TRAI fines Airtel, Vodafone, Idea for denial of interconnection to Jio

  22 Oct 2016 , 11:09

The Indian telecom regulator on Friday slapped heavy penalties on three telecom players — Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular — for not providing sufficient points of interconnections (PoI) to Reliance Jio.

It also said the action of the three operators showed “ulterior motive to stifle competition”.

In three similar letters to the three players, the watchdog — Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) — said it has recommended a penal action of Rs 50 crore per licence service area (LSA) (except Jammu & Kashmir) where PoI congestion exceeded the allowable limit of 0.5 per cent as reported by Airtel/Vodafone/Idea Cellular through emails in September 23.

In the case of Airtel and Vodafone, the fines imposed were for 21 LSAs, amounting to Rs 1050 crore each while in the case of Idea, the fine was Rs 950 crore for

Vodafone will make incoming calls on national roaming free of charge from Diwali

  21 Oct 2016 , 17:35

To counter threat from Reliance Jio free phone call offer, telecom operator Vodafone India on Friday free incoming calls while roaming nationally for all its customers from Diwali. “As part of our ongoing 200 million customer celebration, providing free incoming on national roaming will ensure that our customers do not think twice while traveling out of town,” Vodafone India, Director – Commercial, Sandeep Kataria said in a statement.

Starting this Diwali, all Vodafone India customers travelling anywhere in the country can continue to talk worry free without having to cut short their conversations, the statement said. “Even though outgoing charges while roaming had become comparable to home charges, consumer research has shown that incoming charges while roaming have been a hindrance to worry free usage,” Kataria said.

The new entrant Reliance Jio is offering free voice telephony across the country, including outgoing calls as well which is a big challenge for the entrenched players who derive a bulk of their revenue from the voice business. State-run BSNL has been offering free incoming call during roaming since June 15, 2015. At present, most of the telecom operators charge a tariff for providing free incoming calls during roaming.

PTI

LG G6 will not be modular smartphone

Representational image for smartphones.

By tech2 News Staff /  22 Oct 2016 , 14:54

LG launched its flagship smartphone, the G5, this year with a unique modular design. It was one of the first Android running smartphones that had the ability to swap a panel and replace it to add a new feature to the device.

The bottom part of the smartphone would pop out and you could attach a DAC or a camera control module. It did had a major issue though, one had to remove the battery along with the modules or what LG called ‘friends’. The swapping was not seamless. The smartphone was definitely a unique offering, but it didn’t do well. LG had big plans for the smartphone including a fuller ecosystem, but by the month of June it was clear that the smartphone was a failure. In fact the sales were so bad, the company fired a chunk of its smartphone designers.

Now according to a report, LG will not continue to use a modular design for the upcoming G6 flagship handset. Google had recently announced the end of Project Ara, which was a disappointment for many. LG taking the similar path is not surprising at all.

Motorola and Lenovo on the other had have a more promising modular smartphone strategy. Their new Moto Z smartphone along with the magnetically attachable Moto Mods seems to be more reliable and seamless. It has already opened up the Moto Mods design open for developers, which is good thing. But the real question here is, will the company manage to keep the modular smartphone dream running?

Microsoft focussing on cybersecurity investments in India

By tech2 News Staff /  21 Oct 2016 , 15:39

Microsoft India had launched a full-scale Cybersecurity Engagement Center (CSEC) in India. Located in Delhi, Microsoft says it will be first-of-its-kind center to bring together the company’s capabilities to foster deeper cybersecurity collaborations with public and private sector organizations to create a secure computing environment.

It already had a pilot project for about a year and over the last 12 months, the Microsoft cybersecurity engagement team says it met with over 100 organisations in India. And, based on those conversations, it has observed three common IT environment challenges for cybersecurity namely, unmanaged and unregulated IT assets usage, procurement and maintenance; poor knowledge of cyber hygiene among users within organizations; inability of companies to timely monitor, detect and remove cyber threats.

The CSEC in Delhi becomes the seventh center in the world and it is also said to function as a satellite to the company’s Redmond Digital Crimes Unit (DCU). Besides, the company has also rolled out a nationwide campaign to

Diwali 2016: Essential gear for your gaming needs

By Videep Vijay Kumar /  22 Oct 2016 , 10:22

If there was ever a time to justify spending unreasonable sums of money on your gaming setup, that time is now. Take advantage of ridiculous price drops as a result of overstocking, product phasing-out, and the annual bonfire of investor money by your friendly neighbourhood e-commerce website in the coming weeks. It also happens that we’ve got a handy list of essentials you should keep an eye out for, so pounce on some of deals available right now, or monitor the situation for imminent acquisition.

PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset

You will be surprised at the sheer utility value of these cans. Compatible with PlayStations 3 & 4, PS Vita (if you still happen to own one) as well as PC, the Gold headset will also serve you well if you choose to plug it into your smartphone with a 3.5mm stereo cable. It packs in console specific features, such as a way to adjust game and party chat volume, while sporting a handy “mute” button for when you’re crunching on Doritos.

PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset

Tritton Katana 7.1 Wireless HDMI Headset

It’s got an effective range of up to 15-20 metres, while sound quality is pretty good as well (let’s just say it’s par for its price). The only real downside is the build quality. While it is solid overall, the Gold isn’t built for

New Apple MacBook Pro and Air lineup to be announced on 27 October: Here’s what to expect

By tech2 News Staff /  20 Oct 2016 , 10:42

After plenty of rumours, Apple has finally broken its silence on the launch of its much-awaited MacBook refresh. The new page that details the event is up on Apple’s website with the message “hello again”, inviting fans to join them on the live stream of the event set to take place on October 27 at 10AM PDT (which would be 10:30AM IST).

Like always Apple has not detailed or even hinted as to what it plans to reveal at the event. But with the new iPhones for the year already launched back in September, this indeed could be for the much-awaited MacBook refresh. We say much-awaited as Apple’s current generation of MacBooks (Air and Pros) offer fifth generation chipsets and the same old design as their predecessors.

From what we know through rumours and leaks so far, Apple may announce both a refreshed version of the MacBook Air and a redesigned MacBook Pro Series. 9to5Mac points out that we may see some newer hardware from the Mac lineup as well. The Mac Lineup received a refresh a few years ago, so don’t expect a redesign but just upgraded hardware with the Mac Pro, iMac desktops and the Mac Mini as well.

Japanese blog, Macotakara pointed out that Apple is already geared up to release its new range of MacBook Pros and a new MacBook Air by end of October as conveyed by a reliable Chinese supplier.

Image: Martin Hajek

While the MacBook Pros are expected to arrive in 13-inch and 15-inch models, the same source also points out that Apple will kill the 11-inch MacBook Air. The reasons for the same seem to be related to the existence of the iPad Pro series. The 13-inch MacBook Air model is expected to see a complete redesign.

Other details hint that, the new MacBooks will be skipping on the standard USB ports and will go in for the USB Type C ports instead, along with support for the Thunderbolt 3 standard. The USB C ports will be used for charging, so it is indeed time to wave goodbye to the MagSafe connector. The MacBook Pro lineup is also expected to feature Touch ID and an OLED touch panel that sits over the keyboard.

Google, Ford and Honda among automakers against proposed self-driving car regulations in California

  20 Oct 2016 , 11:01

Alphabet Inc’s Google unit and automakers objected on Wednesday to California proposals to set new, mandatory rules for testing self-driving cars in the state, which industry officials said could hobble their efforts in the home to much of self-driving vehicle testing and development. Automakers and Google raised a litany of concerns about California’s proposal at a hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday. They expressed opposition to the state proposal to require compliance with guidelines that federal regulators issued last month, but made voluntary.

They questioned why California would require a new autonomous vehicle data recorder and what data they would be required to test, and they objected to a proposal they said would force a 12-month delay between testing a vehicle and deploying it on public roads. Automakers also questioned whether police should be able to get any self-driving data within 24 hours without seeking a warrant or subpoena.

California regulatory policy is important to automakers and technology companies because of its impact on operations in the state, and because the policies enacted in the most populous U.S. state often influence what other states and other countries do. The proposed requirement that manufacturers generate a year of driverless testing data before applying for an operating permit drew objections from General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co, and Google.

The state’s approach “could greatly delay the benefits that self-driving vehicles can bring to safety and mobility for individuals,” said David Strickland, who heads the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets that includes Google, Ford, Lyft, Uber Technologies Inc and Volvo Car Group. Brian Soublet, deputy director of the California DMV, said Wednesday the department wants concrete suggestions to help improve its proposal. Soublet said the department will be considering potential changes over the next several months but he did not give a timetable for finalizing the rules.

“The goal is making sure that we can get this life-saving technology out on the streets,” Soublet said. California’s proposal would allow for the absence of a human driver and a steering wheel in advanced self-driving cars. In December, California had proposed to require licensed drivers and controls in self-driving vehicles.

Ron Medford, director of safety for Google’s self-driving car project, said California’s proposal to require manufacturers to obtain local approval is “unworkable.” The rule could prevent manufacturers from testing a vehicle that can travel from one area to another. Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog urged California to prohibit autonomous vehicles without a human driver until federal regulators enact enforceable standards.

Reuters