Mobile Services
Narendra Modi launches submarine cable connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched and dedicated to the nation, the submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Andaman &Nicobar Islands to the mainland through video conferencing. The foundation stone for this project was laid by the PM on 30th December 2018 at Port Blair.
Prime Minister Modi said the connectivity would now enable endless opportunities in the islands. He said the laying of the 2300 KMs submarine cable and completing it before the set target is very praise worthy.
The Prime Minister said that the service had begun today on a major chunk of the islands from Chennai to Port Blair, Port Blair to Little Andaman and Port Blair to Swaraj Island.
The Prime Minister admired the laying of cables for about 2300 kilometers under the sea as surveying in the deep sea, maintaining the quality of the cable and laying of the cable with specialised vessels is not an easy task.
The project also had to overcome challenges such as high waves, storms and monsoons and the tough times owing to Corona Pandemic.
The Prime Minister said the Andaman & Nicobar Islands felt the need for years but no steps were taken to fulfil it. Shri Modi expressed his happiness for being able to deliver the project notwithstanding such major challenges.The Prime Minister said providing better and cheap connectivity to the people of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is the responsibility of the country. He congratulated all those who were associated with the project. Shri Modi said the Submarine Cable is one such effort to prove that A & N Islands are not far away from Delhi and from the Hearts of the Mainland.
Ease of Living to every Citizen
Shri Modi said that the Government is committed to provide modern facilities to every citizen and every sector so that there can be a better ease of living. He said this Optical Fibre Project which links A&N Islands with the rest of the country is an example of the commitment of the Government towards ease of living. He said the Government is committed to the speedy development of national security linked border areas and island states.
Increase Opportunities through Digital India
The Prime Minister said the Submarine Cable will help A&N in getting cheaper & better connectivity and all the benefits of Digital India, especially in improving online education, tele-medicine, banking system, online trading and in boosting tourism.PM said that the Indian Ocean has been the center of India’s trade and strategic prowess for thousands of years and that Andaman & Nicobar is an important centre for India’s Economic-Strategic Cooperation.He said all the Islands of India would be playing an important role under India’s new trade strategy for Indo-Pacific region.
Modi said under the Act-East policy, the role of Andaman and Nicobar in India’s strong relations with East Asian countries and other countries connected to the sea is very high and is going to increase. He said that the Island Development Agency was formed 3 years ago to strengthen its role. He said that the projects which were not completed in Andaman and Nicobar for years, are now rapidly getting completed.
High Impact Projects & Better Land, Air and Water Ways
PM said that High Impact Projects are being expanded in 12 islands of Andaman and Nicobar. Apart from providing for better internet & mobile connectivity, he said the effort is to further improve physical connectivity through road, air and water.
The Prime Minister referred to the work on two major bridges and the NH-4 in order to improve the road connectivity of North and Middle Andaman.He said the Port Blair Airport is being enhanced to handle a Capacity of 1200 passengers.Along with this the airports are ready for operations in Diglipur, Car Nicobar and Campbell – Bay.
Modi said the Passenger Terminal in SwarajDweep, Shaheed Dweep and Long Island along with Water Aerodrom Infrastructure like Floating Jetty will be ready in the coming months.He said that the 4 Ships being built at Kochi Shipyard shall be delivered soon to improve the Water connectivity between the islands and the mainland.
Port Led Development
He said Andaman & Nicobar will be developed as an hub of Port Led Development as it is at a Competitive Distance from many ports of the World.Prime Minister said a country which has better network of ports and their connectivity will be able to provide a boost to trade in the 21st Century.
He said that today, when India is moving forward with the resolve of self-sufficiency and is establishing itself as an important player in the Global Supply and Value Chain, it is very important to strengthen our network of Waterways and our Ports.
Modi said that the legal bottlenecks in the development of Port Infrastructure are also being removed continuously.
International Maritime Trade
PM said that the Government’s focus is also on promoting Ease of Business in the sea and simplifying Maritime Logistics. He referred to the speedy construction of the deep draft inner harbor and the proposal to construct Trans-Shipment Port in Great Nicobar at an estimated cost of about Rs 10 thousand crores.
Modi said this would enable big ships to anchor and would increase India’s share in maritime trade, along with new employment opportunities.
He said that the blue economy like Fisheries, Aquaculture and Sea-Weed farming in the island will accelerate in commensurate with the modern infrastructure being developed in Andaman and Nicobar. He wished that the efforts of the Government will give Andaman and Nicobar, not only new facilities but also as a prominent place on the World Tourist Map.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minster for Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Law & Justice; Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Communications and HRD; Admiral D K Joshi, Lieutenant Governor, A&N Islands, Anshu Prakash, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications also joined the inaugural event virtually.
Prasad spoke about the importance of the submarine Optical Fiber Cable Project for the local people. He said that the 2300Km submarine Optical Fiber Cable will not only open the pool of opportunities for those living in A&N islands but will also strengthen the base for two dreams of Prime Minister including Digital India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
He also mentioned that work of laying under sea cable has been executed by BSNL in a record time of less than 24 months adding that the 4G mobile services will get a big boost on these islands due to OFC connectivity. This will boost Digital Services like Tele-education, Tele- Health, e-Governance Services and tourism on the islands.
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.
