Search results for: “Reliance Communication”

Reliance Communications Exclusively Partners With WhatsApp in India

Reliance Communications, today announced their exclusive partnership with WhatsApp in India. Through this partnership Reliance Communications has launched a first of its kind prepaid plan ‘WhatsApp Plan’ for all Reliance GSM subscribers and ‘My College Plan’ for students across the country. Reliance GSM customers can now enjoy unlimited usage of WhatsApp and Facebook across the country at a nominal fee of Rs. 16 per month only without paying any extra data consumption charges.

WhatsApp Plan offers unlimited access of WhatsApp to all prepaid Reliance GSM customers in the country for just Rs. 16 per month without paying any extra data consumption charges. Facebook is bundled complimentary in this pack for a limited period and hence a customer use of WhatsApp and Facebook is absolutely free on the Reliance network. “WhatsApp Plan” is available with a validity period of 30 Days from the date of recharge and the plan is auto-renewed every 30 days unless unsubscribed.

[quote]Commenting on this association with Reliance Communications in India WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said, “With the rapid growth of Smartphones in India, we are delighted to partner with Reliance Communications. We are currently working with industry leaders across countries and this exclusive partnership will enable millions of Reliance customers to experience the most innovative way to send messages, music, pictures and videos to leverage the power of data through their smart communication devices.[/quote]

My College Plan by Reliance Communications offers unlimited social media access of WhatsApp to all college students on the prepaid Reliance GSM network across the country for just Rs. 16 per month. This unique plan allows students to call and SMS within their specified group at just 5 paise and also permits a student to broadcast a juicy tidbit in the campus through a SMS to the entire college group for just Rs. 3 by texting the message to 51112. “My College Plan” is available with a validity period of 30 Days from the date of recharge and the plan is auto-renewed every 30 days unless unsubscribed. This plan is available with SMS based recharge and applicable to most of the colleges across the country and students can get their college IDs from the official website of Reliance Communications. http://www.rcom.co.in/Rcom/personal/prepaid/PlansandPacks.html

[quote]Commenting on the tie-up with WhatsApp and announcing the launch of ‘WhatsApp Plan’ and ‘My College Plan’ Sanjay Behl, Group Head – Brand & Marketing, Reliance Communications Limited said, “We are thrilled to offer the first of its kind offering of sharing unlimited text, music, pictures and videos to our customers through our exclusive partnership with WhatsApp in India. We are confident that ‘WhatsApp Plan’ and ‘My College Plan’ with unlimited usage of WhatsApp is set to provide a compelling new experience with incredible affordability to Smartphone users across the country on our superior network along with free Facebook surfing as an introductory offer for a limited period. We are hoping this offer to trigger a significant shift of youth customers using Smartphones to our superior network.”[/quote]

‘My College Plan’ will allow every student in the college to be updated on all the fun and frolic on their campus without missing any important moment. Students can be a part of only one college group at a time and will be charge for any data consumed by browsing external links from Facebook. Spice Up your college life with ‘My College Plan’.

Check out the Press Release below :

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New Delhi, 15th October, 2012: Reliance Communications, India’s fully integrated telecommunications service provider, today announced their exclusive partnership with WhatsApp in India. Through this partnership Reliance Communications has launched first of its kind prepaid plan ‘WhatsApp Plan’ for all Reliance GSM subscribers and ‘My College Plan’ for students across the country. Reliance GSM customers can now enjoy unlimited usage of WhatsApp and Facebook across the country at a nominal fee of Rs. 16 per month only without paying any extra data consumption charges.

“WhatsApp Plan” offers unlimited access of WhatsApp to all prepaid Reliance GSM customers in the country for just Rs. 16 per month without paying any extra data consumption charges. Facebook is bundled complimentary in this pack for a limited period and hence a customer use of WhatsApp and Facebook is absolutely free on the Reliance network. “WhatsApp Plan” is available with a validity period of 30 Days from the date of recharge and the plan is auto-renewed every 30 days unless unsubscribed.

“My College Plan” by Reliance Communications offers unlimited social media access of WhatsApp to all college students on the prepaid Reliance GSM network across the country for just Rs. 16 per month. This unique plan allows students to call and SMS within their specified group at just 5 paise and also permits a student to broadcast a juicy tidbit in the campus through a SMS to the entire college group for just Rs. 3 by texting the message to 51112. “My College Plan” is available with a validity period of 30 Days from the date of recharge and the plan is auto-renewed every 30 days unless unsubscribed. This plan is available with SMS based recharge and applicable to most of the colleges across the country and students can get their college IDs from the official website of Reliance Communications. http://www.rcom.co.in/Rcom/personal/prepaid/PlansandPacks.html

Commenting on the tie-up with WhatsApp and announcing the launch of ‘WhatsApp Plan’ and ‘My College Plan’ Sanjay Behl, Group Head – Brand & Marketing, Reliance Communications Limited said, “We are thrilled to offer the first of its kind offering of sharing unlimited text, music, pictures and videos to our customers through our exclusive partnership with WhatsApp in India. We are confident that ‘WhatsApp Plan’ and ‘My College Plan’ with unlimited usage of WhatsApp is set to provide a compelling new experience with incredible affordability to Smartphone users across the country on our superior network along with free Facebook surfing as an introductory offer for a limited period. We are hoping this offer to trigger a significant shift of youth customers using Smartphones to our superior network.”

Commenting on this association with Reliance Communications in India WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said, “With the rapid growth of Smartphones in India, we are delighted to partner with Reliance Communications. We are currently working with industry leaders across countries and this exclusive partnership will enable millions of Reliance customers to experience the most innovative way to send messages, music, pictures and videos to leverage the power of data through their smart communication devices.

‘My College Plan’ will allow every student in the college to be updated on all the fun and frolic on their campus without missing any important moment. Students can be a part of only one college group at a time and will be charge for any data consumed by browsing external links from Facebook. Spice Up your college life with ‘My College Plan’.

About Reliance Communications

Reliance Communications Limited founded by the late Shri Dhirubhai H Ambani (1932-2002) is the flagship company of the Reliance Group. The Reliance Group currently has a net worth in excess of Rs. 90,000 crore (US$ 17.7 billion), cash flows of Rs. 8,000 crore (US$ 1.6 billion), net profit of Rs. 3,200 crore (US$ 0.6 billion).

Reliance Communications is India’s foremost and truly integrated telecommunications service provider. The Company, with a customer base of about 150 million including over 2.5 million individual overseas retail customers, ranks among the Top 4 Telecom companies in the world by number of customers in a single country. Reliance Communications corporate clientele includes over 35,000 Indian and multinational corporations including small and medium enterprises and over 800 global, regional and domestic carriers.

Reliance Communications has established a pan-India, next generation, integrated (wireless and wireline), convergent (voice, data and video) digital network that is capable of supporting best-of-class services spanning the entire communications value chain, covering over 24,000 towns and 600,000 villages. Reliance Communications owns and operates the world’s largest next generation IP enabled connectivity infrastructure, comprising over 277,000 kilometers of fibre optic cable systems in India, USA, Europe, Middle East and the Asia Pacific region.

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October 15, 2012
Reliance Jio Is Making An Android Go Smartphone

A few reports have claimed that Reliance Jio is making an Android Go device. It is expected to be launched in Q1 of 2018 which means it might be announced in the next couple of months. Recently, Google announced the Android Go platform for entry-level smartphones. It is a way to make capable entry-level smartphones at the price of feature phones.

Apparently, the information was provided by TL Lee, Business unit Head of Wireless Communication Product at MediaTek at a MediaTek press conference. So far, there are no details about the upcoming device. It is hard to tell whether this Android Go device is an actual project right now or just an option on the table.

JioPhone

Thankfully, there are certain aspects of the smartphone that can be incurred from the provided information. Since it will be an Android Go device, the device will have entry-level specifications. Android Go is specifically designed to work on phones that have less than 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. With such specifications, Reliance Jio could launch a smartphone at an extremely minimal price.

Currently, the telecom company has the JioPhone in the market. With an essential price Rs. 0, the feature phone was sold out within minutes of going up for preorders.

Android Go

Google has claimed that Android Go’s Oreo edition will be a variant of Android Oreo that a manufacturer can just set by ticking off a configuration flag. What this basically does is that it sets up the phone to use the “Go” versions of a handful of Google apps such as the main Google app, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Gmail, and others. Google claims that the smaller apps and slimmer OS can as much as halve the amount of storage that’s taken up by default on a new phone running default OS.

Google will also introduce a few other data saving features on Android Go. For example, in Chrome, everything will get run through a Google server that reduces file sizes before it gets delivered to the user’s phone. The new Datally app will also be pre-installed to keep a track of cellular data.

January 31, 2018
Reliance Jio to Provide High-Speed 4G Services via Three Frequency Bands

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, headed by Mukesh Ambani, has announced its plans to launch the 4G network services through an integrated system. As per the company statement released recently, “RJIL plans to provide seamless 4G services using LTE in 800MHz, 1,800MHz and 2,300 MHz bands through an integrated ecosystem.”

Reliance Jio or RJIL is an Internet access and telecommunication company headquartered in Mumbai and is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited. This company is the only pan-India operator with Broadband Wireless Access spectrum and uses commercial LTE services for providing 4G across India with over 22 telecom circles.

Reliance successfully acquired the 1800 MHz spectrum for 14 circles back in 2014, and in March 2015, Reliance acquired the spectrum in 800MHz and 1800MHz in over 13 circles. The company states the Mobile Switching Centre Code (2G network element that controls the Network Switching Subsystem elements), Mobile Country Code and the Mobile Network Code (both are used in combination to identify a mobile phone carrier using GSM or LTE networks) has also been allotted.

Reliance has asserted that it hopes to provide high-speed services in domains like education, healthcare, security, financial services, government-citizen interfaces and entertainment. The company claimed that access to innovative and empowering digital content is of utmost priority. It is learnt that Reliance is working with strategic partners to aid it in installation and testing activities.

April 20, 2015
iPhone 5s and 5c to be Available on 2 Year Contract basis With Reliance, no Initial Cost for 16 GB Variant

Apple and Reliance are offering iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c at no initial cost, Apple has signed a deal with Reliance Communications which will allow users to buy the new iPhone 5s and 5c 16 GB variants at no initial cost.

This offer will include some benefits from Reliance, as it will feature unlimited voice calls, SMS and 3G data for a fixed monthly fee which will be between 2,500 and Rs 2,800 INR. The users will be locked into Reliance network under a two-year of contract. Having said that, this is the first time an Indian telecom company is selling an iPhone on contract basis. Indian telecom market has always been away of contract based phones, fearing that subscribers may break the contract by unlocking the phone for use on another operators network or for reselling it in the grey market.

The 16 GB iPhone 5C, priced at 41,900 INR, will be available for a monthly fee of 2,500 INR and the the 5S, priced at 53,500 INR will be on offer for approximately 2,800 INR a month. Whereas, the 32 GB version will come with an upfront fee of 10,000 INR in addition to the monthly charges. The 64 GB model, priced at 71,500 INR without contract, will be on offer for an upfront fee of Rs 18,000 and the monthly fee.

If you do not wish to lock into a contract, the phone will also be available in monthly installments, however reliance has added up benefits like unlimited voice calling and data plans along with the contract of two years. Even other telecom company will sell iPhone 5s and 5c starting today but not on subsidy.

This can surely increase sales for the new iPhone’s in the Indian market. What do you think ?

November 1, 2013
Reliance Launches New Android-Based 3G Tablet

Reliance Communications Ltd. has launched its new fully-loaded 3G Tablet on Android platform. Reliance said the new 3G Tablet is set to further enhance the user experience with incredible affordability and bundled offerings.

The Reliance 3G Tab comes with a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with Android 2.3 OS and a 1.4 GHz processor. This latest 3G Tablet from Reliance comes with a better screen resolution of 1024 x 600, loaded with 512 MB RAM, and a better 5 point touch experience. The new light weight (402g) tablet comes with a better 3.0 MP rear camera and a front camera, enables video calling, among other key features, catering to both business users as well as the youth segment.

The Reliance 3G Tab is supported by Reliance’s IP-based 3G network across 13 circles across 333 towns in the country. To further enhance its value proposition, Reliance is offering free benefits worth Rs. 6250/- to its 3G customers where in they can enjoy free 3 GB of 3G data for 3 months, 3 months free video calling for Local and STD to Reliance 3G, free voice rental for 12 months (Postpaid) along with free global calling worth Rs. 250/-, 1 year free subscription on McAfee Mobile Security, 2 months free subscription of BigFlix, a free 4 GB micro SD card.

[quote]”Having redefined the Tab market in the country with an overwhelming response from our existing customers and in line with our endeavor to develop the device eco system, the new 3G TAB is sure to enhance customer experience on our seamless IP enabled superior 3G network bundled with exciting offers at an affordable price point,” said Sanjay Behl, Group Head – Brand & Marketing, Reliance Communications Limited.[/quote]

July 19, 2012

Reliance Launches CDMA Tab in India for Rs 12999/-

Reliance has launched their new CDMA Android Tab in the market for a price of just Rs 12999/- . The tablet comes with a 7-inch capacitive touch screen with Android 2.3 OS. 512 MB RAM and a micro SD external storage, weighing in only at 397g the Reliance CDMA Tab has a 2.0 MP rear camera and a front camera which appears to be VGA.

The Reliance CDMA Tab is supported by Reliance’s CDMA network across 22 circles in the country. The device is further bundled with monthly and annual data plans. Reliance Communications is also offering a 1 year free subscription on McAfee Mobile Security, 2 months free subscription on BigFlix+, and Rs. 250 worth of calling on Reliance Global Call. (Talk about really wanting to sell the Tab)

The Reliance CDMA Tab comes with a free 4GB SD card, which can be upgraded to 32 GB, it also supports voice calling over the Reliance Networks. Yes before everyone starts sending in inquiries, The tablet only works on Reliance CDMA Networks.

Having redefined the Tab market in the country last year with the launch and roaring success of Reliance 3G Tab, we are now yet again the first to introduce the country’s first CDMA Tab. With the rapid increase in data consumption in India and with Reliance’s superior HSD Network in over 1000 towns, the launch of the Reliance CDMA Tab is another step to carry forward our mission of Wirefree India.”

-Mr. Sanjay Behl, Group Head – Brand & Marketing

For Combo data plans Reliance has the following offers

Postpaid Super Value Combo Offer (Annual)
Free Data Usage / Month	1GB	2GB	5GB
Reliance CDMA Tab Price (Rs.)	12999	12999	12999
Regular Annual Advance Rental (Rs.)	6201	7401	11589
Discounted Annual Advance Rental (Rs.)	4500	5500	7000
Combo Price for a Year (Rs.)	17499	18499	19999
You Save (Rs.)	1701	1901	4589
You Save %	27%	26%	40%

Postpaid: Super Value Combo Offer (Monthly)
Free Data Usage / Month	2GB	5GB	10GB	15GB
Regular Rental per month (Rs.)	750	1099	1250	1750
Discounted Rental per month (Rs.)	598	750	950	1200
You Save (Rs.)	152	349	300	550
You Save %	20%	32%	24%	31%

Postpaid: My Best Plan – for the 1^st Time on a Tab
Free Data Usage / Month	Billed Amount (Rs.)
Less than or equal to 500 MB	350
500 MB, upto 1000 MB	350 + 60p/MB for usage above 500 MB
Above 1000 MB	650 + 6p/MB for usage above 1000 MB

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Reliance Communications launches India’s first CDMA Tablet

~First Telco to introduce CDMA Tab in the country~

ü The first CDMA Android Tablet from an Indian Telco

ü Priced attractively at Rs. 12,999/ –

ü Works on Reliance High Speed Data CDMA network in over 1000 towns

ü Supports up to 32 GB of content storage

ü Available in Reliance World stores, Reliance Mobile outlets and across all retail channels

ü Comes preloaded with applications such as Documents To Go, Facebook, YouTube, Gmail, BigFlix for movies on demand, and Tango for video chat

MUMBAI, 12^th March, 2012: Reliance Communications, India’s fully integrated telecommunications service provider, today became the first CDMA operator in India to enter the Tablet space by unveiling its ‘Reliance CDMA Tab’, a fully loaded Android tablet. With this launch, Reliance also emerges as the first telecom operator in India to offer Tablets on both the 3G and CDMA networks further strengthening its leadership position.

The stylish Reliance CDMA Tab comes with a 7-inch capacitive touch screen with Android 2.3 OS. Loaded with 512 MB RAM and a micro SD external storage, it is sure to appeal a large segment of value conscious Indian consumers, just as the Reliance 3G Tab did last year. The light weight (397g) Reliance CDMA Tab comes with a 2.0 MP rear camera and a front camera, among other key features, catering to both business users as well as the youth segment. The Reliance CDMA Tab is supported by Reliance’s CDMA network across 22 circles in over 1000 towns in the country. The device is priced attractively at Rs. 12,999 and is further bundled with attractive monthly and annual data plans. To further enhance its value proposition, Reliance Communications is offering a 1 year free subscription on McAfee Mobile Security, 2 months free subscription on BigFlix+, and Rs. 250 worth of calling on Reliance Global Call, all together valued at Rs. 2,100.

Reliance CDMA Tab is an amazing multi-tasking device with a 7-inch form factor for Internet, email on-the-go, social networking, video streaming, and gaming. For business users, the Reliance CDMA Tab provides a user-friendly email experience with push email capability and is bundled with ‘Documents To Go’ that supports Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and PDF formats. Other features include Mobile TV, voice calling, GPS and video recording.

Announcing the launch of Reliance CDMA Tab, Mr. Sanjay Behl, Group Head – Brand & Marketing, Reliance Communications Limited, said “Having redefined the Tab market in the country last year with the launch and roaring success of Reliance 3G Tab, we are now yet again the first to introduce the country’s first CDMA Tab. With the rapid increase in data consumption in India and with Reliance’s superior HSD Network in over 1000 towns, the launch of the Reliance CDMA Tab is another step to carry forward our mission of Wirefree India.”

Reliance CDMA Tab is pre-loaded with 15 most popular applications to provide information services (browsing, navigation maps and search), communication services (email, blog, SMS, and MMS), entertainment services (music, video, and games), and social networking services (Facebook) and access to thousands of applications provided through the Android Market.

Supporting the launch, a 24X7 customer care will be made available to the customers for all technical assistance. Reliance CDMA Tab is attractively priced at Rs. 12,999and comes with attractive plans providing data and voice benefits. The Reliance CDMA Tab comes with a free 4GB SD card, which can be upgraded to 32 GB.

The Reliance CDMA Tab is available with attractive postpaid plans offering discounts of upto 40% on the regular rates. All the plans will come with default voice tariff plan of 50p per min for all intra and inter circle calls and 50p for local and national SMS.

Postpaid Super Value Combo Offer (Annual)

Free Data Usage / Month

1GB

2GB

5GB

Reliance CDMA Tab Price (Rs.)

12999

Regular Annual Advance Rental (Rs.)

6201

7401

11589

Discounted Annual Advance Rental (Rs.)

4500

5500

7000

Combo Price for a Year (Rs.)

17499

18499

19999

You Save (Rs.)

1701

1901

4589

You Save %

27%

26%

40%

Postpaid: Super Value Combo Offer (Monthly)

Free Data Usage / Month

2GB

5GB

10GB

15GB

Regular Rental per month (Rs.)

750

1099

1250

1750

Discounted Rental per month (Rs.)

598

750

950

1200

You Save (Rs.)

152

349

300

550

You Save %

20%

32%

24%

31%

Postpaid: My Best Plan – for the 1^st Time on a Tab

Free Data Usage / Month

Billed Amount (Rs.)

Less than or equal to 500 MB

350

500 MB, upto 1000 MB

350 + 60p/MB for usage above 500 MB

Above 1000 MB

650 + 6p/MB for usage above 1000 MB

About Reliance Communications

Reliance Communications Limited founded by the late Shri Dhirubhai H Ambani (1932-2002) is the flagship company of the Reliance Group. The Reliance Group currently has a net worth in excess of Rs. 89,000 crore (US$ 19.7 billion), cash flows of Rs. 10,900 crore (US$ 2.3 billion), net profit of Rs. 3,600 crore (US$ 0.8 billion).

Reliance Communications is India’s foremost and truly integrated telecommunications service provider. The Company, with a customer base of over 158 million including over 2.5 million individual overseas retail customers, ranks among the Top 4 Telecom companies in the world by number of customers in a single country. Reliance Communications corporate clientele includes over 35,000 Indian and multinational corporations including small and medium enterprises and over 800 global, regional and domestic carriers.

Reliance Communications has established a pan-India, next generation, integrated (wireless and wireline), convergent (voice, data and video) digital network that is capable of supporting best-of-class services spanning the entire communications value chain, covering over 24,000 towns and 600,000 villages. Reliance Communications owns and operates the world’s largest next generation IP enabled connectivity infrastructure, comprising over 277,000 kilometers of fibre optic cable systems in India, USA, Europe, Middle East and the Asia Pacific region.

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March 13, 2012

Reliance Launches the Reliance Tab, becomes the First Indian 3G Provider with a Tablet

Reliance Communications has introduced a tablet and bundled it with attractive monthly plans. Available across all Reliance World and Reliance Mobile showrooms in India the Tablet features a very low price of INR 12,999/-.

The 3G and WiFi-enabled Android tablet that works on RCom’s IP-based 3G network across 333 towns including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The tablet is manufactured by China based ZTE and has 512 MB RAM along with AGps, a 7 inch Screen and Android 2.3.

Reliance Communications has always been a pioneer in taking bold steps to innovate and re-invent the telecom ecosystem in the country. The launch of Reliance 3G Tab is in line with this principle,”

-Mahesh Prasad, president, Reliance Communications

The device will support Android features like push mail and will include office softwares like Docs-to-Go etc. Reliance will also give a 4GB card in the Bundle and the device can read put 32GB.

We are trying to get a hands on with the tablet for your pleasure.

August 11, 2011
Is the Jio Launch Leading Up To An Inevitable Fiasco That We Have Seen In The Past ?
Today the country is abuzz with the a revolutionary new service, yet to launch. In fact, people have been talking about Reliance’s JIO for almost two years now. The JIO effect being dubbed by publications each time a service provide offers a discount or reduces prices on their 4G services.

1.5 million sim cards have been reportedly given out by the company to willing early consumers who sign up for the service without reading the fine print of the 90 day free service offer. Reliance has done this in the past, tired to revolutionise the mobile industry and sell handsets masquerading under the “Dhirubhai Ambani Offer.”

Reliance has done this in the past, tired to revolutionise the mobile industry and sell handsets masquerading under the Dhirubhai Ambani Offer. Click to Share

For those with fresh blood, the above offer would require you to pay Rs. 501, for a new connection which would include a free Samsung CDMA handset with the Reliance branding. The actual price of the phone was around Rs 25000, and millions got on to the offer and exploited the services till they started getting bills in 5 figures or more for usage charges. People refused to pay these bills, and Reliance goons, in some cases, till date haunt those affected by this to claim money for services provided.

in 2002 Mukesh Ambani said :

This is the largest infrastructure and services rolled out by any new entrant anywhere in the world. In terms of complexity, it spans voice, data, video, audio and value added services.With an ‘every time, every place, every device’ network ethos, a sweeping span of services and a new breed of entrepreneurs, Reliance Infocomm will prepare India to take on the mantle of leadership in the knowledge age

Sure. Sounds familiar right? These exact claims are being made today.

Reliance Infocomm the birth child of this offer has since then converted to Reliance Communications, the launch was considered a total failure and set precedent that no payment plans could work in a country like India. Hence, we pay outright for iPhones and Galaxy S flagships, instead of a payment plan seen in most countries, Thanks Reliance!

The Quint, recently enlightened the world on the 5 things that most users don’t know about the JIO preview offer, and it is a good place to start to understand the JIO effect.

However, there are several other things that need to be highlighted about Reliance and their communication business to understand if JIO is set to be the best ever mobile network or a big failure.

Reliance has always been big on promises but poor on deliveries. A company that lacks a general direction of customer service and rates extremely low on the customer satisfaction index. Reliance’s revolutionary CDMA services are nearly extinct and no major manufacturer released a CDMA phone in India this year. In countries like the US, CDMA services from SPRINT and Verizon in some cases seem to perform better than the GSM providers. Most CDMA network providers globally are shifting to 5G networks. In India on the other hand, they seem to be winding up operations.

Reliance is operating the JIO offer without an actual go ahead from the Government, this offer in which you the user, are using the services which allow Reliance Industries to do business without really paying the government spectrum charges and other fees that a commercially launched network has to pay. So each of the 1.5 million users are accomplices in a scam of a colossal scale. Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI), the network industry body, accused Reliance of falsely claiming that it is in testing mode.

However, the story is not so simple, and no the government probably won’t arrest you and parade you to a jail cell or sue you for the spectrum charges (hopefully). But, it seems that things are already sketchy before launch, fake promises of launch among an already poor infrastructure of voice services.

The JIO network also requires VOLTE to communicate effectively, however, no other provider at the moment offers VOLTE, so that will only work between JIO to JIO calls. Also, VOLTE as a technology is not available on every 4G enabled phone, which could restrict usage to either no voice calls, or buying a new phone with your new service.

Every one on JIO using the services is extremely impressed by the speeds of the 4G network, which will go down monumentally the minute millions of users jump on their network and start to use the services in busy cities.

Here are a few things that are already established,
1. JIO is not yet operating within the rules set by the Government.
2. There are already reports (acknowledged by JIO) of an extremely poor voice network.
3. Too much hype and too little product.
4. Poor customer service and Customer recall.
5. Lowest levels of customer satisfaction.
6. Past Failures in Mobile telephony.
That being said, we should not judge people for their past mistakes, especially if they have paid heavily (or incurred heavy losses). Reliance is once again trying to change the mobile industry in India exactly 14 years after its first failure. However, it seems that the approach is too similar to ignore. Cheaper than usual handsets (LYF smartphones), promise of high quality service, and free data offers. Reliance has always focused on making things cheap, for the masses, but has often disappointed.

While the other network providers are not great, Airtel and Vodafone suffer huge network outages, despite open network promises. Don’t bother discussing the State carriers. People are extremely happy with services of a provider that works for them. Some are loyal to Airtel and some to Vodafone, while Tata Docomo (Indicom ) users swear by the good network strength (where it works ).

It’s evident that no network is perfect, but the JIO launch is far from it, and as consumers Indians are much smarter than they were in 2002. But, as a community, our consumers are often temped by something that is cheap. Reliance JIO promises to be the cheapest Data and Voice carrier in the country and for now that sells, just like hot cakes.

People need to be careful before signing on to a postpaid contract, read the document carefully, you may be charged for services that you may not need. JIO’s end aim is to monetise the millions of customers it can retain from its free campaign, which at the end is a full blown marketing stunt, categorised under modern advertising.

Hopefully, JIO keeps up to its promises and does not turn out to be another “Dhirubhai Ambani Offer”, and turns out to be a healthy competition for network providers along with being capable of providing improved customer satisfaction. In that situation, there is only one winner, the consumer. Right now, however, this is not the case.
August 29, 2016
TRAI Received Only 21 Counter-Comments On Net Neutrality

Last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) raised the issue of net neutrality and, needless to say, it sparked off a major debate. This eventually led TRAI to invite public comments on the differential pricing of net services and the last date to submit counter-comments was 14th January.

Of the total 24 million applications submitted over TRAI’s paper on the differential pricing of data, a significant aspect of net neutrality, there were only 21 counter-comments submitted by individuals or organisations.

List of telecom operators that countered the proposal of keeping net services neutral of discriminatory pricing include Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications, through industry bodies, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Unified Telecom Service of India (AUSPI). COAI and AUSPI said in their joint counter-comment,

“Price differentiation will allow TSPs to cater to specific consumer requirements, including facilitation of access to those segments that are currently unconnected or poorly connected. Price differentiation is a widely adopted business practice used in many industries.”

While talking about the net-neutrality debate in India, how can we not talk about Facebook and its Free Basics? While openly opposing differential pricing of internet services, Facebook continued to defend Free Basics and claimed one more time that it’s not a threat to net neutrality.The company defended itself in an official statement,

“This is not true and evidence refutes it. In addition, this need not be a material concern since the programme is open to all operators on the same terms in a non-exclusive manner.”

While the future of net neutrality still seems uncertain, we can only hope to wait and watch the events unfold. In the meantime, find more information here Facebook’s Free Basics.

January 16, 2016
Facebook’s “Free Internet” TRAI Email Scam Explained

Internet.org was announced globally in August, 2013 and it arrived in India in February 2015. The initiative aims to provide free internet services on the Reliance network in the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Telangana. The users would have free data access to more than three dozen services.

The idea of thousands and millions being included within the ambit of the virtual world sounds brilliant and one everyone is up for. But before that, those endorsing this initiative need to understand all that it entails.

Internet.org:

Internet.org refers to a collaboration between Facebook and six other companies, namely, Samsung, Qualcomm, Nokia, Ericsson, MediaTek and Opera Software. The aim of this collaboration is to bring easily accessible internet to developing countries, especially in remote rural areas. However since it includes only selected services and online operators, it is seen not only as a direct threat to net neutrality but also as rampant publicizing of Facebook. It would be a single company, or a small group of them, which would decide what services are made available and which ones are excluded, a right earlier extended only to the user of the internet, not the service providers.

The Digital India Display Picture Controversy:

This controversy surfaced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Silicon Valley to promote Digital India. When Mark Zuckerberg changed his display picture on Facebook to one with an overlay of the Indian flag, the Prime Minister followed suit and did the same with his display picture. Facebook also introduced a feature which allowed users everywhere to make the tri-colour part of their display pictures. Post this, people, as we know them to be, switched their profile pictures left and right and centre. All of a sudden, we woke up to find unanimous, enthusiastic support for Digital India. Utopia, could it be?
A lot of netizens took to social media platforms to express their dismay at the new feature, which was allegedly directly connected with Facebook’s Internet.org. It was assumed that these pictures had a source code which would automatically link them to Internet.org, inadvertently making them support the initiative. However, the confusion was soon cleared up -the tri-coloured display pictures had nothing to do with Internet.org and that was the end of this controversy.

Free Basics:Free Basics is part of Internet.org and lets users access the services of the initiative by downloading an app. It became available in India last month and allowed users access to Facebook and Facebook messenger, Wikipedia, BBC News and health services, among others. The app was initially made available on Reliance Communications Network, Facebook’s partner in Internet.org.

The app and the initiative has received flak from the word go for its alleged preferential treatment, and thereby being in direct contradiction with net neutrality. Mark Zuckerberg defended this, however, and said Free Basics provides not only internet services for free but plans to include more services and developers within its reach.

Current Scenario:

A little after its release in the country, Free Basics ran into turbulent waters. Reliance Communications had to withhold the service after it received a request from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to do so.

“As directed by TRAI, the commercial launch of Freebasics has been kept in abeyance, till they consider all details and convey a specific approval,” said a Reliance representative.

This was soon followed by a Facebook campaign -users were flooded with notifications of their Facebook contacts having ‘voiced their opinion’ on Free Basics. Clicking on the notification directs the user to a page which automates reply to TRAI in appeal in favour of the same. Users were also presented with this pre-filled form as they logged in which would be sent to TRAI in support of Free Basics. Though this feature was meant only for Indian users, it was sent to many American users as well. Facebook claims it was a mistake which has been corrected. The fate of Free Basics is uncertain until a verdict is passed post TRAI’s hearing on net neutrality next month.

India is one of the 36 countries where Free Basics has been launched and is the second largest user of Facebook in the world.

Free Basics and Internet.org are the Same but Not Many Remember it: Free Basics is an extension of Internet.org but quite a lot of seem to have forgotten that. There had been a lot of hue and cry only a couple of weeks ago over Internet.org and its ‘altruistic’ intentions behind the initiative. However, the clamour died down quiet magically as large number of people have stepped forward declaring their support for Free Basics on Facebook, without even realising it in many cases.
Facebook notification windows have their hands full all over the country with updates about users voicing their opinions about Free Basics (read: declaring support for Internet.org, which they had opposed only a little while ago).

Times of India aptly commented on the whole topic recently and said, “Facebook is just trying to play on the fact that most of us click the like button on its platform without reading or understanding the complete picture.”

Nothing would be better on the tech front than to have a country where internet is available in every household. But any policy that endangers net neutrality, and therefore, the freedom of expression, needs to be reconsidered.

Equal internet is important for the virtual space, for future Facebooks and platforms like iGyaan itself. It enforces net neutrality and makes sure consumers don’t end up paying with every click online. However, concepts like ‘free internet’, what the Facebook-based app aims to provide under its Internet.org campaign, tends to complicate things, and endangers net neutrality.

Have you signed your TRAI-email petition yet on Facebook, if not would be willing to or would you rather steer clear from it? Let us know in the comments below.

December 24, 2015
Companies May Start Manufacturing 5G Smartphones From Next Year

With 4G gaining speed slowly here in India, we’re already looking at the possibility of 5G coming sooner than expected. There is no doubt that the next step to fast, wireless network is 5G. The question is how quickly that may happen. Though it is highly unlikely that 5G would be introduced by next year, it will not, however, it has not stopped smartphone makers to prepare for it.

The whole idea behind 5G comes as a ‘what can we add’ when looking at 4G. 4G connections tend to drain battery life in a flash and 5G would look to solve this by making it more energy efficient.

So far Bharati Airtel is the only operator to have launched 4G in a broad scale since it initially launched it on 10 April 2012 in Kolkata. Since then, Airtel’s 4G services have spread across the entire country.

Bharati Airtel revealed it has faced problems in Delhi due to the spectrum cap. The problem currently is the need for more spectrum. The operators in India need more spectrum to improve quality of not only internet services but to also reduce ‘call drops’. This is a deficiency which can only be fixed by the Indian Government and TRAI.

The recent spectrum auction held in March saw Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications and Reliance Jio Infocomm as the big winners, with Bharati Airtel and Reliance Jio already planning big launches of LTE using 1800 MHz as the primary band. However, limited spectrum is slowing the growth of 4G. This will also delay 5G services in India, whenever it does begin to roll out.

September 21, 2015
All Major Indian Telecom Players Slash Down Roaming Rates by Up to 75%

After Vodafone slashed down their roaming rates, leading telecom operators followed suit, including Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communication. All of the operators lowered their roaming rates up to 75% after TRAI cut off the maximum ceiling tariff. Roaming call rates will be cheaper by 40% and SMS by 75%. The above is effective immediately.

For Airtel, incoming rates have been reduced by 40% and outgoing inter-circle calls will be lowered by 23%. Outgoing local call rates will be decreased by 20%, and it reduced local SMS rate by 75%. Outgoing inter-circle SMS rate has been cut by up to 74%.

As for Idea Cellular and Reliance, similarly, these two companies have slashed their roaming call rates by 40%. Idea will now charge incoming calls at 45paise/minute and outgoing is reduced by 20%. Local SMS on Idea will cost 25% lesser, and STD will be charged 38 paise while on roaming.

In the words of Morgan Stanley, American multinational financial service:

Reduction in national roaming ceiling tariff would imply a 2% revenue impact and 4% Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) impact for operators, which could be partly offset by an increase in roaming minutes and any positive differential gains.

Earlier this month, TRAI had cut the maximum rate for STD calls on roaming to Rs 1.15 from Rs 1.50. To read about Vodafone’s new tariff plans, click here.

May 1, 2015
Here It Is! HTC Launches The HTC One!

After numerous leaks and rumors, the newest member of the HTC One family has been officially introduced.

These haven’t been kind times for HTC. The Taiwanese handset maker’s phones are operating in the shadow of Samsung’s Galaxy devices, not to mention Apple’s popular iPhone.

HTC hopes to change that reality with the brand new flagship HTC One that the company unveiled Tuesday at events staged at the same time in New York and London.

The HTC One is made of a uni-body aluminium that looks incredibly solid and suave. None of this should come as surprise, as HTC is known for its stunning hardware to begin with, and the HTC One takes it above and beyond.

Running the show inside the HTC One is the new Snapdragon 600 SoC, Qualcomm’s new generation of mobile chips, which integrates a quad-core CPU, an Adreno 320 GPU, and an LTE modem. The only other device so far that comes equipped with a Snapdragon 600 processor is the LG Optimus G Pro, due to hit the first markets later this month.

The optical bonded display of the HTC One is super dense. At 468ppi (4.7 inch 1080p display), it easily beats the previous leaders, devices like the Sony Xperia Z and the Droid DNA. From the videos of the HTC One we’ve seen, the display looks breathtakingly sharp.

HTC is betting big on the One’s camera capabilities, which revolve around a custom-developed imaging sensor with enlarged pixels that can absorb roughly three times more light than those inside a conventional 8-megapixel camera. These UltraPixels, as the company calls them, will make for a major leap in low-light performance, however they do limit the resolution of any photos you take with the HTC One to 4 megapixels.

There’s also 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage as standard (a 64GB variant is planned for the APAC region), a 2300mAh battery, GPS and GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and even 802.11ac Wi-Fi. And if that’s not enough, the power / lock button atop the phone doubles up as an IR emitter, allowing you to use the HTC One as a TV remote control. That comes with an HTC Sense TV app that will provide interactive programs guides from many of the biggest broadcasters.

The HTC One also brings the new Sense UI along with Android Jelly Bean (4.1.2), which HTC calls a BlinkFeed. HTC has tied up with over 1,400 news organizations to enable an always-live, customized information for the user’s snacking needs. It introduces BoomSound by becoming the first smartphones with stereo speakers on the front.

HTC will be launching the HTC One in Black and White globally starting in March and will tie up with Reliance Communications in India for the sale of the device. Pricing is yet to be revealed.

We will go hands-on with the Indian version of the HTC One in a couple of days so stay tuned!

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INTRODUCING THE NEW HTC ONE®, A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON SMARTPHONES

HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™ Deliver HTC One’s Unprecedented New Smartphone Experience

London and New York City, February 19, 2013 –

HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced its new flagship smartphone, the new HTC One. Crafted with a distinct zero-gap aluminium unibody, the new HTC One introduces HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™, key new HTC Sense® innovations that reinvent the mobile experience and set a new standard for smartphones.

“People today immerse themselves in a constant stream of updates, news and information. Although smartphones are one of the main ways we stay in touch with the people and information we care about, conventional designs have failed to keep pace with how people are actually using them,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “A new, exciting approach to the smartphone is needed and with the new HTC One, we have re-imagined the mobile experience from the ground up to reflect this new reality.”

HTC BlinkFeed: A personal live stream right on the home screen At the centre of the new HTC One experience is HTC BlinkFeed. HTC BlinkFeed is a bold new experience that transforms the home screen into a single live stream of personally relevant information such as social updates, entertainment and lifestyle updates, news and photos with immersive images so that people no longer need to go to separate applications to find out what’s happening. HTC BlinkFeed aggregates the freshest content from the most relevant and interesting sources, giving it to people at a glance, all in one place, without the need to jump between multiple applications and web sites.

To enable this new dynamic approach to the smartphone, HTC will provide both local and global content from more than 1,400 media sources with more than 10,000 articles per day from some of the most innovative media companies, such as the AOL family of media properties, ESPN, MTV, Vice Media, CoolHunting, Reuters and many others. For more information on HTC BlinkFeed’s content partners, visit the HTC Blog.

HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe
The breakthrough HTC UltraPixel Camera redefines how people capture, relive and share their most precious moments. HTC Zoe gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos that come to life in three-second snippets. These Zoes, photos and videos are then displayed in a unique way that brings the gallery to life and transforms the traditional photo gallery of still images into a motion gallery of memories. It also automatically creates integrated highlight films from each event comprised of Zoes, photos and videos set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects. These highlight videos can be remixed or set to different themes, and can be easily shared on social networks, email and other services.

To enable this innovative camera experience, HTC developed a custom camera that includes a best-in-class f/2.0 aperture lens and a breakthrough sensor with UltraPixels that gather 300 percent more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors. This new approach also delivers astounding low-light performance and a variety of other improvements to photos and videos. In addition, the perfect self-portrait or video is just a tap away with an ultra-wide angle front-facing camera which supports 1080p video capture. Multi-axis optical image stabilisation for both the front and rear cameras also helps ensure video footage smoother whether stationary or on the move. HTC UltraPixel camera adds many other features and effects such as enhanced 360′ panorama, time sequencing and object removal.

HTC BoomSound
The new HTC One offers the best audio experience of any mobile phone available today. HTC BoomSound introduces for the first time on a phone, front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier and an amazing full HD display that immerses people in music, videos, games and the YouTube™ clips they love. Beats™ Audio integration is enabled across the entire experience for rich, authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube video or playing a game.

HDR recording uses advanced dual microphones and audio processing to capture clean, rich sound that is worthy of high-definition video footage. Phone calls sound great on HTC One thanks to the addition of HTC Sense Voice™, which boosts the call volume and quality in noisy environments so that conversations come through loud and clear.

HTC Sense TV™
HTC Sense TV transforms the new HTC One into an interactive program guide and remote control for most TVs, set-top boxes and receivers. Tapping the power of the cloud, Sense TV makes it simple and intuitive to see what’s on and find that favourite show.

Metal Unibody Design
Wrapped in a zero-gap aluminium unibody and sporting a brilliant 4.7″, Full HD (1080p) screen, the new HTC One features the latest Android Jelly Bean operating system and LTE network technology to offer blazingly-fast browsing in a package that combines premium design with breakthrough build quality.

Available in stunning silver and beautiful black, the sleek and crafted aluminium unibody sits comfortably in the hand and showcases HTC’s unique antenna technology, which helps people achieve a crystal clear signal. The display also resists scratches and reduces glare, whilst offering incredible 468ppi resolution and rich, natural colours.

Global Availability

The new HTC One will be available globally through more than 185 mobile operators and major retailers in more than 80 regions and countries beginning in March. For more information and to pre-register for the new HTC One, visit www.htc.com.

Europe, Middle East and Africa: 1&1 Germany, A1 Telekom Austria, AB Poland, Allo Ukraine, AMC (Cosmote) Albania, Avea Turkey, Beeline Kazakhstan, Belcompany Netherlands, BH Telecom Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bite Latvia, Bite Lithuania, Bouygues Telecom France, Carphone Warehouse UK, Cell C RSA, Citrus Ukraine, Cosmote Greece, Cosmote Romania & Global Bulgaria, Cyta, DT Mobile(TS) Latvia, Du UAE, Dustin Sweden, Eagle Mobile Albania, EE UK, Elisa Estonia, Elisa Finland, El-Giganten Denmark, El-Giganten Sweden, Elkjöb Norway, EMT (TS) Estonia, E-Plus Germany, ERC Ukraine, Euroset Russia, Gigantii Finland, Go Malta, H3G Austria, H3G Denmark, H3G Italy, H3G Sweden, H3G UK, HT Eronet Bosnia & Herzegovina, K-Cell Kazakhstan, KPN Belgium, KPN Netherlands, Life Belarus, LuxGSM Luxembourg, Megafon Russia, Melita Malta, Meteor Ireland, Mobilezone Switzerland, Mobilochka Ukraine, Mobily KSA, MSH Belgium, MSH Germany, M-Tel Montenegro, M-Tel Bosnia & Herzegovina, MTI Ukraine, MTN Cyprus, MTS Belarus, MTS Russia, Netcom Norway,
(Telefónica) O2 Czech, (Telefónica) O2 Germany, (Telefónica) O2 Ireland, (Telefónica) O2 UK, Omnitel Lithuania, One Macedonia, Optimus Portugal, Orange France, Orange Maldova, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Slovakia, Orange Spain, Orange Switzerland, Partner Communications Israel, PhoneHouse France, PhoneHouse Germany, PhoneHouse Netherlands, PhoneHouse Sweden, Phones4U UK, Play Poland, Plus Communication Albania, Polkomtel Poland, Proximus Belgium, SFR France, SiMobil Slovenia, STC KSA, Sunrise Switzerland, Svyaznoy Russia, Swisscom Switzerland, TDC Denmark, Tele2 Croatia, Tele 2 Estonia, Tele2 Latvia, Tele2 Lithuania, Tele2 Russia, Telia Denmark, Telia Sweden, Telekom Slovenija, Telenet Belgium, Telenor Denmark, Telenor Norway, Telenor Sweden, Telenor Hungary, Telenor Serbia, Telkom Serbia, TIM Italy, TMN Portugal, T-Mobile Austria, T-Mobile Croatia, T-Mobile Czech Republic, T-Mobile Germany, T-Mobile Hungary, T-Mobile Macedonia, T-Mobile Montenegro, T-Mobile Netherlands, T-Mobile Poland, T-Mobile Slovakia, Turkcell Turkey, Tus Mobil Slovenia, Velcom (TAG) Belarus, VIP Operator Macedonia, VIP Mobile Serbia, Vipnet Croatia, Vivacom Bulgaria, Vodacom RSA, Vodafone Albania, Vodafone Czech Republic, Vodafone Egypt, Vodafone Germany, Vodafone Greece, Vodafone Hungary, Vodafone Ireland, Vodafone Italy, Vodafone Malta, Vodafone Netherlands, Vodafone Portugal, Vodafone Romania, Vodafone Spain, Vodafone Turkey, Vodafone UK, Wind Greece, Wind Italy, Yoigo Spain, Yug Contract Ukraine, Zain KSA.

Asia-Pacific: China Mobile Hong Kong Company Ltd., ChungHwa Telecom, 3HK, CSL, Fareastone, M1, Mobifone, Optus, PCCW mobile, Reliance Communications, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., SmarTone, StarHub, Taiwan Mobile, Telecom New Zealand, Telstra, Vodafone Australia, Vodafone New Zealand.

China: China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom

North America: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cincinnati Bell and Best Buy in the United States and in Canada with Rogers Communications, Bell Mobility, TELUS and Virgin Mobile Canada.

Latin America: Claro Argentina (América Movil), Telecom Personal Argentina, Entel Chile, Iusacell México, Telcel México (América Movil), Claro Perú (América Movil), Claro Puerto Rico (América Movil), Movistar Venezuela (Telefonica)

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February 19, 2013
Huawei’s HongMengOS May Launch On August 9 In China

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has had a rollercoaster of a year. While the company was on the brink of becoming the biggest smartphone maker of the world; the US government issued a trade ban on it. This restricted any American company to do business with Huawei. The decision led to the future of its smartphone business laying in jeopardy. However, a while ago, the ban against the company was lifted which meant it could resume business with American organisations. However, it was revealed in the meanwhile that Huawei had been working on its own Operating System(OS) for a while, called HongMengOS. Now, the latest reports reveal that the software may be launched by the company at the Huawei Developer Conference (HDC) in China on the 9th of August.

HongMengOS

The HongMengOS by Huawei is an alternative to the Android operating system it has been using for its smartphones until now. It has been in development since at least 2012 when the company feared their reliance on US-made technology. While most features and details about HongMengOS are still under wraps, it was revealed that the software will be reportedly 60 percent faster than Android or iOS. Huawei has also been in talks with many developers, out of which around 5,000 are expected to attend its developer conference. Along with them, 1,500 key partners of the company will also be marking their presence at the event, which insinuates that HongMengOS may finally see the light of the day there.

Huawei P30 Pro

Also read: LG Working On A Cryptocurrency Wallet Suggests Patent

Every operating system in order to be successful needs an ecosystem with a plethora of applications. It seems like Huawei, at its developer conference is all set to launch the HongMengOS with just that. It is also speculated that the company will opt for a different name for the OS in the global market and the current name will only be marketed as such in China. Unfortunately, more details about it are shrouded in mystery but are expected to be revealed as we move closer to the launch date.

July 9, 2019
Indian Government May Launch It Own Chat App Like WhatsApp

The increased hostility between the US and China have sent the rippling waves of cause and effect to the entire world. Trade tensions between the two highly influential regions have already seen victims. Huawei was one of the most notable to be caught in the crossfire. The Chinese company had been dealt a major blow to its business. To combat a similar fate, the Indian Government is considering the development of an indigenous application for chat and emails.

The US has shown that it is capable of pressurising or enforcing restrictions which have heavy implications on any organisation or country. Senior Government officials in India were in a state of alert following the US sanctioned bans on Huawei. This was due to companies like Intel, ARM, Google and Qualcomm severing ties with the company after the ban. These large MNCs important due to their technology or services that are utilized by virtually every nation. Furthermore, if for some reason the US places any country on such a blacklist, it can lead to severe complications.

India, to tackle this, is planning to develop its own proprietary chat app similar to WhatsApp with other homegrown secure communications network. The apps would generally be made available for the various Indian Government agencies, to protect the country from possible vulnerabilities. This will be a counter to any rising geopolitical tensions with other nations. The US Commerce Department banning Huawei incited strong discussions within India’s top brass. The discussion encompassed plans for developing a secure platform for exchanging strategically important information.

The southeast Asian country is considering the implementation of this system for Government communications at the very least. This will ensure a degree of autonomy and self-dependence that would not have been achievable otherwise. Indian Government officials have already begun calling for the insulation of communications with reduced reliance on private solutions. The plan details a chat app which will keep and store all important related data within the country and not on some remote servers.

The US is currently pressuring India to bar Huawei from 5G in India. This arrives after plans for the first wave of 5G trials. Huawei has asked the Indian Government to take an independent stance on this, with no “back door entry” offered. India has yet to give a response to this. The tech giant received a ban from the US on 21s May, barring Huawei’s products and also barring US companies to supply software or hardware components. A company cannot ever be completely self-reliant. It is a regular phenomenon where technology and services are exchanged within the industries. The same as how Huawei suffered from the ban, any nation could also technically be crippled by strategic nations like the US.

Also Read: BlackBerry And LG Are Making Autonomous Cars

According to Government reports, the US Trade Representatives have already red-flagged India’s data privacy bill and intermediary guidelines. Basically, American companies like Facebook are resisting efforts of data localisation within the Indian subcontinent. The ban on Huawei only points at the possibility of any country being banned whenever they desire to do so. The localisation efforts by the Government could prevent such reliance and save the nation from a crippling state in a worst-case scenario with the “Sarkari” app.

June 27, 2019