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Tag: forum

  • Broadband Forum releases home Wi-Fi test standard

    Broadband Forum releases home Wi-Fi test standard

    With the rapid development of 4K TV, online gaming and smart homes, statistics from Broadband Forum show that more than 1 billion users now have access to fixed broadband, and Wi-Fi has become an essential part of broadband services provided by operators.

    Operators are increasingly providing service packages featuring Wi-Fi to enhance the home broadband experience of end users. This has created a compelling need to optimize Wi-Fi performance to support end-to-end performance of broadband services, including development of 4K video and VR services, and to minimize operators’ operating and maintenance costs.

    This need is highlighted by Ovum reports, which show that Wi-Fi problems account for 30% to 60% of operators’ broadband complaints.

    Clearly, home Wi-Fi quality is vital to both delivering a high-quality broadband experience and to operators’ operational efficiencies, yet there were no existing unified performance testing standards – until now.

    To address this issue, Broadband Forum announced the release of the first Wi-Fi performance test standard – Technical Report 398 Indoor Wi-Fi Performance Test Standard (TR-398) – during Mobile World Congress 2019.

    TR-398 is the first standard that systematically and quantitatively evaluates home Wi-Fi device performance across six dimensions: receiver sensitivity, throughput, coverage, multi-user support, anti-interference, and stability.

    By defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as the Wi-Fi equivalent bandwidth (throughput), rate at different distances, and throughput for multiple online users, the standard helps telecom operators and end users select optimal Wi-Fi solutions.

    The TR-398 standard describes the purpose, test scope, conditions, test cases, and standard thresholds for indoor home gateway Wi-Fi performance testing, helping telecom operators efficiently test indoor Wi-Fi performance, develop home networks and video services, and improve home broadband experience.

    From its inception as a project within Broadband Forum, TR-398 has received extensive industry attention. More than 16 operators and equipment vendors have actively participated in and supported the drafting of the standard.

    Many operators around the world are known to be planning to use TR-398 as the Wi-Fi performance admission specification for home broadband customer-premises equipment (CPE).

    According to Broadband Forum CEO Robin Mersh, Wi-Fi is the key infrastructure for broadband Internet access in the connected home and for a high-quality ultra HD video experience.

    “Wi-Fi performance of single gateways must meet service requirements and comply with standards to accelerate industry development,” said Mersh. “The goal of TR-398 is to define carrier-class home Wi-Fi performance. We are delighted that a critical mass of key industry players has participated in crafting this standard and are excited for the role that this standard will play in enabling a superior broadband experience in the connected home of the future.”

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  • LG skips foldables, opts for two screens instead

    LG skips foldables, opts for two screens instead

    LG Electronics launched the V50 ThinQ on the eve of the MWC 2019 in Barcelona on Sunday, presenting its vision of how the much-hyped 5G network can take a mobile device’s multimedia experience to the next level. The V50 ThinQ is the tech giant’s first 5G smartphone, a direct competitor to Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X, both of which are equipped with foldable screens.

    Rather than a foldable screen, LG Electronics has opted for a secondary detachable 6.2-inch screen, slightly smaller than the main 6.4-inch screen.

    When the second screen is attached, users can activate multiple apps at the same time. The screen on the left, for example, can have the YouTube app playing a video, while the second screen on the right can be simultaneously used for chatting to friends.

    Held horizontally, the top screen could be displaying a smartphone game, while the screen on the bottom could be used for a virtual joystick to make the game experience more immersive.

    “We believe in multimedia,” said Kim In-kyung, a senior vice president at LG Electronics in charge of 5G and network technology at the unpack event on Sunday in Barcelona.

    “Creating content and broadcasting live are most relevant to our 5G products today.”

    To help the hardware endure the increased data processing derived from 5G connectivity, its CPU, developed by Qualcomm, has been upgraded to the latest Snapdragon 855 and the battery capacity has been increased by 20 percent compared to the predecessor V40.

    LG Electronics also unveiled the G8 ThinQ on Sunday, which is dedicated to the existing 4G network.

    The G8 ThinQ, however, has been upgraded with what’s called “Time of Flight” sensors in the front camera, which are able to read palm veins in a 3-D image. The “Time of Flight” sensors are developed in partnership with German tech firm Infineon.

    Placing the palm in front of the front camera will unlock the phone, while moving the fingers in specific ways will give various orders to the G8 ThinQ such as taking screenshots, activating music apps and controlling the volume.

    Such functions will come in handy when users’ hands are too busy to actually touch the smartphone screen, such as when cooking or driving, according to the electronics company.

    “Installing vein recognition in a mobile device is [a] first,” said David Montanya, a product evangelist from LG Electronics’ mobile communications team at the unpack event. “It [allows the users] to make more intuitive interaction[s] with the smartphone. It anticipates your moves and intentions and reacts accordingly.”

    Montanya also added that palm veins are a safer way to protect the phone compared to other biometric methods such as fingerprints.

    “The probability of two people having the same vein structure is less than one in a billion,” he said.

    While an innovative feature is always a selling point for mobile devices, an experimental one that doesn’t yet work properly is not a good sign.

    The new palm-reading feature required intensive training in order to get the hang of the specific hand gestures needed to activate the sensors.

    A specific timeline for the two new phones’ launch in Korea hasn’t been revealed.

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  • India Food Forum 2019: Alliance avenues with foreign partners to expand food market in India

    India Food Forum 2019: Alliance avenues with foreign partners to expand food market in India

    India Food Forum 2019 identified avenues for partnerships in food, beverages and food service industry with Ambassadors, Trade Commissioners and Consul Generals of several countries and highlighted how Embassies and Trade Commissions can play a more pro-active role to facilitate such alliances. Emerging as major market of the world, India offers huge opportunities for manufacturers, producers and providers of products and services from across the globe to sell here or partner with Indian companies to serve this market.

    Acceptance of multinational culture, a growing taste for foods from across the globe, increasing inflow of foreign nationals, willingness to experiment new cuisines and more over avenues to market new products further add to the opportunity.

    The session was moderated by Amit Lohani, Convener, FIFI.

  • KT CEO talks 5G at World Economic Forum

    KT CEO talks 5G at World Economic Forum

    The head of KT, the country’s leading telecommunications provider, outlined the importance of 5G networks in driving innovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. KT CEO Hwang Chang-gyu was invited to a meeting of the International Business Council, a community of 100 select highly influential executives around the globe, which was held on the forum’s sidelines.

    Hwang said the adoption of the upcoming network system will play an integral role in processing autonomous driving vehicles and telemedicine systems.

    5G refers to the fifth-generation mobile network that will succeed the current 4G network, which has been prevalent for about seven years. The network is expected to be commercialized in the first quarter of this year, according to KT.

    The global elite meeting also acted as a get-together for the world’s renowned CEOs and academics. KT said Hwang spoke with Apple’s Tim Cook, adding that the Apple CEO pledged to visit Korea or invite Hwang to the United States to learn more about the 5G network. Rafael Reif, the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said he expected Hwang will lecture about 5G at the campus.

    The KT CEO also promised to strengthen cooperation with Japan’s telecom NTT Docomo to run 5G during the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

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  • CapitaLand marks 10th year in India with mall openings

    CapitaLand marks 10th year in India with mall openings

    CapitaLand India plans to divest six retail malls and its half-share in CapitaLand Retail Prestige Mall Management, which manages some of the properties.

    Singapore-headquartered CapitaLand has entered into definitive agreements to divest:

    * Its respective equity interests in six special-purpose vehicles (SPVs), which each hold a retail mall asset in the Indian cities of Bangalore, Mangalore, Hyderabad, Mysore, Cochin and Udaipur to Prestige Retail Ventures; and

    * Its 50 per cent equity interest in CapitaLand Retail Prestige Mall Management (CRPMM), which manages the properties in Bangalore, Mangalore and Hyderabad, to Prestige Estates Projects for an aggregate consideration of INR3.4 billion (about S$71.5 million or US$53 million), to be fully satisfied in cash and negotiated on a willing-buyer/willing-seller basis.

    When the transaction is completed, probably this quarter, the SPVs and CRPMM will no longer be subsidiaries or associates of CapitaLand.

    The SPVs and properties involved are:

    • Prestige Garden Constructions – The Forum Neighbourhood Mall and Oakwood Residences, Bangalore.
    • Prestige Mangalore Retail Ventures – The Forum Fiza Mall (pictured), Mangalore.
    • Babji Realtors – The Forum Sujana Mall, Hyderabad.
    • Prestige Mysore Retail Ventures – Forum Centre City (FKA Mall), Mysore.
    • Thomsun Realtors – Forum Cochin Mall, Cochin.
    • Flicker Projects – The Celebration Mall Udaipur, Udaipur.
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