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Facebook counters Mukesh Ambani; says data is not oil, shouldn’t be hoarded within nations

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5 years ago

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NEW DELHI: Countering richest Indian Mukesh Ambani, Facebook Inc on Thursday said data is not the new oil, and countries like India should allow its free flow across borders instead of attempting to hoard it as a finite commodity within national boundaries.

Facebook Vice-President, Global Affairs and Communications, Nick Clegg said data sharing is crucial for national security as India right now finds itself “locked out” of major global data-sharing initiatives aimed to clamp down on serious crime and terrorism.

India should create a new template for the internet that “respects the rights of individuals to choose what happens to their data; one that encourages competition and innovation; and one that remains open and accessible for everyone,” he said.

Chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani had stated that “data is the new oil” as he propagated the protection of Indian users’ data generated through use of internet as well as social media platforms, saying the country’s data must be controlled and owned by Indian people and not by corporates, especially global corporations.

“There are many in India and around the world who think of data as the new oil – and that, like oil having a great reserve of it held within your national boundaries, will lead to surefire prosperity. But this analogy is mistaken,” Clegg said at an event here.

“Data isn’t oil – a finite commodity to be owned and traded, pumped from the ground and burned in cars and factories. Of course, no analogy is perfect, but a better liquid to liken it to is water, with the global internet like a great borderless ocean of currents and tides,” he said.

The value of data, he said, comes not from “hoarding it” or trading it like a finite commodity, but from allowing it to flow freely and encouraging the innovation that comes from that free flow of data – the algorithms and the services and the intelligence that can be built on top of it.

“It is that innovation that has the potential to bring much greater wealth to India – and it is that innovation that will place India, with its entrepreneurial society and its bedrock of engineering talent, at the forefront of the global internet for decades to come,” he said.

Clegg said to contain data within geographical boundaries and restricting its flow outside the country would be to “turn this great ocean of innovation into a still lake.”

“The global internet is built on this principle of cross-border data flows – just as the global economy relies on capital, human resources and technological innovation to cross borders in order to flourish,” he said.

Stating that it was not just the global economy that relies on data sharing across borders, he said data-sharing was crucial for national security too.

“Yet, right now India finds itself locked out of major global data-sharing initiatives aimed to clamp down on serious crime and terrorism, like the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act and the Budapest Convention on Cyber Crime,” he said.

The remarks came amid a raging debate in the country over whether data of Indians is safe with foreign companies, as the government is working on crafting data protection rules. The Reserve Bank of India last year imposed data localisation norms on foreign fintech companies to locally store the data of Indians.

Facebook, which is looking at launching payment services through its unit WhatsApp in India, and global firms such as Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Google and Amazon had sought relaxation in the regulation on data localisation.

India is home to 400 million WhatsApp users and more than 328 million Facebook users.

The Facebook executive, however, said while national security is a major priority for the Indian government, inhibiting global data sharing is an issue of conflict of laws between the US and India.

“In our view, a major priority for the US and India should be to revive their bilateral relationship on cyber co-operation and for India to seek access to these existing mechanisms for data sharing. Now is not the time to drift further apart, now is the time to get around the table and agree on a data-sharing relationship that suits both sides,” he said.

He went on to state that India finds itself at a crossroads as the internet matures. “The decisions it makes in the months and years ahead will likely do more to shape the global internet – or end it – than those made by any other country,” he said.

Of course, India is not responsible for the actions of the rest of the world. But the eyes of the world are upon it and its decisions could have a domino effect as smaller countries wrestle with similar decisions, he added.

India, he said, could follow the Chinese model, further entrenching the fracturing of the global internet.

“Between these two great nations, China and India, a third of the world’s population would be detached from the rest of the global internet and a great precedent would be set for other nations. And in a few short years there may not be such a thing as a global internet at all,” he said.

“And some countries would use India as a precedent to justify even more restrictive laws, cutting their citizens off from the benefits of an open internet,” he said.

“Or instead, India can choose to work with its natural allies in the open, democratic world to help shape an internet that respects rights of individuals; promotes competition and innovation; and remains open and accessible for all.”

Source: Press Trust of India

 

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Ericsson Showcases differentiated connectivity for the value of 5G

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5 months ago

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May 22, 2024

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Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) showcased its advanced 5G connectivity solutions and innovative 5G use cases based on differentiated connectivity at the Ericsson Imagine Live Roadshow today. Ericsson has announced the launch of a new software toolkit to strengthen 5G Standalone network capabilities and enable premium services with differentiated connectivity. The portfolio enhancement comes as the growth of new use cases and rising mobile user expectations on the quality of 5G experience are putting greater demands on network capacity and performance.

In the ‘Capture the value of 5G’ zone, experience sports like never before with the Enhanced Sports Experiences demo, where a feature-rich app allows sports clubs to engage directly with their vast fan bases, creating new revenue streams. Leveraging network slicing and APIs, service providers can ensure the ultimate fan experience and gain revenue share.In 2024, Ericsson is extending CSP slicing subscriptions to include micro-payments for short-term connectivity needs.

Another demo called Superior Uplink for Live streams, offers seamless real-time livestreaming via commercially available smart glasses, overcoming the hindrance of 5G upload speeds with Uplink Carrier Aggregation. This technology boosts upload speeds by combining frequencies, enhancing performance, promoting Standalone 5G adoption, and optimizing spectrum utilization.

In the ‘Programmable Networks’ zone, we’re showcasing how Ericsson is transforming the mobile network landscape by enabling elevated service differentiation for premium 5G experiences with Service Level Agreement assurance, revolutionizing CSP offerings. Ericsson’s new software toolkit with advanced RAN and Core capabilities empowers CSPs to seize growth opportunities by providing differentiated connectivity at scale. Another demo showcases how our RedCap technology supports CSPs’ business growth by reducing the complexity and size of device platforms for mid-tier use cases, expanding the 5G ecosystem to cater to diverse connectivity needs across consumer and enterprise/industrial segments on both FDD and TDD bands.

The ‘Enterprise Transformation’ zone showcases how critical infrastructure industries such as power plants, wind farms, and oil refineries can enhance worker safety and efficiency with our private 5G networks use case demos. Partnering with RealWear and OverIT, we enable secure, reliable, realtime access to complex data in order to provide an immersive connected worker experience for use in hazardous environments where accurate positioning and the ability to handle a high density of connected devices is required.

In the ‘Shape our Future Together’ zone, we’re building on the successful API showcase at Mobile World Congress 2023 with partners like Zoom and Blacknut. This year we are demonstrating high-demand use cases with world-leading brands such as Toyota and Sony using QoD API with network slicing. This underscores Ericsson’s thought leadership in the Network API and 5G monetization space, aligning with our strategy to build a platform business and our vision of industry cooperation with strong partners.

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Airtel announces its largest ever 5G roll-out in 125 cities

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2 years ago

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March 6, 2023

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NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, India’s telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of its ultra-fast 5G services in 125 cities. Airtel 5G Plus service is now available to customers in over 265 cities in the country.

Airtel 5G Plus has three compelling advantages for customers. First, it runs on a technology that has the widest acceptance in the world with the most developed ecosystem. This ensures that all 5G smartphones in India seamlessly work on the Airtel network. Second, the company promises to deliver the best experience – between 20 to 30 times higher speeds than today coupled with brilliant voice experience and super-fast call connect. Finally, Airtel 5G Plus network will also be kinder to the environment with its special power reduction solution. Powered by the reliable Airtel network infrastructure, Airtel 5G Plus will provide superfast access to High-Definition video streaming, gaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos et all.

Commenting on the launch, Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel said, “5G has revolutionized the world of internet, ushering new era of connectivity and communications that will prove to be a game-changer for the country. At Airtel, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality of network and service to our customers as we roll-out 125 more cities today. Airtel was the first in the country to offer 5G services in October 2022, and today’s mega launch is our promise to connect every Airtel customer in the country with ultra-fast Airtel 5G Plus. Our 5G rollout is on track to cover all towns and key rural areas by March 2024.”

Airtel 5G Plus service availability will continue to rapidly expand – including service in all towns and villages in the country soon – as the company is working towards offering nationwide coverage. Airtel is now offering its 5G services in every major city from the upper northern city of Jammu to the southern tip of Kanyakumari.

In the last one year, Airtel has demonstrated the power of 5G with a host of powerful use cases that will change the way customers lead their lives and do business. From India’s first live 5G network in Hyderabad to India’s first private 5G network at the BOSCH facility in Bengaluru to partnering with Mahindra & Mahindra to make its Chakan manufacturing facility, India’s first 5G enabled auto manufacturing unit, Airtel has been at the forefront of 5G innovation.

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Apple rolls out beta programme for iPhones to enable 5G services

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2 years ago

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November 14, 2022

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NEW DELHI: Apple Inc has rolled out a beta programme to enable 5G on Apple devices as the upgrade lets users try out pre-release software.

This software upgrade enables 5G access on Apple devices, as and when service providers Jio, Airtel and Vodafone enable 5G network access, sources said.

Apple Users have to enrol for the Beta Programme on the website, install a profile and download the software.

Jio users using iPhone 12 and above, in cities where JioTrue5G has been rolled out, will be invited to the Jio Welcome Offer. Jio Welcome Offer provides unlimited 5G data at up to 1 Gbps speed to users at no additional cost. However, there is a condition that prepaid users must be on active Rs 239 and above plan. All Postpaid users are eligible for this trial.

Airtel is not providing any special 5G offer like Jio to their users. In the cities/areas in which the Airtel 5G network has been launched, users can trial 5G services as a part of their existing plan, once they have updated the latest Apple Beta software.

While an email sent to Apple did not solicit an immediate response, the firm had last month stated: “We are working with our carrier partners in India to bring the best 5G experience to iPhone users as soon as network validation and testing for quality and performance is completed. 5G will be enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December”.

Airtel and Jio customers on iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE (3rd generation) models can experience 5G as part of Apple’s iOS 16 Beta Software Program. The Apple Beta Software Program is open to anyone with a valid Apple ID who accepts the Apple Beta Software Program Agreement during the sign-up process.

If a user has an iCloud account, that is an Apple ID, it is recommended they use that. If they do not have an iCloud account or any other Apple ID, they can create one.

Customers who want to try the beta software should back up their iPhones before installing the beta software. It is recommended to install the beta software only on non-production devices that are not business-critical. Users can also provide feedback to Apple on quality and usability, which helps Apple identify issues, fix them, and make Apple software even better.

The iOS beta comes with the built-in Feedback Assistant app, which can be opened from the Home screen on the iPhone or iPad or from the Dock on the Mac.

Source: Press Trust of India

 

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