Telecom war: Reliance Jio, BSNL, Vodafone, Idea, Airtel come up with many new offers; details here

Following the launch of Reliance Jio, the price wars in the telecom market have been intense, where incumbents like Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL have been pushing hard to match the aggressive pricing of Jio.

Following the launch of Reliance Jio, the price wars in the telecom market have been intense, where incumbents like Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL have been pushing hard to match the aggressive pricing of Jio. Telcos in India have resorted to combative data pricing thanks to Reliance Jio’s inexpensive data offerings. The latest entrant in the telecom sector, which rolled out its services on September 1, 2016, has already crossed 108 million user base. Meanwhile, rivals like Idea, Airtel and Vodafone have lowered their data tariffs as well to increase its subscriber base. While Jio is offering some extra data to its customers under a new deal, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea have come up with data and voice calling offers as well. Jumping on the bandwagon, even BSNL has rolled out an attractive new tariff plan. Reliance Jio has reportedly seen a decline in the number of new subscribers, and this sudden rain of offers seems to be an attempt by rivals to keep the tariff battle on. In a separate incident, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular on Thursday clashed with new entrant Reliance Jio when they suggested at an industry meeting with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that a separate floor price should be fixed for voice and data tariffs. As Indian telcos keep at loggerheads owing to Reliance Jio’s cheap data offerings, here are all the details you need to know about the plans which each of these network providers is offering:

RELIANCE JIO: Reliance Jio has come out with a new promotional offer where it is giving away 20 percent extra 4G data to customers who purchase the Lyf-branded smartphones. If a user wishes to avail the offer, they will have to buy a select Lyf-branded smartphone which is priced between Rs 6600 and Rs 9700. According to Jio’s terms and conditions, a user who gets a recharge of Rs 309 shall be entitled to one additional 4G data voucher worth 6 GB with every recharge done. A user who gets a recharge of Rs 509 shall be entitled to one additional 12 GB data voucher. Reliance Jio is calling these as ‘Additional Data Vouchers’, and once you’ve done the recharge on the Lyf smartphone, it will be reflected in the My Plan section on the Jio app. The latest entrant in the telecom sector had earlier unveiled its ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan’ plan which enables users to avail 1GB or 2GB of data daily at a recharge of Rs 309 and Rs 509 respectively.

BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has introduced a new tariff plan called Chaukka444 where it gives its subscribers unlimited data for a period of 90 days. The Special Tariff Voucher (STV) is a new promotional offer, which can only be availed by BSNL’s prepaid users. BSNL’s STV- 444 is a follow up to the STV 333 aka Triple ACE plan which was launched earlier this year, which the company claimed to have got a ‘successful response’. STV- 444 offers unlimited data at 4GB per day on a recharge of Rs 444. The validity of the offer is 90 days.

VODAFONE: Vodafone India celebrating Ramzan festival has introduced several special offers for consumers. Recently, Vodafone had reportedly launched a new Rs 786 plan for its prepaid users. The Vodafone users subscribing to this pack will get unlimited free local and STD calls on any network and 25GB 4G data with a daily limit of 1GB per day after which user will be charged. This is basically an extension of Vodafone Delight which was announced by the company in March this year and was valid only until March 15.

IDEA CELLULAR: Following Vodafone’s offers, even Idea Cellular rolled out new offers for its customers. Idea, which had announced a merger with Vodafone, is offering its subscribers 70GB of data for Rs 396. The 70GB free data that Idea Cellular is offering, is for its 3G users for a period of 70 days. Additionally, the company is also offering free local and STD Idea to Idea calling, with a limit of 300 minutes per day and 1,200 minutes per week. After the daily or weekly limit is exhausted by the user, they will be charged at 30 paise per minute. The pack also includes 3000 minutes of local and STD calls on other networks. There is also a 1GB FUP limit on data usage and the user will be charged once the limit for the day is exhausted. Idea also has an unlimited calling offer that gives 5 percent free talktime in user’s prepaid account. The offer is valid only on My Idea app and Idea website. Users will get up to 28GB of data, unlimited local and STD calls as well as free movies, music and games apps.

AIRTEL: Airtel’s recently launched offer is not a mobile network deal. Airtel is offering up to 1000GB of free data as a part of its ‘Exclusive Web Offer’, to home broadband users in Delhi/NCR. Depending on the plan that users choose, they will get 750GB or 1000GB bonus data, which comes with a validity of one year. The offer is only available for users who avail the broadband plans online. In our case, we could select from five bestselling broadband plans, starting at Rs 899. All of them offer unlimited local as well as STD calls. Meanwhile, the network provider has a Rs 244 4G plan for its pre-paid subscribers. Under the plan, users can get 1GB of 4G data per day for 70 days and unlimited Airtel-to-Airtel calls (local and STD) with a daily cap of 300 minutes and 1200 minutes per week. Additionally, under a Rs 345 plan, you get similar benefits, only that there is an increase in usage, 2GB of 4G data for 28 days.

 

Facebook to launch premium TV shows next month: Report

Facebook has already greenlit a virtual reality dating show, in which people will be made to go on their first dates in VR before actually meeting in person.

Facebook, in a big push in to television, is gearing to launch about two dozen new shows mid-June. According to a report in Business Insider, the social media giant is working on shows in two different tiers – long, big-budget shows similar to Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’ as well as shorter 5-10 minutes shows that could also feature in Facebook’s new video tab. The new video tab is slated to roll out eventually on Facebook app.

Facebook has already greenlit a virtual reality (VR) dating show, in which people will be made to go on their first dates in VR before actually meeting in person. The report further states that Facebook will focus on teen-centric shows as the company sees rival Snapchat as one of its main competitors in this space. Snapchat continues to attract young users thanks to its youth-centric show deals for Discover section.

“Facebook has tapped A-list celebrities to star in some of the shows, according to multiple people briefed on the plans,” read the Business Insider report. Another category that the social media giant is actively looking into is sports. Facebook reportedly has had talks with MLB as well.

Facebook will monetize its new premium service via advertisements that it’ll play in between videos, which will boost revenue, but with lower margins. With 1.2 billion global users on its platform, the company sees video content as an opportunity to tie-up with more advertisers. The social media giant has already started to test Ad Breaks in on-demand as well as live videos on Facebook.

Clearly, Facebook plans to move ahead with video content as it the major focus. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in company’s Q1 earnings call, said that he has been doubling down on investment in video, predicting that the news feed will eventually be mostly video.

 

NEW PASSPORT RULES

The Ministry of External Affairs just recently announced a new set of rules for applying for a passport. And we’ve summarized some of the major changes that these new rules have bought in.

• DOCUMENTATION FOR PROOF OF BIRTH

As per the earlier rules, submitting a birth certificate was compulsory for all applicants born on/after 26^th January 1989. But the new rules have bought in a relaxation in this regards. Now, any of the following documents containing the DOB of the applicant will suffice:

• Birth Certificate (BC) issued by the Registrar of births and deaths or the Municipal Corporation or any other prescribed authority whosoever has been empowered under the Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969 to register the birth of a child born in India
• Transfer/school leaving/matriculation certificate issued by the school last attended/recognized educational board
• PAN card
• Aadhar card/E-aadhar
• Copy of the extract of the service record of the applicant (only in respect of Government servants) or the pay pension order (in respect of retired government servants), duly attested/certified by the officer/in-charge of the administration of the concerned ministry/department of the applicant
• Driving license
• Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission of India
• Policy bond issued by the public life insurance corporations/companies

• DETAILS OF PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN:

In a welcome move, the new passport rules has done away with the mandate requiring names of both parents at the time of application. An applicant now only needs to provide the name of either one of the parents or the legal guardian. This makes it easier for children with single parents or orphans to apply for a passport. Provisions have also been made for spiritually oriented people (Sadhus/Sanyasis) who can now mention the name of their spiritual leader instead of their biological parents.

• ANNEXES

The total number of annexes has been bought down from 15 to 9. Annexes A, C, D, E, J, and K have been removed and some of them have also been merged. Lesser annexes means less trouble for you to collate documentation.

• ATTESTATION

While all annexes needed attestation from a Notary/Executive Magistrate/First Class Judicial Magistrate previously, henceforth all these annexes can now be in the form of a self-declaration from the applicant on plain paper. This will spare you all the running around for attestation that you would have had to do previously.

• MARRIED/DIVORCED PERSONS:

The need for a marriage certificate has been discontinued (along with annexure K). Also, in case of a divorce the applicant will not be required to provide the name of their spouse. This is another interesting change that has been made taking into consideration changing societal norms.

• WORK RELATED URGENT PASSPORTS:
  For urgent passports, if a government employee is unable to procure the NOC (no objection certificate) or identity certificate from their employers, they can submit a self-declaration stating that they have given a prior intimation letter to their employer informing that they are applying for an ordinary passport to a passport issuing authority.

To view the press release from the Ministry of External Affairs regarding the new passport rules, you can visit their website which has the complete details.

Overall, this move is set to make the application process easier and hassle-free for everyone. A welcome move, we say!

So don’t use your lack of passport as an excuse not to travel anymore. Apply for one now, and get going. Don’t forget to visit our website to get insured before you leave on your next adventure!

I Have Been Inspired By James Bond’s Films- Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Ace actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been promoting his forthcoming film ‘Babumoshai Bandookbaaz’ extensively across the country. The actor was in the capital recently to spread the word about the film among the audience and interact with the media. While talking about the film the actor said that since childhood he has been inspired by James Bond’s films.

Rajinikanth in politics: Was Trichy rally with fans a trial run for actor?

Is Rajinikanth all set to join politics?

Rajinikanth joining politics? The question is now not "if" but "when," especially after the rally attended by around 10,000 of his fans in Trichy on Sunday, August 20.

If the fan support was not enough, Gandhian politician Tamilaruvi Manian all but declared the platforms and issues on which the Superstar could fight elections.

It now remains to be seen how far his political career goes: Many film personalities from South India in general and Tamil Nadu, in particular, have tested political waters with varying degrees of success.

While the likes of MG Ramachandran and her protege Jayalalithaa of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have gone on to become chief ministers of Tami Nadu, others like Vijayakanth and T Rajender have not tasted success to that extent.

Trial run in Trichy?

However, given Rajinikanth's stature as a star and the response to the Trichy rally on Sunday, the actor rest assured of a good and strong run in politics.

In picture: A fan of Rajinikanth waves a flag at a public
 meeting for the star in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, on Sunday, August 20, 2017.

The public meeting in Trichy had ostensibly been called for fans to urge their favourite film-star to join politics. While Rajinikanth has not been active in politics, he has indeed skirted with it. His statement against Jayalalithaa in 1996 is believed to have helped a coalition of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) come to power.

However, Sunday was different: Instead of any kind of opposition to any government scheme, Rajinikanth is believed to have given his fans a glimpse of the issues he can be expected to fight for.

Lawyer and social activist Tamilaruvi Manian told the fans at the meeting: "I will explain Rajini's brand of politics and his agenda and take back fans' expectations to Rajini."

He also said that Rajinikanth "wants to bring about inter-linking of rivers in south India, transparent good governance, and a corruption-free state."

A long-time coming

Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan — two of the biggest stars in Kollywood, the Tamil film industry — have both been plagued by politics and politicians, which has from time to time affected the earnings of their films.

Kamal Hassan (Left) and Rajinikanth (right)Twitter

While both have steered clear of joining politics, they have indeed made some political statements. But more recently, they got tongues wagging when they attended a DMK jubilee together and spoke on some topics.

Hints of Rajinikanth's entry into politics have been coming since May, and have been met with opposition from various quarters, primarily on the fact that he was born Maharashtrian — his real name is Shivaji Gaekwad.

You must be tired of being fooled by the fake electronic gadgets of top brands in the market. As soon as a top gadget brand launches its new product, the copycats also launch their faked items. Sometimes, they are made so well that you just can’t recognize them.

Here are few tips for you all:

1. Pay attention to manufacturing:

The ones who design fake products often tend to neglect the packaging of the product. Hence, they can be easily caught on this demerit.

1. See if there is a user manual:

The international brands print their user manual in English language and the copycats do it the other way. So, if you can’t read the user manual of a product, it might be a fake one.

1. What kind of material is used:

Top brands never try to save on material because their material is their identity, unlike the copycats.

1. You can notice the fonts as well:

Just like material, a logo is also the face of the company and the top brands never miss on their patented fonts. However, the important factor can be lacked by the ones who make fake products.

1. The charger pin:

All the top brands make the chargers according to the socket designs of a particular country. It is not the case with the chargers of the fake products.

1. The size of the charging wire:

In case of fake products, the wire sits smoothly if it is left freely. On the other hand, the wire of a fake product makes different angles and never sits freely and smoothly. Also, the charging pin can be of inappropriate sizes. It happens quite often that the size of the plus doesn’t match the size of the socket. And it happens only in the case when you have bought a fake product.

Wire quality is one of the most obvious signs of a counterfeit product. In the original, a plugged-in cable will sit firmly and evenly, while in a fake you’ll see incorrect angles and loose parts. Sometimes the length of a plug doesn’t coincide with the depth of the socket.

Also, pay attention to the quality of the insulation and the symbols on it. The wire should be flexible and even-colored, while the markings mustn’t be erasable.

Hero Xtreme 200S may finally launch in India; find out when

Hero MotoCorp had showcased sportbike Xtreme 200S in India at the Auto Expo 2016 and the motor enthusiasts have been waiting for its launch in the country since then. It looks like the premium motorcycle from the house of Hero could finally be on sale in the country soon. 

Hero Xtreme 200S

A report of Gaadiwaadi says that Hero Xtreme 200S may be launched in the country by the end of this fiscal year. The motorcycle has been associated with several launch dates since its debut, but the company has not revealed any launch timeframe for the Hero Xtreme 200S so far.

"We are working on further bolstering our premium product portfolio with bikes such as the Xtreme 200S. We displayed our intent at the Auto Expo when we showcased a host of new products, including an electric scooter," Pawan Munjal of Hero MotoCorp had said.

To be pitted against Bajaj Pulsar NS200, KTM 200 Duke and TVS Apache RTR 200 4V, Xtreme 200S is expected to be powered by an air-cooled, single cylinder, 4-stroke 200cc engine that can churn out a maximum power of 18.5bhp at 8,500rpm and peak torque of 17.2Nm at 6,000rpm.

The mill is expected to come mated to a five-speed gearbox and is likely to deliver a fuel efficiency of 45kmpl. It is rumoured that Xtreme 200S will also feature ABS in India, but the feature could come as optional. 

Built around single down tube frame, Xtreme 200S is also likely to get split grab handles, chunky silencer, LED tail lamp and an analog-digital meter console. Other expected featuimg include conventional fork and monoshock rear suspension, disc brakes at both ends and multi-spoke alloy wheels. 

Hero Xtreme 200S is likely to get a price tag of around Rs 1.2 lakh for the ABS version.

Source: GaadiWaadi