Go cashless! Five mobile wallets to ease your post-demonetisation cash crunch

New Delhi: Giving a push for the country to go digital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed the people, particularly the youths, to embrace e-banking and mobile banking for cashless transactions.

The Prime Minister suggested that mobile should be used for the banking purposes. “My mobile… My bank… My wallet,” Modi said.

Following PM’s request to turn India into a cashless economy, we took stock of the different options available among mobile wallets. These were the ones that really seem to ease the cash crunch. .

Paytm

One of the most popular wallet apps in the country, Paytm started out with mobile recharges, DTH plans and bill payments but later launched an e-commerce marketplace as well. Its wallet partners include Uber, Bookmyshow, and Makemytrip, along with others. Notably, Paytm is the only app to provide such an option for online shoppers.

Also, it is the only wallet that supports IRCTC bookings and the only app to offer current and saving account deposits.

Freecharge

FreeCharge lets you recharge any prepaid mobile phone, postpaid mobile, electricity bill payments, DTH and data card in India. Interestingly, the app very recently added a new feature enabling it to recharge metro cards. the wallet can be topped up with debit cards, credit cards and net banking.

MobiKwik

Just like the other mobile wallet apps, MobiKwik can be used to recharge mobiles and pay bills but it’s also accepted across merchants such as BookMyShow, MakeMyTrip, Domino’s Pizza, eBay, among others. MobiKwik has done a good job of building up offline partners such as Cafe Coffee Day already.

Oxigen Wallet

The wallet allows users to top up money and use it for mobile data recharge, DTH and data card recharge. It also allows mobile payments for mobile, landline and electricity bills.

Its ideal use though is money transfers. The wallet can have a maximum balance of Rs.10000 and lets you transfer 5000 rupees per day and 10,000 per month.

Vodafone M-Pesa

M-pesa is an appropriate choice in case you need to send money to someone who doesn’t have a bank account because the app lets you turn your virtual balance into cash easily.

The app lets you send money to anyone, to recharge prepaid numbers, DTH connections, postpaid Vodafone numbers, utility bills and online shopping.

Others

The above list includes the 5 most popular mobile payment wallets in India. There are many other widely used digital wallets like Airtel Money, mRupee, Freecharge, Citrus Pay etc. that are making lives easier for people in India.

Background:

The central government on November 8 demonetised old Rs 500 and 1,000 notes to crack down on black money holders. The move led to a cash chaos in the country.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to go for cashless transactions, his office on Monday conducted a training workshop for its staff in mobile banking, an official said.

Officers demonstrated the process of cashless transactions and helped their staff members download the relevant mobile apps on their phones, it added.

(With inputs from IANS)

Resource: http://www.abplive.in/india-news/go-cashless-five-mobile-wallets-to-ease-your-post-demonetisation-cash-crunch-454252

After 4G LTE, Reliance Jio sets eyes on DTH, broadband services

Reliance Jio is not just about the 4G LTE network but it wants to be a part of every aspect of your life.
Reliance Jio is already breaking all sorts of records with its 4G services, but turns out, it is only the beginning and there’s a lot more in store. After incumbent 4G network operators, Jio now has its eyes set of existing DTH and broadband service providers. Though there is no set timeline for a launch, Jio is working on soon offering broadband services with up to 1Gbps speeds, and a set-top-box with a host of HD channels. Last month BGR India visited Reliance Jio’s Experience Centre to get a first-hand experience of some of the services the company has in the works, which could be launched soon.

Reliance Jio has been doing the groundwork for the better part of a decade now to lay down fiber optic cables across major cities in India. The company is set to offer Fiber To The Home (FTTH) services with speeds up to 1Gbps, and it has already started a limited pilot program in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. This isn’t the first time we are hearing of Jio’s FTTH plans, and Mukesh Ambani had mentioned about it during the Jio 4G launch earlier this year.
Along with FTTH, Jio is also planning to have a set top box that will provide live TV streaming (Jio TV) along with other services that Jio already offers as a part of its ‘My Jio’ app suite for 4G LTE users. At the experience centre, the company showcased how its FTTH service would work with an NVDIA Shield Android TV to have smart TV functionality. Along with a bouquet of 350 channels, including over four dozen HD channels, users will also be able to view “catch up” TV up to seven days. The best part is they don’t have to record anything as everything is stored on Jio’s servers. Users will also be able to use the smart remote and use voice search commands like “Shah Rukh Khan”, which will show all content related to the actor that has appeared on TV in the last seven days. Of course, the hardware can support 4K playback and can also connect with other apps.

For a connected home lifestyle, users will be able to use the same connection to have multiple TV streams on multiple devices. For this, there is an app called MediaShare, so you can leave the stream on one device and continue it on another. Jio is also working on Chromecast Audio like hardware that will convert your old speakers into connected ones. The company is also working on other smart home devices like connected security cameras, smart locks and others. It is also working devices that can provide broadband over power lines in order to extend the range of internet connectivity across one’s house.

Coming to the physical world, Jio also showcased a tiny device that connects into the car’s OBD port. The device not only provides internet connectivity inside the car but also has an app where you can view the car’s diagnostics in real time, locate the car, and even control various functions. RELATED: Reliance Jio reportedly working on Car Connect OBD for in-car entertainment and safety

Reliance Jio has only given a glimpse at what it plans to launch going forward, without actually revealing any particular timeline. We must admit that these plans sound pretty interesting, and a tad ambitious as well. The idea behind Jio’s 4G services was equally ambitious, but since launch, the issues being faced by its users is no secret. Almost every day, we come across users complaining about call drops or low mobile data speeds. It would be interesting to see how these services fare once they are launched in the country.

Resource: http://www.bgr.in/news/after-4g-lte-reliance-jio-sets-eyes-on-dth-broadband-services/

Reliance Jio’s next big offering: 1Gbps optical fibre broadband and DTH

Reliance Jio is expected to roll out its direct to home services, which will affect established broadband and DTH players
Reliance Jio has already shaken up the telecom industry in India with its Reliance Jio 4G service offerings. However, the company has more up its sleeve. In fact, in a few months the conglomerate will roll out its direct to home services, which have the potential to make life hard for existing broadband players as well as DTH operators.

The service will come in the form of a high-speed optical fibre – pushing speeds up to 1 Gbps. The cables are already laid for most of India and some pilot services are being offered in part of Mumbai. There is no clarity yet on the final hardware offering or the date of full rollout. As far as pricing goes, the company has suggested that it will offer value for the customer like with all its Jio services.

Customers of the service will get access to high-speed internet, as well as a host of Jio services. The hardware will include a set-top-box, as well as an Android smartbox or Apple TV that will help them control the content and also play games.

The speeds will be unprecedented for the Indian home segment where 16Mbps is considered a luxury. With the Jio fibre offering — if everything goes well — customers will be able to stream and play high-definition games with multiple players. Also, 4K videos will become much more easier to access without any buffer.

However, where Jio could bring in big impact is with JioTV which will offer more than 360 channels, at least 50 of which will be in HD. The offering is differentiated by existing players because of the seven-day catch up option. This content is not saved locally, but on Jio servers and pulled in as per demand. Users will be able to use a voice enabled remote to search by channel, show, category or even by the names of actors.

It is not new for broadband services to offer television channels. MTNL tried IPTV many years ago while Airtel too has a similar service. However, none have been really successful. For households with multiple televisions, a single router will work but with individual set-top-boxes.

Then there is Jio MediaShare, with which the company is promising the ability to locally play content across all your devices from your PC or hard-drive – using the Home Gateway. Jio is also working on solutions to make legacy music systems and televisions smart.

Read- Reliance Jio’s impact still muted, say analysts: Here’s why

Plus, the service wants to push internet-of-things (IOT) as well. It will use smart plugs (already available in the market) to control appliances in a home. The home gateway will also enable better security of home through surveillance with real-time monitoring via cameras, connected doorbells and motion sensors.

Despite the ambitious plans, it might take a few months for the services to be rolled out as Jio wants to go pan-India with whatever services they have. Also at the moment getting the necessary permissions to install the Jio Fibre into residential societies and other private compounds is proving to be the bigger hurdle. However, Jio certainly stands out for being the first to offer, or at least think of, a whole bouquet of services that are linked to the web.
Resource:
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/reliance-jios-next-big-offering-could-hit-dth-and-broadband-services-4371283/

DTH at a Glance: I peaked in high school

My sophomore year of high school, I was on the homecoming court and won class favorite. I was also in a relationship, president of my class and involved in more than seven clubs.

My sophomore year of college, I have more presence online than I do in the real world, cannot remember the last time I brushed my hair and spend more time having existential crises than I do sleeping.

I pretty much peaked in high school. Others hit a high point in college. @Mr. and Miss UNC 2016, Logan Gin and Dani Nicholson: please rub off on me.

— Tiana

QUICK HITS

    With a slight change of location, the Orange County GOP office building officially reopened Thursday after its Oct. 17 firebombing.
    A group of students created a UNC pingpong club. People don’t exaggerate when they say there really is a club for everything here.
    A new diversity supercourse called “Intersectionality: Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice” will bring three different UNC departments together to educate students on important but sensitive topics.
    UNC defeated Georgia Tech 48-20 at Saturday’s homecoming football game, proving again why I left Georgia to come to North Carolina. (Does that make it a home-leaving game for me? Who knows.)

IN UNC ROYALTY

Congratulations to Logan Gin and Dani Nicholson on being crowned Mr. and Miss UNC 2016! The announcement was made this Saturday before the start of the Homecoming game. Nicholson’s service project will focus on starting dialogue on sensitive topics among students and faculty while Gin’s project will bring adaptive sports, like wheelchair basketball, to UNC.

IN BEING A FAVE

The Chapel Hill Historical Society honored exceptional citizens of Chapel Hill and Carrboro on Sunday. The society celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding with the annual Town Treasures award, presented to citizens that hold special places in the two towns’ hearts. (I’m still waiting for my honorable mention.)

IN GOING AU NATURAL

The medicinal gardens surrounding the Health Sciences Library is growing. After two years of hard work, the Gardening and Ethnobotany in Academia Project are ready for the garden to become a go-to for students. The group hopes to plant the seeds of knowledge, helping visitors expand what they know about plants while simultaneously expanding the club’s membership.

IN REALLY, REALLY INTENSE EYE CONTACT

The dark void of human interaction is one that we like to avoid. At UNC, this is particularly difficult to do. Considering the number of people on campus every day, you are bound to make awkward eye contact with someone at some point in your four-year career. But when it happens — and it will — don’t panic. Use these evasion techniques instead.
Resource:  http://www.dailytarheel.com/blog/dth-at-a-glance/2016/11/dth-at-a-glance-i-peaked-in-high-school

RCom to rebrand Reliance Digital TV as Chois HD?

Anil Ambani group’s Reliance Digital DTH may be rebranded to ‘Chois HD’, according to a twitter user, who also tweeted some photographs of the upcoming brand.

Reliance Communications’ Reliance Digital is arguably the weakest candidate among the five private companies that compete in India’s DTH space.

The DTH business is dominated Dish TV, Tata Sky, Videocon, Airtel Digital and Sun Direct, while Doordarshan’s Free Dish caters to the free DTH market.

RCom’s DTH service has around 5 mln subscribers and an estimated 6% market share.

A sale of Reliance Digital has been rumored about for years, and the Anil Ambani group has not been spending much on promoting the venture over the past several years, unlike its competitors.

The user, @realraghv, who tweeted the suggestion and the photos seems to be basing his assumption on the similarly in the brand logo. While Reliance Digital TV has 4K Tech written in a particular style, the new Chois HD dish also has the words 4K Tech written in the exact same style.

It is also possible that Chois HD may be an entirely new player who is coming to the market, or a sub-brand of any of the existing players including Reliance. Dish TV, for example, has a sub-brand called Zing, aimed at lower-income customers.

The name Reliance Digital has been causing some confusion recently because of the rising prominence of an electronics retail chain by the same name started by Mukesh Ambani, the elder brother of Anil Ambani.

The renaming of the DTH venture to Chois, if it materializes, would suggest that the two groups are trying to avoid a confusion in the name and branding.

Secondly, and more importantly, the rebranding suggests that the Anil group is now gearing up to make more investments into the venture, either by itself or in conjunction with a new partner.

The DTH business offers synergies with JioTV, an app-based TV broadcasting venture operated by the Mukesh Ambani group. However, for now, there are not clues as to whether any synergy between the two will be explored or not.

The Anil Ambani group’s telecom operations have “practically merged” (in the words of its chairman) with Reliance Jio, the telecom venture of the elder brother. The two companies share spectrum, radio infrastructure, passive intrastructure and fiber.

Resource:  http://rtn.asia/t-t/24509/rcom-rebrand-reliance-digital-tv-chois-hd

IIT profs to coach engineering aspirants via four DTH channels

 Taking the concept of Digital India to another level and reducing the dependency on coaching institutes, professors from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will be providing coaching classes to engineering aspirants through four DTH channels from January 1.

These channels will be available free of cost through Doordarshan's Free Dish DTH platform, and the aspirants will only have to secure a Set-Top Box to watch these channels.


The initiative named IIT-PAL (Professor Assisted Learning) will not only reduce dependence on coaching centres but will also reach out to the students who are living in rural areas and cannot afford to pay the fee for expensive crash courses.

"A team of 40 professors from various IITs have compiled 200-hour lectures for each subject covering the entire syllabus of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). There are so many coaching institutes claiming to be providing easy tricks to crack the exam and not every aspirant can afford to join them," IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao told reporters here.

"The faculty members will be joined by teachers from various Kendriya Vidyalyas in imparting these lessons to the aspirants and the focus will be more on concepts," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Resource: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/iit-profs-to-coach-engineering-aspirants-via-four-dth-channels-116110401418_1.html

DTH at a Glance: Presidentially pissed

President Barack Obama visited our campus yesterday. You probably knew that, your family members probably knew that, your dog maybe knew that and all of our sunburned reporters who camped out to cover the event definitely knew that.

I knew that, but the reality didn't sink in until I walked out of my mid-campus dorm to take out my trash before my not-canceled classes and ran into a line that ran all the way down to that weird Subway at the bottom of Rams. I think a thousand students saw me throw out about two weeks worth of takeout trash I can't afford and I've made my peace with that. Mostly because the drumline paused outside my mid-campus dorm window and provided a soundtrack for my non-presidential angst before going on to play the National Anthem with James Taylor or whatever it was they did. I don't know. I wasn't there.

— Rachel

QUICK HITS

    President Obama arrived to campus at around 3 o'clock, but many students had been camped out to see him since the night before (technically not allowed, but I'm not a snitch). We caught up with the early birds while they passed the time.
    African-American archives and histories are often overlooked by historical collections. Chaitra Powell of the Southern Historical Collection is trying to change that for UNC.
    The Supreme Court will hear a case concerning transgender bathroom rights. While the suit originated with a high school student in Virginia, it could have a serious impact on North Carolina's bathroom laws.
    We've all been there, girl. Here are 100 things to do instead of studying, as told by a very tired Swerve writer.

IN OFFENSIVE AGEISM

UNC football lost three seniors in the early stages of the 2016 season, but they've turned the situation into a strength. I try to do the same thing because I skipped a grade and am very young for a college sophomore, but instead of turning into a conference-leading offensive powerhouse, I'm just called a 12-year-old a lot. (I'm 18 and that joke stopped being funny around my high school sophomore year.)

IN FEE FORUMS

The Tuition and Fee Advisory Task Force met to discuss the proposed business school fee (again) and how much money graduate students should be charged if they're residents or non-residents of N.C.

IN POSTHUMOUS POLITICIANS

Durham District 30 Representative Paul Luebke died on Saturday at the age of 70 from lymphoma. His legacy will live on through North Carolina's 2009 Racial Justice Act, but also in his continued presence on the 2016 ballot. If he is re-elected (which is very likely), the N.C. Democratic Party will pick a replacement.

Resource: http://www.dailytarheel.com/blog/dth-at-a-glance/2016/11/dth-at-a-glance-presidentially-pissed

DirecTV, DTH drive rising pay-TV in Chile

In a context of a generally bouyant pay-TV sector, DirecTV is driving satellite technology and has become Chile’s third largest player.

As with most of Latin American pay-TV markets, Chile continues to show healthy figures, having exceeded the three-million subs barrier by June 2016, reaching a 53.7% penetration rate.

Between June 2015 to June 2016, Chile’s pay-TV household base grew by 3.1%, mostly driven by satellite technology, reveals the latest official figures from the country’s telecom authority, Subtel.

Among the leading operators, DirecTV has managed the most growth, having increased its subscriber base by 8.5% year-on-year. The AT&T-owned company closed June 2016 with almost 550,000 subscribers, 45,000 more than a year ago, and an 18.3% market share.

These figures mean that DirecTV is the third largest player in the market, while Claro continues to lose ground. In fact, the América Móvil operator is the only one showing a drop, having lost 40,000 subs since June 2015.

Liberty Global’s VTR tops the market with 1.04 million subs and a 34.5% share followed by Telefónica’s Movistar, which owns 646,000 pay-TV homes.

As a direct consequence of satellite operator growth, direct-to-home (DTH) technology keeps gaining share in the market, and has been the most used technology since Q4 2013. By June 2016, DTH accounted for 1.55 million subscribers, 51.4% of total pay-TV homes.

Resource:http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016100744585/directv-dth-drive-rising-pay-tv-in-chile.html#axzz4MOGH1NaK

Intelsat 36 enters service

Intelsat’s latest satellite Intelsat 36 has entered service, providing additional DTH capacity for leading African pay TV operator MultiChoice.

Built for Intelsat by Space Systems/Loral (SSL), Intelsat 36 was launched aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle in August. The satellite, co-located with Intelsat 20 at 68.5° East, includes a Ku-band payload used by MultiChoice and a C-band payload targeted at Africa and the Indian Ocean region.

“There are dynamic changes taking place across the global media landscape, and Intelsat 36 supports our customers as they address the growing demand for content throughout the African continent,” said Brian Jakins, Regional Vice President, Africa Sales, Intelsat. “This satellite will enable our customer, MultiChoice, to extend high definition channels throughout the region. The C-band payload will provide additional redundancy for media customers to ensure that all viewers have access to reliable, high quality content.”

Speaking to DTVE at IBC last month, Intelsat’s VP, Europe, Middle East and Africa sales, Jean-Philippe Gillett said: “The bulk of [capacity] is dedicated to MultiChoice, which it will use to expand its offering. This his is going to help them boost their programming or deliver new types of distribution.”

At IBC, Intelsat’s Gillett highlighted the usefulness of the satellite operator’s EPIC high-throughput satellites in enabling African digital switchover. Gillett said that the EPIC satellites’ spot-beam capacity would be highly suitable for feeding DTT towers.

The operator however suffered a set-back in August when it was forced to push back the in-service date for its latest EPIC satellite, Intelsat-33e, which will serve Africa, to early next year after it suffered a malfunction in the primary thruster used for orbit raising.
Resource:  http://www.digitaltveurope.net/610132/intelsat-36-enters-service/

DTH players roll out festival offers

MUMBAI: Brands are bursting Diwali offers. As the festive season draws closer, all the D2H players, one after the other, are extending lucrative offers to consumers to buy their products and subscribe to their service. Tata Sky had run a promotional offer between 8 and 21 August on its tenth anniversary, under which it allowed subscribers to watch all its 500 plus channels at no extra cost.

DishTV has now come up with a special Diwali HD offer. Customers can opt for a high-definition set-top box at minimal additional cost just by paying Rs. 120 extra. The subscribers can also view HD channels via DishTV’s small HD entertainment add-on packs.

DTH operator Videocon d2h has hopped on to the bandwagon of the promotional offers. Videocon boasts of a 11-12 million active subscriber base and has branded the promotion as “Khushiyon kee Diwali.”

New Videocon subscribers will have to pay only Rs 1820 for HD or Rs 1620 for a standard definition connection. On choosing a monthly subscription plan, the newbie can instantaneously upgrade themselves to the next higher upgrade plan for two months at no cost. Additionally, existing subscribers can also avail of the free two month upgrade by coughing up just Rs 10 extra on their monthly plan. The DTH operator had upped its prices by a minimum of about Rs 20 a month across subscription packges on account of the rise in service tax, various levies and other input costs.

Says Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot: “The festive season is all about mega enjoyment. This year our Diwali offer covers everyone from our existing subscriber to the potential subscriber opting for a new connection from Videocon d2h. This offer blends perfectly with our brand promise of providing wholesome entertainment for the family."

Adds Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera: "Our Khushiyon kee Diwali promotion from 1 October to 30 November h Nov gives our existing consumer to enjoy the festive season with an upgrade to the next higher monthly plan for 60 days. We strongly believe that this attractive offer will create waves in the market in this festive season.”

Videocon d2h offer subscribers 570 channels and services, including a host of regional channels. It offers a wide range of active services like smart services including smart English, smart games.

DishTV's HD sachets capture the interest of consumers towards HD viewing by offering them the channels at a nominal price of Rs.75 for one. This offering enables DishTV subscribers to select these small packs as per their preferences and needs. "With users aspiring for HD channels, this move is to encourage them to embrace HD channels at a minimal cost," said DishTV CEO Arun Kapoor.

For new HD connections, customers will now have to pay an introductory price of Rs. 1990 which will include subscription of one-month super family pack or jumbo pack and one HD add-on for one month at no extra cost. The new connection will also include a universal remote. DishTV has a complete offering and mix of 51 high-definition entertainment, music, news and regional language channels. The offer is available across all parts of the country.

Resource:  http://www.indiantelevision.com/dth/dth-operator/videocon-d2h-launches-diwali-promotional-offer-161006