The government is engaged in talks with telecom firms for a launch of commercial 5G services in some cities by Independence Day and has assured them that spectrum auction will take place in April-May, providing them a three to four-month window for the rollout. A top executive of a leading telecom gear company said the deadline was feasible in some cases. "It can be achieved in some cities as it will take us 4-6 weeks to deploy a network, once the equipment or components have reached India.
Telecom industry body COAI has approached the information technology ministry for removal of fake and misleading messages from social media platforms like Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter linking spread of COVID-19 to 5G technology. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, said the claims linking 5G with coronavirus are baseless as 5G networks have not yet been installed in the country and even 5G trials are yet to be started by the telecom operators. In a letter dated May 15 to MeitY additional secretary Rajendra Kumar, COAI director general S P Kochhar said: "To safeguard the national interest, we request your good office to kindly instruct all the social media platforms such as Facebook, Watsapp, Twitter, etc, to remove all such posts and misleading campaigns from their platforms on an urgent basis." People have been sharing audio and video messages on social media platforms in which 5G towers are being blamed for rise in casualties across the country even though none of the companies have installed 5G technology anywhere in India.
Frenchman Benoit Paire was allowed to play in the Hamburg Open despite testing positive for COVID-19 because the 'rules are different' in Germany.
The Union Cabinet has approved the modalities for holding 5G spectrum auctions, and 72097.85 MHz of radio waves will be put on the block by July-end, an official release said on Wednesday.
Apex telecom industry body COAI has asserted that spectrum pricing should be kept conducive to market conditions as 5G entails upfront capital investments with monetisation spread over a long-haul, and pricing radiowaves high will only push the players up against the wall. The stage is set for Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to come out with its recommendations on 5G spectrum pricing and other modalities for upcoming auctions, and the announcement from the sector watchdog is expected anytime now. Norms will also be worked out for new frequencies such as 526-698 MHz and millimetre band, that is 24.25 - 28.5 GHz, in addition to bands such as 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz.
Speaking to PTI, Vaishnaw said that the telecom reforms package cleared by the Cabinet is adequate for the survival of existing players, and will ensure robust competition in the sector. With more reforms, and more structural changes, that are in the pipeline, "more players should come", he added.
Emery's position is under the spotlight after two wins in Arsenal's last 10 league games with the latest setback coming in a 2-0 defeat at high-flying Leicester City on Saturday.
It has get-up-and-go and is possessed of immense agility, observes Pavan Lall.
5G networks in India can be deployed in three months but in limited areas as the optical fibre based infrastructure to support the technology is not ready yet, telecom industry players said on Tuesday. Nokia India head of marketing and corporate affairs Amit Marwah said that India has to take a call on deployment of 5G services otherwise it will miss to take advantage of the next generation technology that it can bring for the economy.
'I see a virtually zero impact on the sales of new vehicles with this move,' said an expert
Smooth engine, plush interiors, great suspension that handle dodgy roads with ease, futuristic design elements that have little by way of competition in the market -- it's all there, says Pavan Lall.
VfL Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has been fined $22,644 for his foul-mouthed outburst at a ball boy.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Unai Emery was pleased that Arsenal kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 4-2 home win over Ukraine's Vorskla Poltava but could not hide his frustration at the concession of two late goals.
'Our automakers export 50 per cent of what they manufacture and once the policy comes into play, which is in the next 2-3 years, we would become a Rs 10 trillion industry.'
Runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich showed no signs of letting up as they brushed aside Werder Bremen 4-0 in a bad-tempered match on Saturday.
The operators say that the move to have an India-specific standard will raise the costs not only of telecom networks but of chipsets for mobile devices because they will have to be made for the local market and, as such, will not enjoy global economies of scale.
This week's collection of unbelievably unusual images from across the world.
The move comes against the backdrop of the US and some of its allies banning the purchase of Chinese telecom gear over security concerns and pressuring other countries to follow suit.
Bayern Munich humiliated former Bundesliga powerhouses Werder Bremen 7-0 on Saturday, Franck Ribery scoring twice and setting up another as the champions kept up their seemingly unstoppable march towards another title.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich stumbled to a 1-1 home draw against Hoffenheim on Saturday but stayed three points clear at the top as Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired four goals past Hamburg SV following his midweek ban. Bayern fell a goal behind when Kerem Demirbay's thundering shot in the 16th minute left keeper Manuel Neuer rooted on the spot.
As a model of transport, the A380 strikes a parallel -- a shared fragility -- with giant container ships, observes Shyam G Menon.
According to software company Mavernir, the new virtualised networks would lead to a saving of 40 per cent in capex and 34 per cent in terms of lower operations cost for operators.
Several factors have held India back. One is DoT policy somersaults and lack of clarity on whether to or not to ban Chinese gear makers.
It was in the 1960s that the Beetle attained its cult status, when it became almost synonymous with the hippie movement -- and succeeded in shaking off the grim history of its origins. As Volkswagen announces the end of the Bug's journey, Amrita Singh goes down a nostalgic road.
Here's capturing the car's 80-year-old legacy, and popularity, in photographs.
Analysts at rating agency ICRA say the debt level of the telecom companies is very high and the ecosystem for the premium band is not in place.
It is learnt that the defence ministry is refusing to let go of its 100 MHz spectrum, which was allotted earlier. In that case, the department of telecommunications (DoT) will be left with only 175 MW of 5G spectrum of the total 300 MHz.
Reliance is leveraging the technological change of building a virtualised 5G network which would see the current hardware-dependent networks shift to software-centric platforms.
We present here glimpse of toy manufacturing factories from around the globe.
A summary of Wednesday night's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Unai Emery begins the task of steering Arsenal into a brave new post-Arsene Wenger world.
Real's record signing Bale has not played since injuring his groin against Barcelona on April 23 but is fit and available for the final in his home city of Cardiff after returning to training last Friday.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane urged his side to remain calm after their Champions League hopes suffered a setback with a shock 2-0 loss at VfL Wolfsburg in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Wednesday.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane denied his side were facing a crisis after they drew 1-1 at home to La Liga minnows Eibar and racked up a fourth consecutive draw for the first time in more than 10 years.
This week's collection of unbelievably unusual images that show it's an odd, crazy world we live in.
Germany's new-look team made a promising return to the international stage with a 1-1 draw against Serbia in a friendly on Wednesday, showing signs of improvement following a disastrous 2018.
Etihad is the fourth airline to operate the super jumbo aircraft to India.
Runaway leaders Bayern Munich appeared to barely break sweat in a 4-0 win at Hanover 96 to chalk up their 14th Bundesliga win in a row on Sunday, leaving them a huge 19 points clear at the top.
Borussia Dortmund completed their spectacular implosion this season, losing 2-1 at struggling Werder Bremen.
