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Tag: asia

  • RCom chief spared jail over debt to Ericsson

    RCom chief spared jail over debt to Ericsson

    Reliance Communications (RCom) has terminated a deal to sell its telecom assets to Reliance Jio Infocomm after failing to receive regulatory approval.

    But RCom’s founder Anil Ambani has been granted a last-minute reprieve from being imprisoned for failing to meet the company’s court-ordered repayment obligations to major creditor Ericsson after support from his older brother and founder of Reliance Jio Mukesh.

    In a stock exchange filing, RCom blamed its decision to terminate its asset sale plan to factors including a failure to receive the required permissions from the Department of Telecom.

    RCom also has not received notice of consent or objection from more than 40 of its foreign an Indian lenders regarding the proposed sale, despite holding over 45 meetings over a 15 month period, the company said.

    RCom has also decided to attempt fast track resolution of its overall debt through the National Company Law Tribunal, and the Tribunal has restrained the company from selling or transferring ay assets while the case is ongoing.

    But due to last minute intervention from Mukesh Ambani, RCom revealed in a second statement that the company has managed to make the required 5.5 billion rupee ($80.1 million) payment to Ericsson before the deadline for him to be jailed.

    Ambani was last month found to be in contempt of court over a failure to make the 5.5 billion rupee payment RCom had promised to make to Ericsson in September. He was given four weeks to make the payment or face being jailed for three months.

    “My sincere and heartfelt thanks to my respected elder brother, Mukesh, and Nita, for standing by me during these trying times, and demonstrating the importance of staying true to our strong family values by extending this timely support,” Anil Ambani said in a statement.

    “I and my family are grateful we have moved beyond the past, and are deeply grateful and touched with this gesture.”

    Ambani was referring to the fallout the two brothers had over the inheritance of Reliance Industries from their father Dhirubhai Ambani following his death in 2002. The brothers have since reconciled.

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  • 1.4 million super saving Vietjet tickets priced from MYR0 up for grabs for three days!

    1.4 million super saving Vietjet tickets priced from MYR0 up for grabs for three days!

    With the arrival of the vibrant summer season, Vietjet has opened ticket sales on three new domestic routes, including Can Tho – Hai Phong, Can Tho – Vinh and Can Tho – Thanh Hoa which will operate from April 26, 2019.

    Celebrating this special occasion, Vietjet is offering 1.4 million super saving tickets priced only from MYR0 (*) on three golden days from March 20 to March 22, 2019 via the airline’s website. The promotional tickets are available during the golden hours from 1.00pm to 3.00pm, and applicable for all domestic routes in Vietnam. Travel time is from May 21, 2019 to December 31, 2019?

    The Can Tho – Hai Phong route will operate daily return flights; flying time is around 1 hour and 55 minutes per leg. The Can Tho – Vinh route will operate return flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday; flying time is around 1 hour and 50 minutes per leg. Meanwhile the Can Tho – Thanh Hoa route will operate return flights on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday; flying time is around 1 hour and 55 minutes per leg.

    Subsequently in May 2019, Vietjet will introduce two more new routes from Can Tho to Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa province) and Dalat (Lam Dong province). With the addition of these new routes, Vietjet will have the distinction of being the only airline with the most routes and flights from and to Can Tho – the capital city of the Mekong Delta area.

    With a network comprising 39 domestic routes and 69 international routes, Vietjet operates safe flights with a technical reliability rate of 99.64% — the highest rate in the Asia Pacific region. As a fully-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA), Vietjet has obtained the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate and has been awarded a 7-star ranking, the world’s highest rate for safety, by AirlineRatings.

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  • AR version of Angry Birds comes to iOS this spring

    AR version of Angry Birds comes to iOS this spring

    Remember when Angry Birds was the most popular mobile game around? Many of you who played religiously ended up moving on to more graphically complex games. Maybe Rovio’s characters, which the company once said would make it the next Disney, suffered from overexposure with licensing deals. The fowl foul had their faces plastered all over the place from Band Aids to board games to underwear.

    You can’t say that Rovio hasn’t tried to keep up with the times. VR versions of Angry Birds are available for Oculus Rift and Vive, and an AR variant of the game can be played on the Magic Leap headset. And today, the company has announced that Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs will soon be available for certain Apple iPhone and Apple iPod models. Using Apple’s ARKit, a flat surface like a coffee table is overlaid with different stages while the phone itself becomes the slingshot.

    Players can walk around each stage, looking for hidden items and areas where the pigs might be most vulnerable to attack. Rovio is offering the game for free in partnership with Resolution Games, although we are pretty sure that there will be some in-app purchasers that players can make.

    “We’re delighted to bring the beloved physics-based gameplay of Angry Birds to life through augmented reality. It’s an especially timely moment to bring our avian friends to mobile AR for the first time, as this year marks the tenth anniversary since the release of the first Angry Birds game.”-Kati Levoranta, CEO, Rovio Entertainment

    “This game evokes the core of what makes AR gameplay truly AR. With its engaging characters, classic Angry Birds slingshot gameplay and ability to move around the structures, it utilizes the unique elements of Apple’s ARKit and showcases what AR gameplay is capable of, which is pretty amazing when you see it come to life.”- Tommy Palm, Resolution Games.

    Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs is available today to pre-order from iTunes and it will be released in the late spring of 2019. Don’t expect to see an AR version of Angry Birds for Android anytime soon since the phone version of the new AR Angry Birds game is an Apple exclusive for now.

    For those familiar with the old Angry Birds games, the rules are the same. You try to knock down as many pigs as possible by using a slingshot to propel one of the Angry Birds toward the swine. One difference is that now you see the slingshot from a first-person perspective. Fling back on your phone to send the Angry Bird flying toward its target. Originally, there will be as many as 40 different levels in the game.

    Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs is compatible with all iPhone models dating back to the iPhone 6s, all iPad Pro models, iPad fifth and sixth generation, and the new iPad Air and iPad Mini tablets introduced yesterday.

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  • Apple to announce AirPower and AirPods wireless charging case

    Apple to announce AirPower and AirPods wireless charging case

    According to Max Weinbach, Apple’s seventh-generation iPod Touch will make its international debut sometime tomorrow. Once again, specifics about the product weren’t provided but this announcement info does coincide with a previous rumor from earlier today. After the iPod’s announcement, Apple could proceed with the unveiling of two other products. Weinbach’s sources acknowledged that they haven’t worked on AirPower or the AirPods wireless charging case directly.

    However, they did confirm the possibility of these products launching later on this week. If Apple’s strategy so far is anything to go by, the AirPower charging mat will probably be announced on Thursday. This will presumably be followed in Friday by the debut of the AirPods wireless charging case. But if Apple wishes to cut the week short, it could announce both products simultaneously.

    As a further indication of Apple’s plans to launch AirPower soon, recent changes to the iOS 12.2 beta have resulted in “significant” modifications to the wireless charging code. More specifically, the operating system now includes the code “responsible for identifying that two devices are charging on the same mat,” something AirPower will support.

    Apple’s AirPods 2 might still be months away

    As you may have noticed, there has been no mention of AirPods 2. Unfortunately, this is because the sources believe Apple’s next-gen wearable won’t launch until September alongside the iPhone 11 series. Rumor has it that AirPods 2 will look fairly identical to the originals. But in the hope of improving grip and reducing slipperiness, Apple is believed to be preparing a new frosted glass-like coating. This same coating may be present on the 2019 iPhone series.

    The new AirPods should introduce always-on Siri – which will give users the option of activating Siri with the words ‘Hey, Siri’ – and some kind of water resistance. The updated accessory may also feature some health-related features such as a built-in heart rate monitor. Also expected from AirPods 2 is Apple’s W2 Bluetooth connectivity chip.

    This halves power consumption with respect to the W1 chip and should result in big battery life improvements. Better overall sound quality is likely too.

    What does Apple have left for its March 25 event?

    After what could potentially be an entire week dedicated to hardware, next Monday Apple is holding the “It’s show time” press event. And, as revealed by Weinbach’s sources, there will be no hardware announcements. Instead, the company will focus entirely on its new services. The main star next week is expected to be Apple’s highly-anticipated news-aggregating subscription service.

    For a rumored price of $10 per month, consumers will gain access to a range of premium new content provided by a wide range of suppliers. Reportedly, this new service will be available to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users through the existing Apple News app.

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  • Fitbit Versa Special Edition with NFC support flies high

    Fitbit Versa Special Edition with NFC support flies high

    While it’s certainly not unusual to see older gadgets discounted shortly after new models are released, the recently unveiled Fitbit Versa Lite Edition is not actually an upgraded version of last year’s regular Versa. As such, deals on the original model weren’t exactly guaranteed, especially given Fitbit’s newfound success in a fast-growing global wearables market, owed in part to this specific low-cost Apple Watch rival.

    All things considered therefore, it’s definitely a nice surprise to be able to buy a Special Edition of 2018’s Fitbit Versa at a markdown of around 25 percent on Amazon right now. That translates into pretty hefty savings of 60 bucks (give or take a couple) for what was already one of the most affordable feature-packed smartwatches available in the US.

    In case you’re wondering what makes this device “special”, it’s the addition of an NFC chip compared to a standard Versa edition, which enables wrist payment support. We’re not talking about Google Pay, mind you, but rather’s Fitbit proprietary service, fittingly dubbed Fitbit Pay and compatible with credit and debit cards issued by more than 100 US banks

    You can get the marked-down Versa SE with a “Charcoal Woven” or “Lavender Woven” strap, both of which look… pretty unusual for a fitness-first wearable device. Otherwise, there’s no disputing the appeal of an inexpensive smartwatch with a decent touchscreen in tow, as well as stellar 4+ day battery life, a swim-proof design, built-in optical heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, and plenty of other tricks up its sleeve guaranteeing a top-notch activity and sleep tracking experience.

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  • Cebu Pacific income down 50.6% in 2018

    Cebu Pacific income down 50.6% in 2018

    The operator of budget carrier Cebu Pacific saw earnings dip by 50.6 percent last year amid challenges such as the closure of a popular tourist destination, rising fuel prices and increased competition.

    In a statement, Gokongwei-owned Cebu Air Inc. said profits fell to P3.9 billion from P7.9 billion a year earlier even as revenues climbed 9 percent to P74.1 billion from P68.03 billion.

    Passenger revenues, in particular, hit P54.3 billion, 9 percent higher than the P49.93 billion recorded in 2017. The listed airline carried 20.3 million passengers last year, up 3 percent from 2017’s 19.7 million.

    The cargo business also witnessed double-digit growth at 19 percent, the firm said.

    “The growth in CEB’s (Cebu Air’s stock symbol) 2018 business came amidst a challenging environment with high fuel prices, a volatile Philippine peso, rising interest rates, increased competition, the six-month closure of Boracay, and operational limitations in the country’s key airports,” the firm said.

    Michael Ivan Shau, Cebu Pacific chief operations officer, said the carrier expected to bounce back due to fleet and network expansions.

    “2019 is definitely the year we accelerate our growth,” Shau said in a statement.

  • The Galaxy S10 has helped Samsung triple its market share in China

    The Galaxy S10 has helped Samsung triple its market share in China

    Samsung has been the number one smartphone manufacturer for years. It dominates key markets such as North America and Europe, while also remaining a strong player across Asia. In China, though, the situation is pretty different. Despite the company’s best efforts, over the past few years Samsung has seen its market share drop to a measly 1%. But thanks to the recent release of the Galaxy S10 lineup, things seem to be improving.

    The Samsung Galaxy S10 has accelerated growth in China

    According to reliable industry insider Ice Universe, Samsung’s market share in China has almost quadrupled since the beginning of the year, going from just 1% in early January to an impressive 3.6% during the tenth week of 2019 (March 4th to March 10th). The primary source of this growth is the recently-announced Galaxy S10 lineup.

    The new flagship series, which launched globally on March 8th, has reportedly been outperforming last year’s Galaxy S9 lineup by massive margins in China. In fact, the number of Galaxy S10/S10+ units sold within the first two hours of pre-orders was allegedly equal to double the number of Galaxy S9/S9+ devices sold during the first day.This impressive performance has also extended to a number of key global markets. In both the US and the UK, the Galaxy S10 series set new pre-order records for Samsung. The most popular model proved to be the Galaxy S10+, despite its higher price.

    10 million Galaxy S10 units could be shipped this month alone

    Although predictions do vary by analyst, the overall consensus appears to be that Samsung’s Galaxy S10 trio will achieve sales of between 40 and 45 million units by the end of 2019. Around 20 million of these should ship by the very end of June. If this is successfully achieved, the new lineup will have outperformed last year’s Galaxy S9 duo, which sold 19.2 million units during the same period. In regards to short-term performance, recent forecasts have suggested the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10e are on track to ship a combined 10 million units by the end of this month alone.

    Things are looking positive for Samsung in China

    As a result of intense competition from local brands, Samsung revamped its mid-range strategy late last year. The South Korean giant started implementing a number of new designs and focused heavily on its mobile cameras. Additionally, it promised to make flagship features more accessible by introducing them to consumers via the new Galaxy A-series. So far this year, the company has introduced the public to the Galaxy A10, A20, A30, and A50. These represent some of the company’s best value-for-money offerings in years and help cater towards a range of consumers in the budget segment.

    Eventually, these four devices will be joined by the Galaxy A40, Galaxy A60, and Galaxy A70. As indicated by their respective names, these will target consumers with slightly larger budgets and should help cover any remaining price points that Samsung doesn’t yet have covered. Lastly, Samsung’s new Galaxy A series should be completed by the Galaxy A90. This device will act as the most expensive model but should still cost less than the Galaxy S10e. In fact, a rumor floating around leads us to believe that it may be some sort of budget flagship powered by the Snapdragon 855. The smartphone is also rumored to include a bezel-less display paired with a unique pop-out camera mechanism which will remove the need for separate front and rear cameras thanks to its ability to rotate.

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  • Grab launches ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ option

    Grab launches ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ option

    Grab has expanded its fintech offer with “Buy Now Pay Later” facility and an online store check-out plugin.

    Through its joint venture with Credit Saison, the ride-hailing platform offers a post-paid payment facility which allows customers to pay for Grab services at the end of the month, without additional fees.

    This is geared towards consumers who face exceptional expenses, but are keen to avoid being hit with high credit card or personal loan interest payments.

    The platform will also launch another pay-later product, which will allow consumers to shop online immediately, but pay for their purchases in installments.

    Only Grab’s most creditworthy customers can use these two products. Credit risk is based on their tenure on the Grab platform, frequency of use and spending patterns.

    Grab has been boosting its financial services in Southeast Asia in recent years. Its GrabPay service has teamed with e-commerce platforms such as Qoo10 and 11Street.

    It has recently signed with Adyen, Boku, iPay88, Dragonpay, Cathay Cineplexes, and SM Cinema in the Philippines.

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  • Ihop Pakistan franchise deal got signed

    Ihop Pakistan franchise deal got signed

    Dine Brands Global has announced a deal with several principals of Gerry’s Group, a leading logistics and F&B group, to launch Ihop Pakistan.

    The deal calls for 19 Ihop locations throughout the country over the next nine years, nine of which will be franchised by the principals of Gerry’s Group with the other 10 sub-franchised. The first location is expected to open in Karachi by the end of this year and continues the brand’s expansion into the Asia-Pacific market.

    Ihop, founded in 1958, has been a global brand since 1969. It already has a presence in India, Thailand and Guam as well as 11 other countries and Puerto Rico.

    “My commitment as CEO of Dine Brands Global was to return it to a growth company, and our international development is certainly a major component of that growth,” said Steve Joyce. “Key to our international strategy is identifying and entering new markets, such as Pakistan, that have a rapidly growing economy, are contiguous to existing markets to offer an economy of scale, and above all, have an appetite for Ihop’s unique guest experience of warm hospitality with world famous pancakes, breakfast and other menu items.

    “The opportunity to partner with principals from Gerry’s Group as franchisees was also a major factor in our decision. Under their ownership, Gerry’s Group is an experienced, established company based in Pakistan with multinational experience across a broad number of industries as well as food and beverage, including operating and owning 40 Costa Coffee locations in the UK.”

    “The principals of Gerry’s Group bring a strong track record of success with global brands,” added the firm’s regional VP and GM, Asia Pacific and the Middle East Gary Moore. “They bring an infrastructure – and the shared values and commitment to excellence – that will be key to introducing Ihop in this exciting new country for us.”

    “We have had a lot of interest in Pakistan from potential franchisees and while it fits perfectly with our expansion strategy in the region, we wanted to be sure we found the strongest partner in the country to take that step,” said Dine Brands executive director, international, development Dan Lecocq. “Gerry’s Group brings exactly the qualities and qualifications we look for in every franchisee as we look to continue our expansion here and in our other international areas of opportunity.”

    MD for Gerry’s Group, Akram Wali Muhammad, said that while Ihop will be a new brand in Pakistan, there is already significant awareness of and excitement about the brand. “We look forward to the opening of our first location later this year.”

    Asia Pacific has been targeted as a key area of growth for Dine Brands, along with Latin America, Canada and the Middle East. The company has already signed deals to bring the Ihop brand to South America this year in Peru and Ecuador, and to expand its presence in Canada to Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

    Dine Brands is also actively exploring opportunities to take the Ihop brand to the UK.

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  • Happy Lemon teashop showcases Alibaba tech

    Happy Lemon teashop showcases Alibaba tech

    Taiwanese bubble-tea chain Happy Lemon has teamed up with Koubei, Alibaba Group’s local-services app, to upgrade its in-store technology, including a new drink-making robot. At its pilot “smart store” in Shanghai, customers have the option of buying their drinks at a counter manned by employees or, for a fully automated experience, purchasing via their smartphones for service by the robot. Customers scan a QR code with the Koubei app, tick a few boxes to customise their drink, then wait for a text notification to pick up their tea at a smart locker, which opens when they tap a “pick-up” button on the app.

    The robot can make eight types of drinks with about 40 variations based on customer preferences for different amounts of ice and sugar – each taking about 90 seconds, Koubei said.

    “The smart-store initiative is part of our journey to bring New Retail to food and beverage merchants,” said Guo Haodang, head of Koubei’s smart-store program. “We bring advanced technologies, such as our QR codes, intelligent pick-up lockers and robotic tea mixers, to merchants’ brick-and-mortar stores, helping the sector rethink how they sell and engage with consumers.”

    Koubei and Happy Lemon’s tea-making robot can serve up drinks in 90 seconds.

    Koubei and Happy Lemon’s tea-making robot can serve up drinks in 90 seconds.

    Happy Lemon, which operates more than 1000 stores worldwide, including in the US, Canada, the UK and South Korea, is the latest company to join the smart-store program. Launched in 2017, there are now about 100 brands that have partnered with Koubei to upgrade their brick-and-mortar locations with in-store technology, such as features that allow consumers to pre-order by mobile app and skip queues. Other brands that have signed on include the century-old Chinese restaurant chain Wu Fang Zhai, Hong Kong traditional sweets maker Honeymoon Dessert and pastry chain Kengee.

    Daniel Lee, deputy GM of global marketing at Happy Lemon, said that high employee turnover can lead to drinks being made inconsistently. The robot, which knows right ingredients and amounts, is the perfect solution to that problem, he said.

    Happy Lemon is working with Koubei to replicate this model at more of its stores across China, according to a statement from the local-services app.

    A Happy Lemon customer uses the Koubei app to place his order.

    “Aside from hardware innovations like with the robotic tea mixer, what’s more important to us are the big-data applications behind it,” said Lee, adding that Koubei’s analytics had helped determine where to build the pilot smart store as well as provide AI-powered customisations to customers.

    Last year, the company leveraged Koubei’s consumer analytics to better reach its potential customers online and drive traffic to its physical stores. In 2016, Happy Lemon had joined Alibaba’s on-demand delivery arm, Ele.me. The brand said that 30 per cent of its orders come from delivery rather than in-store purchases, and it expects that ratio to grow further.

    Market research firm Mintel says demand for tea-shop drinks has grown remarkably in the last couple of years in China, reaching a total retail value of RMB 48.5 billion (US$7.2 billion) last year. While nearly all tea-shop consumers in China have bought their beverages in physical stores, just over two-thirds have ordered their drinks online, Mintel noted, which means online channels are a potential growth opportunity for tea chains.

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  • Qualcomm’s new line of chips will make smart speakers better than ever

    Qualcomm’s new line of chips will make smart speakers better than ever

    Qualcomm, manufacturer of the popular Snapdragon chips that power billions of devices, is now aiming to dominate another segment of smart products: speakers and displays with voice assistant support. To do that, the company announced today a new family of chips called the QCD400 Series Smart Audio SoCs. The new chips are designed specifically for the needs of smart speakers like the Google HomePod and Home mini, Amazon’s Echo lineup and others. That is why Qualcomm has focused on two main aspects: sound reproduction and voice recognition.

    The QCS400 line promises “truly superior audio performance” that should come not only from Qualcomm’s own technologies, but support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X as well. The chips will be capable of supporting up to 32 audio channels.

    To make your communication with the voice assistant better, Qualcomm is once again putting AI to use. The AI should help with voice recognition so you can expect fewer misheard words and phrases in the future. The new chips should also allow the device to better separate voices from background noises or music and detect trigger words easier.

    Besides those main capabilities, Qualcomm is also looking to improve a couple more things that are also quite important.The first one is an improvement in power consumption which will come handy for portable Bluetooth speakers and other battery-powered devices. Devices with the new chips are expected to have a significantly longer standby time during which voice wakeup will be available.

    And finally, the new chips will ensure that your smart device is always well connected. Whether that is to the internet via Wi-Fi or to your phone through Bluetooth, Qualcomm has made improvements in any aspect of the smart speaker connectivity.

    The QCD400 chips are four in total, two of them are for audio only. The least powerful is the dual-core QCS 403, followed by a quad-core QCS404. The two chips that come with video capabilities have the Adreno 306 GPU and support HDMI. Only the highest tier chip, the QCS407 supports 32 channel audio, while the rest top up at 12 channels.

    If you’re a frequent user of smart speakers these new developments are good news for you. And if not, well, you’re probably concerned about the fact that soon these pesky always-listening devices will be able to hear you even better. Like them or not, it seems they’re here to stay!

  • Huawei adopts Open Rack for cloud data centers

    Huawei adopts Open Rack for cloud data centers

    Huawei has revealed plans to adopt the Open Compute Project’s (OCP) Open Rack standard for rack and power delivery architecture for its new public cloud data centers worldwide.

    The Open Rack initiative seeks to redefine the data center rack to significantly reduce energy consumption, while driving operational efficiency by reducing the time it takes to install and maintain racks.

    Huawei will be joining major hyperscale internet companies such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft in adopting the Open Rack standard, which is designed to integrate the rack into data center infrastructure.

    This marks the first OCP standard adopted by Huawei since the Chinese vendor joined the project last year. The vendor is also contributing to a number of OCP projects including rack and power, system management and server projects, and has developed an OCP-based compute module.

    “Huawei’s strategic investment and commitment to OCP is a win-win,” commented Kenneth Zhang, general manager of FusionServer within the Huawei Intelligent Computing Business Department.

    “Combining Huawei’s extensive experience in Telco and Cloud deployments together with the knowledge of the vast OCP community will help Huawei to provide cutting edge, flexible and open solutions to its global customers. In turn, Huawei can leverage its market leadership and global datacenter infrastructure to help introduce OCP to new geographies and new market segments worldwide.”

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  • ADLINK, Charles Industries demo mobile edge AI/ML solution

    ADLINK, Charles Industries demo mobile edge AI/ML solution

    Test and measurement company ADLINK Technology and telecoms, marine and industrial manufacturer Charles Industries have developed the industry’s first pole-mounted multi-access Edge AI and machine learning solution.

    The solution, a complete micro-edge low latency AI, machine and deep learning solution can be co-located on LTE small cell poles or 5G radios, is specifically designed for outdoor telecoms use cases.

    The solution, which can be either pole or wall mounted, integrates ADLINK’s latest AI Edge Server with a Charles Industries Mico Edge Enclosure.

    According to the companies, the solution has the potential to enable a range of new and advanced services, including autonomous vehicles/pods, virtual and augmented reality applications, and vision analytics.

    ADLINK’s mobile edge computing platform has been designed to fully comply with the Open Data Center Committee’s Open Telecom IT Infrastructure standard to meet the 5G requirements of ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and real-time access to the radio network.

    The companies are showcasing the solution at the NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference in San Jose in the US this week.

  • Vodafone Idea contracts Nokia for LTE expansion

    Vodafone Idea contracts Nokia for LTE expansion

    India’s Vodafone Idea has awarded Nokia a contract to improve the operator’s LTE coverage and capacity.

    Under the contract, Nokia will provide Single RAN Advanced, massive MIMO and small cell technology across multiple Indian telecoms circles to support the operator’s network consolidation and modernization program.

    The small cell deployment will help improve both indoor and outdoor coverage and capacity in the circles. Vodafone Idea will also adopt dynamic spectrum sharing technology to make the most productive use of the converged company’s spectrum.

    “Vodafone Idea is undertaking the world’s biggest telecom network integration in India [following the merger between Vodafone India and Idea Cellular], and creating India’s most advanced, secure and cost-efficient network,” Vodafone Idea CTO Vishant Vora said.

    “Extensive use of UBRs, dynamic spectrum sharing, massive MIMO and HetNets are key to our plan in this integration exercise, and we are very happy to partner with Nokia to deploy these futuristic, next generation technologies to prepare a future-proof network for the digital era.”

    Last month Vodafone Idea also contracted Ericsson to deploy LTE equipment for the network integration program, including radio systems and transport equipment from Ericsson’s 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System portfolio.

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  • Ooredoo launches global blockchain initiative

    Ooredoo launches global blockchain initiative

    Blockchain is a fast-growing digital enabler, with safe, secure, and reliable “distributed ledger” technology providing a permanent digital record of ownership that allows every part of a transaction to be verified.

    While many organizations may know blockchain powering cryptocurrency, there are wider applications of blockchain empowering solutions that can save time and money, and can enhance information security and privacy.

    According to a recent report by IDC, global blockchain spend will grow over 10-fold from $1.5 billion in 2018 to $11.7 billion by 2022.

    As a digital enabler, Ooredoo Group already works closely with public, private and academic sectors in its global footprint to develop blockchain solutions that can create new value in the digital space and enrich people’s digital lives.

    Ooredoo Group’s new blockchain initiative is an open call for innovators to develop blockchain partnerships, solutions, and protocols across business-to-business and business-to-consumer sectors.

    Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al-Thani, group chief executive officer, Ooredoo, said: “Blockchain will facilitate new digital business models and revenue in the next five years – helping organisations to run better and to transform people’s daily lives. Using blockchain, organisations and their customers can optimise costs, find new levels of efficiency, transparency, and trust, and enable secure digital payments.”

    For example, property developers can provide smart contracts for ensuring titles, deeds, and facilities management are accurate and secure. Banks can better track cross-border payments, and logistics companies can track and trace products. Healthcare providers can enable digital patient records to optimise treatment. Mega-event organizers can introduce virtual digital payment tokens for merchandise and food and beverage. Sports teams can have real-time athlete health and performance metrics and also manage fan loyalty programs.

    With Ooredoo Group’s Blockchain Initiative, Ooredoo aims to leverage its experience and industry-leading solutions in blockchain combined with 5G, cloud, and the Internet of Things to deliver the biggest benefits to organisations and to customers.

    The Initiative is also bringing together subject matter experts from across the company’s global footprint and business units, including small- and medium-sized businesses, commercial, digital, and legal.

    Sheikh Saud said: “Our Blockchain Initiative aims to open the blockchain floodgates, leveraging global best practices to deliver localised innovation across many of the world’s fastest-growing markets. Our open call to blockchain innovators will also explore integrating blockchain with artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud, and the Internet of Things.”