to a notice that has been posted on the broadcaster’s website. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting approved the name change of Vijay Music to Vijay Takkar a few weeks prior to this announcement. The debut of two new Tamil HD channels, Vijay Super HD (movies) and Star Sports 1 Tamil HD, as well as all other launches and shutdowns that the broadcaster had planned for 2021, have been put off indefinitely....

Telecom operators in India have hit rock bottom because of the AGR dues burden and financial liabilities. To aid the telecom sector, a relief package is expected to be rolled out by the government to help financially burdened telcos like Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. As noted by unnamed sources in the Department of Telecommunications, telcos can only offer suggestions regarding the relief package. The perfect relief package will depend upon the Finance Ministry along with the approval of the Cabinet....

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) might go ahead and come out with a way to allocate spectrum administratively. The telcos have opposed this as they believe everyone should get the spectrum through a fair route of auction. In fact, this would be an unprecedented move from the DoT. According to a Financial Express report, the DoT is thinking about how it can administratively allocate spectrum in the future. The telecom department feels that the spectrum available is abundant with respect to the number of telecom operators present in the market....

Networking has never been more important when it comes to the global point of view given as to how people need access to the internet for most tasks, if not all, considering as to how even day to day tasks such as payment of goods and services or hiring a cab has become increasingly moved online. To cater to this, most telcos do offer network connections in most places, but Wi-Fi connections available to the wide-scale public in key areas is still lacking, to say the least....

“We recently notified some parents of Messenger Kids to account users about a technical error that we detected affecting a small number of group chats,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying. “We turned off the affected chats and provided parents with additional resources on Messenger Kids and online safety,” the company added. Messenger Kids is a video chat and messaging app designed for kids to communicate with family and close friends that parents or caregivers approve....

“The youth team has restructured in order to match top business priorities, including increasing our investment in Messenger Kids,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement, as reported by IANS. Facebook last month said it was experimenting with the “LOL” hub. “‘LOL’ is currently in private beta with around 100 high school students who signed non-disclosure agreements with parental consent to do focus groups and one-on-one testing with Facebook staff,” media reports said....

One of the fastest-growing smartwatches brands in India Fire-Boltt which is majorly known for its affordable options in the country has just launched its new Fire-Boltt Ring 2 smartwatch. The newly launched wearable comes in as a successor to successor to the Fire-Boltt Ring smartwatch launched back in June and is the latest addition to the company’s portfolio. Just like the majority of the devices from the company, Fire-Boltt Ring 2 is also an affordable option priced under Rs 5,000....

Google on Thursday announced that the Google Duo video calling service will soon be available on Android TV enabling users to connect to family and friends across the world through the large screen. The company said that “using the right devices can make a big difference in making video calls more enjoyable and engaging.” Further, Google also announced that the company is adding Chromecast support for Google Meet, designed to handle video calls with over 100 members for all the professional needs....

Google on Friday launched the Pixel 4a officially in the Indian market with the device set to be made available on Flipkart from October 16, 2020. The device was initially unveiled in early August, 2020, with the company highlighting that the Pixel 4a will be “packaged in a sleek new hardware” featuring an “incredible camera.” The Pixel 4a features an 5.8-inch display and a 3140mAh battery with Google highlighting an “all day” battery life....

The government of India on Thursday said that “all options” on the Vodafone arbitration case are currently “under examination” and that a final decision has not been made on the issue. The clarification was issued by the finance ministry on Thursday after certain media houses reported that the Attorney General (AG) was in favor of not appealing in the Vodafone arbitration case. Vodafone Group in late September won an arbitration case against India’s tax demand rising from a retrospective change in the country’s tax law....

Indian telecom operators have said that they have their networks ready to offer 5G services and will start it once spectrum is allocated to them. Telecom operators have, however, said that the spectrum price recommended by sector regulator is too high to suit their business case. Jejdling said that the telecom industry is at a stage where the market share is sort of set and the industry has really accelerated with the pace of 5G compared to what was being thought a couple of years back....

Samsung is all set to launch the Galaxy Watch 4, post multiple leaks and rumours over the past couple of leaks hinting at the product being the next big thing when it comes to Android smartwatches. But, what will set the watch apart will not be its design or build, rather what will be present inside it. The company provided very few details in relation to the watch but yesterday, it unveiled details in relation to the hardware that will be powering the next smartwatch from Samsung, which is a bigger deal than some might think it to be....

Virtual Private Networks or VPNs have recently gained a lot of popularity and, why should they not. Most users of VPNs make use of the same to access region-locked content or certain kinds of content that might be banned or inaccessible in a certain region. Given the popularity of this tool, one must have some questions about the same, right? Well, you were right if you said yes since there are certain doubts regarding VPNs, the key of which is whether or not it throttles internet speeds and affects the overall net speeds in different scenarios....

HFCL has partnered with Qualcomm to bring India and global markets new mmWave 5G FWA products. With the mmWave 5G FWA products, users can get true 5G speeds, and new use cases can come to life. HFCL Limited will be expanding its 5G product portfolio with the 5G mmWave products. One of the best use cases of 5G networks is FWA (fixed-wireless access). With FWA, telcos can deliver the network generation connectivity to the customers at lower costs....

There are many cases where your smartphone is switched off, and you miss important calls from friends or family members. The largest telecom operator of India, Reliance Jio, offers missed call alert service for subscribers. With the help of the service, subscribers can easily trace which number called on their smartphone. In case you are not aware, Jio missed call alert service sends SMS regarding incoming calls to your Jio number when it is switched off or out of coverage....

State-owned telecom operator BSNL has defined USSD codes which help subscribers in checking their data balance, SMS balance, talk time information and much more. If you are a BSNL user, you can use these USSD codes to keep a tab on your balance of different services. Alternatively, you can also check your balance through the official app of the telco or by making a call as well. Before using USSD codes, you should know that these codes are toll-free and with them, you get instant updates on the balance....