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Jio to become a dominant force in Indian 5G market

Naushad K. Cherrayil
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Jio to become a dominant force in Indian 5G market
  • Jio’s partnership with the University of Oulu to fast-track its R&D in 6G technology positions the company as a key player in the telecom industry, not just in India, but on the global stage.

Reliance Jio’s significant investment and advanced frequency utilisation strategy in 5G positions it as a leader in the Indian market when compared to its competitors, an industry expert said.

“Jio has reportedly earmarked $25 billion for 5G services rollout, making it the largest 5G investment in India. The telecom giant has purchased 5G spectrum in all the main frequency bands, including 700MHz, 800MHz, 1800MHz, 3300MHz, and the premium mmWave 26GHz bands,” Charan Padala, Principal Analyst in the Thematic Intelligence  team at GlobalData, said.

Of these, the 700MHz band is particularly noteworthy as it allows Jio to penetrate rural areas in India and offer low-cost 5G services to the masses.

Reducing interference issues

Moreover, Padala said that Jio has taken several measures to reduce potential interference issues with its 5G services, including the use of Beamforming, Beam tracking, Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM) technology, and the deployment of multiple antennas for each base station.

With these measures in place, he said that Jio is poised to become a dominant force in the Indian 5G market. With its advanced infrastructure and technology, Jio has the capability to offer incredibly fast speeds up to 600 megabits per second and ultra-low latency.

In India, 5G services are being offered by only two telecom operators- Reliance Jio and Airtel.

Jio has launched its 5G services in 50 additional cities, bringing its total to 184 cities across India, as of January this year.

Reliance Jio 5G services are available in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Nathdwara (a town in Rajasthan), and all the 33 district headquarters of Gujarat. Gujarat is the first state in India where 5G services from Jio are available across the state.

Airtel is offering its 5G services in 12 major cities across country. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur, Varanasi, Panipat, Gurugram, Guwahati, and Patna.

Both Jio and Airtel are planning to launch 5G Pan India by 2024. Mukesh Ambani headed Jio is also targeting to reach out to significant Indian cities by December 2023.

Upper hand

Other telecom operators, including Vodafone Idea or BSNL are yet to launch their 5G services.

While BSNL is planning to launch 4G services in the start of 2023, followed by 5G in mid or by the end of the next year, Vodafone is facing financial issues and is working on the same to launch its 5G network in India.

Even though Jio has an upper hand, Padala said that it remains to be seen whether these efforts will pay off in terms of consumer adoption.

“Despite this uncertainty, Jio’s ambitious plans for 5G and 6G technologies have put India on the global map for advanced communications and well-positioned to capitalise on the growing demand for these connected innovative services in India.”

Moreover, he said that Jio has partnered with the University of Oulu to fast-track its research and development in 6G technology.

The Indian Department of Telecommunications (DoT) estimates that 6G could be launched as early as 2029-2030 in India, and Jio’s partnership with the University of Oulu positions the company as a key player in the telecommunications industry, not just in India, but on the global stage.

Studio Sirah to take its first card game globally with $2.6m funding

Naushad K. Cherrayil
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Studio Sirah to take its first card game globally with $2.6m funding
  • The round is led by Kalaari Capital and Lumikai.
  • Hopes to not only entertain Indian gamers but to take a slice of India to the world at large.

India-bred game developer – Studio Sirah – plans to globally launch its flagship gaming title, Kurukshetra: Ascension, by June 2023, with the $2.6 million raised in a Pre-series A round led by Kalaari Capital and its seed investor -Lumikai.

In addition, the funds will also help to build out their second title, which will go even further in terms of ambition and scope.

Prior to this, Studio Sirah had raised $830,000 in September, 2021 in its Seed round led by Lumikai and a pool of renowned angels such as Akshat Rathee (founder, Nodwin Games), Alexis Bonte (chief operating officer, Stillfront Games), Piyush Shah (cofounder, Inmobi), Roshni Rathi (partner, BCG), and Sameer Pitalwalla (Head Of Gaming, Google Cloud).

Cultural resonance

“Over the last year, we have worked hard to build a mid-core gaming studio from scratch, and launched a game which has both cultural resonance and global quality. The response has been amazing, both in India and abroad, and it is evident that there is a huge (and growing) market for uniquely Indian content,” Abhaas Shah, Co-founder and CEO of Studio Sirah, said.

Over the coming decades, he said that they hope to not only entertain Indian gamers but to take a slice of India to the world at large.

Kurukshetra: Ascension, their first tile,  is a free-to-play card battler and themed on India’s two great epics – the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Players don the roles of ancient legends such as Arjuna and Sugriva, collect divine Astras and mythical creatures (from Apsaras to Daityas), and battle it out to the top in thrilling online duels.

The studio is now adding in an expansive story mode (Ascension) – a grand tale of warring gods, conflicting philosophy, and the nature of Dharma itself, where player choices determine the fate of the universe.

Strong demand for Indian IP

With over 120,000 organic downloads in beta, Kurukshetra-Ascension is available in early access on Play Store and Steam. Their current user base is deeply engaged, with a DAU/ MAU ratio exceeding 20 per cent and average session times of over 25 minutes.

Vamshi Krishna Reddy, Partner at Kalaari Capital, said that the midcore genre like CCGs has done well globally, including China and Japan – but is severely under-penetrated in the Indian market.

“There is immense potential for more core IPs to come out of India. When we first met Abhaas and Prateek, we were in awe of the passion with which they were building Kurukshetra and saw a clear whitespace. With stellar artwork and innovative gameplay – Kurukshetra has already garnered a lot of appreciation from users and we are excited with what lies ahead.”

“Our recently published ‘India State of Gaming 2022 survey indicates that 80 per cent of players have a strong tendency to play games with Indian IP, and we believe that games with culturally resonant themes have the potential to significantly disrupt the Indian gaming market – especially in the midcore category,” Justin Shriram Keeling, Founding General Partner at, Lumikai, said

Which is the most impersonated brand for phishing attacks in Q4 of 2022?

Naushad K. Cherrayil
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Which is the most impersonated brand for phishing attacks in Q4 of 2022?
  • Check Point Research reports that Yahoo climbed 23 places while LinkedIn and FedEx returned to the top 10 list after dropping from the ranking in the previous quarter.

Yahoo was the most impersonated brand for phishing attacks during the fourth quarter of last year, climbing 23 places and accounting for 20 per cent of all attempts.

DHL came in second place with 16 per cent of all brand phishing attempts, ahead of Microsoft in the third spot with 11 per cent. LinkedIn also returned to the list this quarter, reaching fifth place with 5.7 per cent. DHL’s popularity could be due to the busy online shopping season surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with hackers using the brand to generate ‘fake’ deliveries notifications.

Check Point Research (CPR) found cybercriminals distributing emails with subject lines that suggested a recipient had won awards or prize money from senders such as ‘Awards Promotion’ or ‘Award Center’.

The content of the email informed the target that they had won prize money organised by Yahoo, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. It asked the recipient to send their personal information and bank details, claiming to transfer the winning prize money to the account.

 The email also contained a warning that the target must not tell people about winning the prize because of legal issues.

Technology sector the most hit

Omer Dembinsky, Data Group Manager at Check Point Software.

 “We are seeing hackers trying to bait their targets by offering awards and significant amounts of money. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it almost always is. You can protect yourself from a brand phishing attack by not clicking on suspicious links or attachments and by always checking the URL of the page you are directed to. Look for misspellings and do not volunteer unnecessary information,” Omer Dembinsky, Data Group Manager at Check Point Software, said.

In general, the technology sector was the industry most likely to be imitated by brand phishing in the last quarter of 2022, followed by shipping and social networks.

According to Check Point Research data, global cyberattacks increased by 38 per cent in 2022, compared to 2021.

These cyberattack numbers were driven by smaller, more agile hacker and ransomware gangs, who focused on exploiting collaboration tools used in work-from-home environments, targeting of education institutions that shifted to e-learning post Covid-19.

Healthcare on the radar

This increase in global cyberattacks also stems from hacker interest in healthcare organisations, which saw the largest increase in cyberattacks in 2022, when compared to all other industries.

Global volume of cyberattacks reached an all-time high in Q4 with an average of 1,168 weekly attacks per organisation while the top three most attacked industries in 2022 were Education/Research, Government and Healthcare.

CPR warns that the maturity of AI technology, such as CHATGPT, can accelerate the number of cyberattacks in 2023.

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Aster DM Healthcare’s myAster ranks top in free medical app on app stores

Naushad K. Cherrayil
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Aster DM Healthcare’s myAster ranks top in free medical app on app stores
  • Downloads cross 352,000 since the soft launch in July 2022.
  • Platform to add more features in a bid to provide seamless access to its healthcare ecosystem.

Aster DM Healthcare’s myAster app is now ranked as the top free medical app on the App Store and Play Store with downloads of more than 352,000 since its soft launch in July 2022.

Being one of the largest healthcare providers in GCC and India, Aster has officially unveiled the full-fledged version of the app by providing access to hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and pharmacies to empower patients with end-to-end care facilitation and provide seamless access to its healthcare ecosystem.

“Aster DM Healthcare is aligned with the UAE’s 2031 Vision for developing the health sector by providing the best-in-class services and continually updating them. The myAster platform was launched as part of Aster’s commitment to providing equitable, unbiased access to world-class medical care, while we strive to improve the healthcare system’s readiness to manage health risks,” Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said.

Moreover, she said the app is developed to align and cater to the constantly changing landscape of medical needs of patients in the UAE and across the world.

“As healthcare providers, we must be equipped to handle those changes with the latest technologies. The idea of offering accessible personalised healthcare through a single platform that brings together all of the patient journeys is in line with Aster’s vision of providing affordable quality healthcare to all,” she said.

Transparency at the core

Aster’s Digital Health team has innovated and developed the solution over a period of two years, providing booking appointments from among 430 doctors across five hospitals, 48 clinics and over 20 medical specialities and supported by a fully functional help centre.

Brandon Rowberry, CEO of Digital Health at Aster DM Healthcare, said that the app was created to serve the needs of the citizens across the GCC and is designed with transparency at its core.

“Now our users have access to more than 200 Aster hospital doctors for appointment booking. The user interface is easy to navigate, and they can view doctor schedules and slots to select a doctor for consultation.

“We are also launching our Instant GP feature enabling users to video consult with a General Practitioner in as early as 30 minutes. As we continue to innovate, we will be adding Homecare services to the myAster app soon,” he added.

ITU sets up expert focus group to set technical standards for metaverse

Naushad K. Cherrayil
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0
ITU sets up expert focus group to set technical standards for metaverse
  • The group will analyse the technical requirements to identify fundamental enabling technologies in areas from multimedia and network optimisation to digital currencies, the Internet of Things, digital twins and environmental sustainability.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations’ specialised agency for information and communication technologies, has established an expert focus group to start laying the groundwork for technical standards for the metaverse.

Metaverse has become one disruptive area of innovation with great potential to change the global economy, way of living and communicating and society.

In this nascent phase of the metaverse, the industry has not converged towards common terms and definitions. The metaverse concept has attracted considerable public attention.

“The metaverse and its layers of technologies can help human development and progress,” ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said.

“The work of this ITU focus group is the first step in ensuring that these technologies work well and that they work for all. The benefits of the metaverse should be shared broadly and equitably, and the risks should be well understood and addressed.”

Collaboration platform for dialogue

The ITU-T Focus Group on metaverse was established under TSAG on December 16, 2022.

The group will analyse the technical requirements of the metaverse to identify fundamental enabling technologies in areas from multimedia and network optimisation to digital currencies, the Internet of Things, digital twins, and environmental sustainability.

It will also provide a collaboration platform for dialogue, for identifying stakeholders with whom ITU-T could collaborate, and for enabling the inclusion of non-members to contribute to the technical pre-standardisation work.

The Focus Group work will be enriched with the identification of relevant use cases.

Industry reports expect the sector to grow to a value of nearly $800 billion by 2024.

Bumblebee to ensure babies develop a healthy and sustainable link with food

Naushad K. Cherrayil
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0
Bumblebee to ensure babies develop a healthy and sustainable link with food
  • A ready-made frozen meal plan and catering to the needs of new parents were born to provide nutritious and delicious meals for babies and toddlers.
  • Saudi Arabia is on the radar but Qadreya’s immediate expansion plan is for the products to be available at leading supermarkets in the UAE.

Necessity is the mother of all inventions and it has proved it right in the case of the Emirati Founder and CEO of Bumblebee – Qadreya Al Awadhi.

The idea of her business began when she babysat her friend’s son who was being weaned and realised they couldn’t find any healthy or nutritious meals for him at the supermarket or local grocery.

“The foods at the supermarkets carry a one-year expiry date and the food had no taste or flavour. I realised that there are no healthy options for babies. Most of the time, the foods available at the stores are more aged than the baby itself,” Qadreya told TechChannel News.

She identified this gap in the market and was determined to help mothers provide a healthy alternative for their babies. Thus, Bumblebee, a ready-made frozen meal plan for babies and toddlers and catering to the needs of new parents, was born to provide nutritious and delicious meals for babies and toddlers.

Hassle-free meal planning

“I started consulting with paediatric nutritionists to help me launch baby meals with the right nutrition. We have a kitchen and a certified chef to cook fresh food. Ingredients are sourced locally from organic farms. Since it is fresh food, the product can stay in the freezer for two months.

“Our protein is hormone-free and grass-fed. All our food is cooked from scratch, including our sauces. We offer various new flavours and textures to every meal to cater to every child’s needs,” she said.

Moreover, she said that her idea is to help working moms, moms-on-the-go and new moms with easy and hassle-free meal planning.

“Our product is specifically designed for easy transportation and mess-free feeding. Our product fits in mommy’s purses, and kids’ lunchbox and is even suitable for airplane carry. We believe that babies and toddlers should have their meals sourced naturally and organically to ensure long-term health.

“We also believe in feeding your child a wide variety of foods, which is why we cook with all kinds of ingredients and have seasonal menus. We do not use any processed ingredients,” she said.

Challenging job

Born and raised in Dubai, Qadreya studied Finance at Zayed University followed by masters from The University of Wollongong in International Business. Despite working as a banker, she finds time to manage her business. She also received a certification in culinary school before establishing Bumblebee.

 “Initially, it was challenging to manage both sides of the job. I love being a woman and young. The idea came into my mind when I was in college. My job also helped me elevate and manage my business. My family also really supported me,” she said.

The products can be booked at https://www.bumblebeefood.com and delivered to your doorstep.

Qadreya started with AED 150,000 and broke even a couple of months ago.

“I was supposed to launch Bumblebee in 2020 but Covid delayed the plans and officially launched late last year. The business took off from Dubai and right now covers the entire UAE, targeting six months to four-year-olds.

Expansion plan

There are two local brands to compete with, she said and added that what makes them different from them is that their products are developed by a certified paediatric nutritionist and it is frozen.

“My next plan is for the baby meals to be available at leading supermarkets in the UAE. We are in talks with some of them. Saudi Arabia is on the radar as part of expansion but she is planning anything soon and the focus is to expand it further in the UAE itself,” Qadreya said.

However, to grow the brand further, she hopes to start talking to nurseries and schools as part of UAE’s National Strategy for wellbeing 2031.

“We plan to play a key role in this strategy as food is very important and you are what you eat. The habit that you build as a baby carries with you to adulthood. So, we aim to educate parents, caregivers and schools about the importance of healthy food as there is no salt or sugar in our products,” she said.

When asked about her mission, she said that her mission is to ensure babies develop a healthy and sustainable relationship with food.

“When we expand beyond the UAE after 2025, we need to raise more cash or look for an investor. 

I can feed my own in the supermarket expansion plan,” she said.

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