@DennisCNLew Guess, their systems are following some red tapism! Anyway, that’s excellent news on the personal front…even if it is for ₹1.

@mrinal-chauhan @vikas-jadhav Just received the following message on my Airtel number which has an unlimited recharge plan of ₹448. Please Note! Base tariff for your Airtel Mobile has been changed w.e.f. 22-Nov-18. You are required to pay Rs23 or more for 28 days validity. Else you can opt for unlimited/smart recharge from your main account balance. Dial 12151#. Ignore if recharged It is highly disappointing to note that TRAI (instead of helping the customers) is trying the best to bail out these top telecom companies! By asking the telecom companies to send the SMS, TRAI has officially approved and thus put an end to free incoming calls for the lifetime. This is totally unfair!!

@mario-d-souza That’s a valuable information. Just thought of updating it further. After submitting the re-verification request, you will get an acknowledgement from your telecom operator. In case of BSNL, the subscriber will receive the following message: Your request for Re-verification of Customer Record for Mobile Number with Aadhar E-KYC registered. To confirm SMS “REV YES”. To cancel “REV NO” to 53734 within 3 days. No response will be treated as accepted. You can just ignore the message or else send confirm SMS. Interestingly, you’ll get the same message for the next 2 days.

@Admin Officially, Xiaomi has now launched Redmi 3S in India under 2 variants - Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime. Both the smartphones have the same specs. However, the fingerprint sensor is a bonus with Redmi 3S Prime. As expected, 3GB RAM plus 32GB inbuilt storage and a fingerprint scanner will be the USP of Redmi 3S Prime. These smartphones will be available in Dark Grey, Silver and Gold color options. Both the devices will be available in Dark Grey, Silver, and Gold color options. As usual, Flipkart and Mi.com will have an exclusive sale. One can purchase Redmi 3S phone from August 9 and 16th respectively. This is to mention that Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime are priced INR 6,999 and INR 8, 999 respectively.

@Admin It seems Reliance Jio wants to keep everyone happy with their plans and thus made some minor changes mainly with respect to ₹ 149 plan. As ₹ 149 plan is the most affordable plan, Jio has incorporated unlimited 4G data at night even to this plan. Moreover, the subscribers of this ₹ 149 plan will also enjoy 0.7GB JioNet hotspot WiFi data. By going through the trends, one can easily expect much more affordability before the tariff kicks start, post welcome offer. Here’s the updated Jio prepaid tariff. Reliance Jio Updated Prepaid Tariff: Jio Tariffs ₹19 ₹129 ₹149 ₹299 ₹499 ₹999 ₹1499 ₹2499 ₹3999 ₹4999 Free Voice Calls (Local+STD+Roaming) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 4G Data 0.1GB 0.75GB 0.3GB 2GB 4GB 10GB 20GB 35GB 60GB 75GB Unlimited 4G Data at Night Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes WiFi Data (JioNet Hotspot) 0.2GB 1.5GB 0.7GB 4GB 8GB 20GB 40GB 70GB 120GB 150GB Jio Apps (Subscription worth ₹1,250) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Unlimited SMS (L + N) Yes Yes 100 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Validity of Pack (Days) 1 7 28 21 28 28 28 28 28 28

said in No Jio signals inside home, but full signals outside. Any signal boosting tips?: No Jio signals inside home, but full signals outside. Any signal boosting tips As you might be aware that the new telecom operator Reliance Jio offers its 4G services on Band 3, Band 5, and Band 40. If you are looking for the best coverage, then Band 5 is better than Band 3. Similarly, Band 3 coverage is better than Band 40 coverage. In simple terms, best coverage: Band 5 > Band 3 > Band 40. On contrast, the best speed is possible in Band 40. Best speed: Band 40 > Band 3 > Band 5 That means, you’ll get the best coverage in Band 5 and the best speed in Band 40. So, if your issue is related to coverage then you need to lock it to Band 5. Or else, Band 40 for the Reliance Jio 4G speed. The Reliance Jio SIM automatically switches between bands so there are some tips to lock the 4G network to Band 40. However, it depends upon the processor of your handset.

good offer. Thanks for sharing

@Dipika–Menon It’s quite happy to see Telenor expanding its 4G footprint. I just want to convey that Telenor India has added one more reason to pick its 4G SIM in Hyderabad. As per the latest offer, the company is offering unlimited 4G for 60 days if the user is switching to their 4G network. Wow! What an offer! I wish I could grab this offer. I’m really missing it for not being a Hyderabadi.

@Amitav-Sengupta If I’m not wrong Telenor - Unitech merger was valued at $375 million. Back in the year 2009, Telenor bought 49% stake in Unitech Wireless (the telecom arm of a realty firm Unitech). In a year or so, it raised its stake to over 60%. Though the Joint Venture license was canceled by the Apex court in India in 2012, it remained in the Indian market. However, after the exit of Unitech, Telenor has got 100% control on the businesses. Then, the company rebranded itself from Uninor to Telenor. Wait and watch for the next part of the story.

@Admin There is a small update with respect to the plans available with ACT Fibernet. These plans are now applicable to home, office and small enterprises. Plan Name Tariff (INR) Speed FUP Speed after FUP ACT Remarkable 2999 100 Mbps 300 GB 2 Mbps ACT Exceptional 3999 125 Mbps 400 GB 2 Mbps ACT Phenomenal 4999 125 Mbps 550 GB 2 Mbps

If the reports are to be believed the existing TV channels will not go off-air on December 28th or 29th. However, one should contact the DTH operator or MSO operator and verify the same. One thing is for sure, the unsubscribed channels will go off air after a certain time. This will enable you to pay only for the channels want to watch. Certainly, the new move will help the subscriber to pay less than the current bill. Individual Channels or Bouquets, Which is Better? If you want a better deal then it is recommended to get a pre-packed bouquet instead of the individual channels. Say, STAR Maa value pack that includes 10 channels is being offered at ₹39. Isn’t it a better deal? However, if you want to watch only a few select channels then it is always better to get them individually as it will be cheaper for you. Do remember that TRAI has capped the MRP of a channel at ₹19 it has to be included in a bouquet. Similarly, the TRAI has facilitated the customer to pay just ₹25 in case of restarting the suspended connection. If the duration is more than 3 months, then just pay ₹100 to get reconnected. In this case, you don’t need to repay the installation or monthly subscription cost. Incidentally, there are over 600 Free-to-Air channels and the users can select 100 free channels out of them. The list so exhaustive that it is advisable to group them according to the regional language. Free-to-Air Channels in Telugu Regional Language 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 DD Yadgiri V6 News AP 24/7 Shopping Zone Bhakti Sagar DD Sapthagiri At News Republic TV 9 Hindu Dharmam Aradhana Jeevana Margam V1 Maha News Sai TV Rakshana TV Vanitha Raj News CVR News SVBC Divyavani Studio ONE Sakshi TV Jai Telangana Jaya Jaya Sankara Calvary Temple Vissa TV TV 5 1 One Voice Bhakti TV Gospel TV Raj Music Telugu HMTV T SAT Vidya CVR Om Tollywood T News 10 TV CVR Health Divya TV Aaj Tak ABN Andhrajyothy N TV Shopping Zone Sri Sankara NDTV 24x7 Bharat Today Mojo TV CVR Health Vedic CBeebies

hi, thanks for the info. Very useful info. Airtel provides very good signal in our area compared to others

Telcom companies waiving off mobile banking charges till Dec 31, 2016, is a good move to facilitate the use of electronic banking without incurring any additional cost. At present, a charge is being levied by telecom operators for the mobile banking, which is commonly known as USSD charge (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data). Hope it would reduce difficulty to the common man as there is a large number of the population using feature phones to access electronic banking facility. An awareness should be created among sabziwalas, autowalas, rickshaw walas, etc.

@dipika-menon Hope this comparison helps in deciding what to buy. OnePlus 7 Vs. OnePlus 7 Pro - Specifications Comparision: OnePlus 7 Pro OnePlus 7 Display 6.67-inch Fluid AMOLED (~88.1% screen-to-body ratio) 3120x1440 pixels resolution (19.5:9) (~516 ppi density) 90Hz, HDR10+ Gorilla Glass 6 protection 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED (~85.5% screen-to-body ratio) 2340x1080 pixels resolution (19.5:9) (~402 ppi density) Gorilla Glass 6 protection Build Front/back glass, Aluminum frame Front/back glass, Aluminum frame Chipset Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 485) CPU Adreno 640 GPU Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 485) CPU Adreno 640 GPU RAM 6GB/8GB/12GB 6GB/8GB Storage 128GB/256GB 128GB/256GB SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) MicroSD card slot No No Rear camera 1 48 MP, f/1.6, 1/2", 0.8µm, Laser/PDAF, OIS 48 MP, f/1.7, 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS Rear camera 2 8 MP, f/2.4, 78mm (telephoto), 3x zoom, Laser/PDAF, OIS 5MP, f/2.4, 1.12µm, depth sensor Rear camera 3 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide) No Front camera Motorized pop-up 16 MP, f/2.0, 25mm (wide), 1/3.0", 1.0µm 16 MP, f/2.0, 25mm (wide), 1/3.1", 1.0µm Connectivity Wi-Fi ac 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 AptX HD, LDAC, NFC, A-GPS, USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go Wi-Fi ac 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 AptX HD, NFC, A-GPS USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (5CA) Cat18 1200/150 Mbps HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (5CA) Cat16 1024/150 Mbps Audio USB-C, Stereo speakers USB-C, Stereo speakers 3.5mm jack No No Battery Non-removable Li-Po 4000mAh Non-removable Li-Po 3700mAh Charging USB-C 3.1 Fast battery charging 30W (Warp Charge) USB-C Fast battery charging 20W Operating system Android 9.0 (Pie); OxygenOS 9 Android 9.0 (Pie); OxygenOS 9 Water resistance No No Security In-display fingerprint In-display fingerprint Dimensions 162.6 x 75.9 x 8.8mm 157.7 x 74.8 x 8.2mm Weight 206g 182g Colors Mirror Gray, Nebula Blue, Almond Mirror Gray, Red Price ₹48,999 (6GB RAM + 128GB Storage) ₹52,999 (8GB RAM + 256GB Storage) ₹57,999 (12GB RAM + 256GB Storage) ₹32999 (6GB RAM + 128GB Storage) ₹37999 (8GB RAM + 256GB Storage)

@amitav-sengupta The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 to go on sale today at 12 noon. There will be a flat ₹1000 instant discount when purchased through HDFC Bank debit and credit cards. If you are a loyal customer purchasing through Flipkart then you might have already got Axis Bank Buzz credit card. With this, you can get an extra 5% off. Owing to the presence of Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC and a big battery, the latest handset has got good reviews. And one expects the sale to be a flash mode. Get ready with your blazing internet speed to grab the new budget king.

@ravikum Agreed, most of the mobiles under 10K budget segment that provide rich-features are Chinese made. You need to make a compromise when you are on a tight budget. However, based on the popularity and user reviews, you can opt Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. Probably, this is the only handset providing the best performance and battery life under 10K budget in India. The Snapdragon 625 octa-core Processor makes it the best bet.

@Rewati-Baruah Hey! That’s a big news from Xiaomi. If I’m not wrong the Mi A1 is actually the same Mi 5X that was launched in China. The only difference is ditching the usual MIUI interface. I’m not against the popular MIUI interface but having the stock pure Android UI on board gives a clear advantage. Recently, the other Chinese telecom giant Lenovo ditched its famous Vibe UI for stock Android. Instead of relying on the developer OS, the handset will quickly receive OS updates and bug fixes. Moreover, it doesn’t have any bloatware resulting in a clean interface. Back to the Xiaomi Mi A1, it runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. Though @Rewati-Baruah is comprehensive, it missed some minor details such as: It has a fingerprint scanner at the back. It is equipped with a 5-megapixel selfie shooter. Along with Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, it has 4GB RAM and Adreno 506 GPU. The in-built 64GB storage can be further expanded up to 128GB using an external microSD card. The Xiaomi Mi A1 supports 4G VoLTE and has a hybrid SIM card slot with 3.5mm headphone jack. Though the company claimed iPhone 7 Plus and OnePlus 5 as its competitors, in reality, based on the pricing strategy, it needs to fight with the new players like Nokia 6, Coolpad Cool Play 6 and Moto G5S Plus. Based on the price, specs offered by Xiaomi, and Google’s stock Android experience, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is a decent buy.

@Dipika–Menon That’s a BIG news for mobile phone users. Instead of 14.5% VAT, now one needs to pay only 5% VAT on the purchases of cell phones. Definitely, it’s a welcome move to pass the amendment bill of Telangana VAT Act in the state Assembly. Currently, the mobile purchases are being diverted to the firms registered in AP as the neighboring state levies 5% VAT on the cell phone items.

@Admin Redmi 3S Next Flash Sale On August 24th 12 pm It was again a splendid day for Mi. The devices went out of stock within minutes. Though there is no official announcement regarding the duration of the sale, it is less than 8 minutes. As per the sources, Mi India will commence next sale on August 24th at 12 pm. Just check the space on Mi.com and Flipkart.

@Vikas-Jadhav Hey! I’m really in love with this Motorola’s all metal smartphone. Though priced under ₹16K, Moto M looks as if it is a premium phone. Apart from 3050mAh battery, I would rate its support for fast-charging as the ultimate thing. Hybrid Dual-SIM Card: However, I’m really worried about its hybrid dual-SIM card slot. It supports either two SIM cards or one SIM card and microSD card. This is really a big let down for me. The other option is to spend extra ₹2K and get 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage. 4G VoLTE Ready: The 4G VoLTE support will make it handy as I would like to port my number to Reliance Jio. The other benefits like nano-coating will definitely be an advantage if there is any accidental water splash on the handset.