Mobile Services
Idea Cellular offers cashback on Karbonn smartphones
NEW DELHI: In its endeavour to drive mobile internet penetration and connect the unconnected in India, telecom services provider Idea Cellular has announced a major cashback offer on a range of Smartphones and Feature phones from Karbonn.
Cash Back Offer on Smartphones:
With a Cashback of Rs. 1,500 on A41 Power and A9 Indian (priced at Rs. 2,999 and 3,699 respectively), the effective price of the 4G smartphones will reduce to almost half for Idea customers.
Cashback of Rs. 500 will be credited in the customer’s Idea Money wallet at the end of 18 months while the balance Rs. 1,000 will be done at the end of 36 months.
Idea is also offering a cashback of Rs. 2,000 on Yuva 2 (priced at Rs. 4,999) which will reduce the cost of ownership of the 4G smartphone to just Rs. 2,999.
Customers will get Rs. 500 cashback at the end of 18 months and the balance Rs. 1,500 at the end of 36 months.
To avail the cashback on A41 Power, A9 Indian and Yuva 2, customers need to have a cumulative recharge value of Rs. 3,000 for the first 18 months and the same amount during the next 18 months period. Idea customers can recharge with Rs. 169 which will give them Unlimited Local & STD Calls, Free Roaming, 1GB/day Data, and 100 SMS per day, for a validity period of 28 days.
Cash Back Offer on Feature Phones:
On the Karbonn K310n, K24+ and K9 Jumbo Feature phones (priced at Rs. 999, Rs. 1,199 and Rs. 1,399 respectively), Idea is offering a cashback of Rs. 1,000 which will highly subsidize these devices for the customers. The K310n will be effectively ‘Free’ for Idea customers, at the end of 36 months.
For availing the offer on feature phones, Idea customers need to do a cumulative recharge of Rs. 2,700 in the first 18 months to get cashback of Rs. 500, and another Rs. 2,700 between 19-36 months to get the remaining Rs. 500. A special recharge of Rs. 145 can be availed which provides unlimited calls, 500 SMS and 0.5 GB Data for 28 days. Cash back will be offered in the form of Talktime in the customer’s main account.
Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, said, “We believe that good quality devices at affordable prices drive consumer experience. We expect this to catalyse 4G penetration in India. We are happy to partner with Karbonn to create a strong proposition for both Smartphones & Feature Phone Consumers. These exciting Cash Back Offers from Idea will be an ideal incentive for consumers to adopt 4G Technology at a faster pace”.
Commenting on the association with Idea Cellular, Mr. Pardeep Jain, Managing Director, Karbonn Mobiles said, “We, at Karbonn, are proud to announce our association with Idea Cellular to provide exciting offers and bundled services through our diverse product portfolio. This association has brought together the synergies of two brands to encourage and enable every Indian to experience smart telephony and get on the digital superhighway. Being a leading home-grown brand, this association will not only benefit the smartphone users but also our consumers who still use feature phones. With a vision to offer a one-stop solution for daily needs, we are mindful of the needs of our consumers and we are more than delighted to expand our network with such associations.”
The cashback offers will be available starting 1st February 2018.
Key features of the Karbonn devices:
| Key Features | K310n | K24+ | K9 Jumbo | A9 Indian | A41 Power | Yuva 2 |
| Type | Feature Phone | Feature Phone | Feature Phone | Smartphone | Smartphone | Smartphone |
| Display | 4.57 cm(1.8) | 6.1 cm(2.4) | 6.1 cm(2.4) | 11.43 cm (4.5) | 10.16 cm(4) | 12.7 cm (5) HD IPS display |
| Processor | 1.3GHz quad-core processor | 1.3GHz quad-core processor | 1.25 GHz quad-core processor | |||
| Camera | 0.3 MP Primary Camera | 0.3 MP Primary Camera | 2 MP Primary Camera | Rear – 5MP with LED flash and 5MP selfie camera | Rear – 2MP with LED flash and 0.3 MP selfie camera | Rear – 5 MP with LED Flash and 3.2 MP selfie camera |
| RAM | 1GB | 1 GB | 2 GB | |||
| ROM | 8GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | |||
| Expandable memory | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 128 GB |
| Battery | 800 mAh | 1800 mAh | 1800 mAh | 1750 mAh | 2300 mAh | 2250 mAh |
| Network Support | 2G | 2G | 2G | 4G VOLTE /3G/2G | 4G VOLTE /3G/2G | 4G VOLTE /3G/2G |
| SIM | Dual SIM
|
Dual SIM
|
Dual SIM
|
Dual SIM | Dual SIM | Dual SIM |
| Colours | Blue, Orange, Red, Sky Blue | Black, White | Black, Red | Champagne;
Black + Champagne; White + Champagne |
Black, White | Black, Blue and Champagne |
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.
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
5g
Nokia wins multi-year deal with Reliance Jio India to build one of the largest 5G networks in the world
NEW DELHI: Nokia has announced that it has been selected as a major supplier by Reliance Jio to supply 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment from its comprehensive AirScale portfolio countrywide in a multi-year deal. Reliance Jio is India’s number one mobile operator and has one of the largest RAN footprints in the world.
Under the contract, Nokia will supply equipment from its AirScale portfolio, including base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas, and Remote Radio Heads (RRH) to support different spectrum bands, and self-organizing network software. Reliance Jio plans to deploy a 5G standalone network which will interwork with its 4G network. The network will enable Reliance Jio to deliver advanced 5G services such as massive machine-to-machine communications, network slicing, and ultra-low-latency.
Akash Ambani, Chairman Reliance Jio, commented: “We are pleased to be working with Nokia for our 5G SA deployment in India. Jio is committed to continuously investing in the latest network technologies to enhance the experience of all of its customers. We are confident that our partnership with Nokia will deliver one of the most advanced 5G networks globally.”
Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO at Nokia stated: “This is a significant win for Nokia in an important market and a new customer with one of the largest RAN footprints in the world. This ambitious project will introduce millions of people across India to premium 5G services, enabled by our industry-leading AirScale portfolio. We are proud that Reliance Jio has placed its trust in our technology and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with them.”
Nokia has a long-standing presence in India. This new deal will mean that Nokia is now supplying India’s three largest mobile operators.
