The 4G to 5G leap

To truly grasp the influence of 5G, one must clearly articulate the distinctions between it and the previous 4G technology. Through 4G, we gain speed, access, and connectivity, yet 5G goes far beyond the capabilities provided by 4G. Visualize lightning-fast download of an entire HD movie or have a video conference without that annoying time delay—that is the reality of 5G.

The most fascinating thing about 5G is its breathtaking speed. Networking technology with a potential data rate of up to 20 Gbps users can upload and download data extremely faster than 4G. This indicates no longer waiting for file download or video buffering; it is all done in the blink of an eye.

Latency, the time it takes for the transfer of data to start using 5G after sending a command, can be lowered to even one millisecond, which is an extreme feat for applications that operate in real-time. Imagine the necessity of this for vehicles that drive autonomously and must communicate in real-time with each other and their surroundings for the safety of humans.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing at a very fast pace, and there are predictions that billions of devices are going to be linked up in the next few years. 5G has the capability of supporting 1 million connected devices per square kilometer which makes it perfect for cities or areas where numerous gadgets have to work at the same time without any interruptions.

Network slicing is one of the most attractive features available in the telecom industry because it allows the creation of virtual networks within a single physical network. Each slice can be customized to the specific application or service, thereby ensuring the best performance and security that is effectively tailored to different user needs.

Transforming personal communication

Going beyond the speed of the internet, 5G technology has broad implications, as it brings about a paradigm shift in the very nature of our face-to-face communication. The emergence of 5G brings voice calls and video conferencing to a new quality level of low-latency and crystal clear thus the voices will be flawless.

What do you reckon about having a video call with your friends or family members where you can see everything without any pixelation and lag? It may as well be the truth that you are next to each other if the quality and effect are so high that you feel like they are in the same room with you.

5G technology can eliminate geographical barriers. Thus, distributed teams and remote employees will be able to communicate smoothly within teams, conduct high-quality video meetings, and share files quickly. This feature can be the key to the efficiency of teams, which can come together quickly and decide issues in different ways and with great effect, thus unleashing a new era of information communication.

Revolutionizing business communication

Businesses are bracing for a transformation in drastic measures of sustainability through 5G deployment in the near future. Through the advancements in communication technology, exceedingly smoother communications will be enabled for both employees internally and customers and partners outside as well.

Within organizations, the staff will experience the joy of quick, up-to-date communication and messaging systems that are no longer. This new environment, as a result, will provide workers with effective and engaging communications, the projects to expand without a single misstep, and the teams to come together with ease, without glitches.

Outside, 5G offers to customer-facing companies emergent and wholly different channels to interact. Businesses can implement state-of-the-art applications which capture real-time data sharing along with enhanced position-based services which help such companies to communicate valuable information and render required assistance to customers.

Picture getting instant messages about special offers or updates directly related to your place. The ability to customize advertising at this level will entirely change customer experiences.

The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution

One of the most thrilling accomplishments of 5G is its ability to support a huge ecosystem of connected devices. We have entered homes, cities, and places of work that are becoming more intelligent by the day, thus the role of IoT in them will become increasingly important.

The use of 5G technology in the smart home will take the performance of such devices to a whole new level. Picture yourself being able to control your lights, thermostat, security cameras, and appliances from your mobile phone with no delay. This smooth interplay is not only good because it is more convenient, but also it enhances the energy-saving feature and security.

Cities worldwide are now embedding smart technologies along with 5G into their systems. The systems of urban areas data traffic management that decreases traffic congestion as per smart waste management systems which collect the trash in an optimum way will transform them into more efficient and sustainable environments.

Impact on healthcare

The healthcare industry would experience significant improvement due to 5G implementation. The telemedicine trend has been growing for a couple of years now; but when it comes to 5G’s ultra-reliable low-latency communication, remote consultations will be even better. Individuals obtain immediate health consultation without traveling long distances, which is crucial for people residing in rural areas and those with mobility disabilities.

Wearable smart devices will bring more benefits, especially, since the increased connectivity would enable them to carry out the primary function of monitoring vital health parameters. The movement of data in real-time between healthcare staff and patients for constant monitoring of health statuses will be possible, and they can thus maintain the health status of the patient uninterrupted, apart from intervening when necessary.

Therefore, 5G technology is a major shift in the way we communicate —and the results are many and dramatic, from improving corporate efficiency and enabling intelligent cities to enhancing human interaction through crystal-clear voice calls and video conferencing.

5G is creating a future without communication barriers where we can connect to anyone or anything at any time, not just for the fast internet. By harnessing this revolutionary technology to its fullest potential, the future is full of possibilities.

The post How 5G Technology is Changing the Way We Communicate appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

The fifth generation of mobile networks, will enable enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications, and massive Internet of Things (IoT) communications between equipment. However, today the immediate need is for online, digital communications which can easily be provided by 4G or LTE networks.

The good news is that LTE is also the foundation for the revolutionary move to 5G.

Narrowing the digital divide and empowering more of the world’s people with online connectivity is key to overcoming poverty and attaining a sustainable future. This will require constantly expanding LTE (4G) mobile broadband coverage and adoption. 

Living and working online is becoming acknowledged as a human right. Sadly, billions of people remain excluded from the opportunities of the online economy, according to Emmanuel Coelho Alves, Senior Marketing Director at Huawei.  

“There is a need to redouble our effort for more digital transmission and inclusion to support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and bring the excluded 3.9 billion of world’s population online,” he said, “It won’t be easy, but with cross-sector efforts from government and partners in the private sector, academia and civil society we can achieve that.”

Alves was speaking at the recent online LTE Summit 2020 held by the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), and said that there had been progress in expanding global mobile broadband coverage, with almost 66% of areas now covered. Of these, 90% had access to high-quality networks such as 3G and 4G.

Around 80% of the world’s population now has mobile coverage, according to the latest GSMA report. Of these, more than 50% of connections are already on 4G.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 456 million unique mobile subscribers, representing 44% of people, with this proportion expected to grow to 50% by 2025.

The GSMA report predicts that Africa will be the fastest-growing global region, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.6%. However, mobile broadband subscriber numbers remain significantly lower, with 239 million subscribers and a penetration rate of just 23%.

Bringing Africa’s people into the mobile economy will require ongoing expansion of mobile broadband services such as 4G, with penetration expected to reach 39% by 2025. 

“4G provides an extremely good asset when you go later to 5G,” said Alves. “4G has been deployed widely in the past years. 4G is the capacity layer in city, leveraging massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) in hot spots with significant traffic.”

By applying a standard known as ENDC (E-UTRAN New Radio – Dual Connectivity), network operators are able to use both 4G and 5G schedulers together. 

It is also possible to use a technology known as DSS (dynamic spectrum sharing) to allow for real-time allocation of spectrum resources between 4G and 5G, depending on network traffic. This can be achieved with millisecond accuracy.

“Currently, 4G is the main mobile broadband layer, and what is replacing 3G,” said Alves. “But on top of this, 4G has flexible capabilities that allow 4G and 5G to work together from the network level.

Industry leaders believe that in the medium term, 4G will be the layer of choice for global mobile communications, while 5G will mainly be used in more industrial communications.

However, 4G networks already have the capabilities to guarantee an optimal user experience for 5G users, including services such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and cloud gaming.

It thus makes sense for national networks to invest in 4G to secure future growth opportunities, while already supporting leading-edge 5G capabilities. 

Mohamed Madkour, VP of global wireless networks marketing and solutions at Huawei, said at the AfricaCom 2019 conference in Cape Town last year, that “all investment in expanding 4G and organising site assets will reduce the amount of money needed to switch on 5G in the near future. Every rand spent on 4G is thus a rand invested in 5G.”

Whether seen from a network operator or a policy perspective, 4G is thus not simply an interim step towards 5G. The 4G foundation already heralds the arrival of our 5G future.

EDITORIAL NOTE: This article was written and provided by Huawei

The post Building the 5G Future on an LTE Foundation appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

The Telecom company now boasts of a total investment of 1,632 sites and over 3,900 kilometers of fiber across Uganda.

Last year in January, Airtel Uganda announced an investment of $50M to achieve countrywide 3G mobile broadband. Today’s announcement signifies a major improvement over a period of one year for the telecom company.

Addressing guests and journalists during the launch. Airtel Uganda said, “Today we are launching the availability of countrywide 4G LTE connectivity following complete modernization of our network.”

“Today we are here to celebrate making Uganda a “digital Uganda.” It gives me pride to be here today as we celebrate another milestone at the core of our business in Uganda – countrywide 4G connectivity, “V.G Somasekhar, Airtel Uganda Managing Director said.

Godfrey Mutabazi, the Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission during the launch commented: “The evolution of technology in Uganda has greatly metamorphosed over time. We experienced the first generation networks which were limiting because of quality and capacity.”

“ICT in Uganda has greatly changed due to significant private sector investment. As a regulator, we are happy the private sector is leading this revolution which is a sign for total commitment to the country and the region. For that, we appreciate Airtel Uganda.” He concluded.

[related-posts]

His Excellency Ravi Shankar, the Indian High Commissioner to Uganda shared his excitement for the possibilities that this milestone will bring to the two countries: “This [4G countrywide coverage] means a fast and reliable internet that will promote financial and digital inclusion in Uganda.
As a result, our countries emerge as leaders for a new era of shared prosperity for the benefit of their two countries and people and resounds our continued commitment towards the economic development of Uganda,”

To enjoy Airtel’s highspeed 4G network, subscribers have to swap their old 2G and 3G SIM Cards for a 4G one by visiting any of the Airtel service centers countrywide. It is equally important to note that you will need a 4G handset that does support 4G LTE technologies.

The post Airtel Uganda Announces Countrywide 4G Coverage appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

The mHealth services market is expected to exceed more than US$ 59 billion by 2020 growing at a CAGR of more than 33.0% in the given forecast period 2015 to 2022.

mHealth services are preferably located to maintain a patient centered approach to health care. mHealth also called as mobile health is the sub segment of eHealth which uses the ICT that is information and communication technology includes mobile phones, computers, tablet computers and more used for health service.

mHealth service contains different mobile devices which having healthcare information, clinical information and community information which deliver these information to patients, researchers, practitioners and monitor real time vital signs of patients.

The service gives advice and information anywhere and anytime. Monitoring blood pressure, monitoring blood glucose, tracking body weight and tracking exercise are some example of mHealth services.

With the rising of 3G and 4G technology, the use of mHealth service for doctors and patients becomes easier. It provides two parties to clasp video calls and making the communication friendlier and closely.

The major driving factors of mHealth services market are as follows:

• • Rising use of Mobile Phones, Tablets, Smart phones other Mobile Platforms
• • Growing consumption of mHealth App and Connected Devices in the organization of Chronic Diseases
• • Robust Access of 3g and 4g Networks to Supply Continuous Healthcare Services
• • Increasing Focus on Patient Centric Health care Delivery
  `
  The restraints factors of mHealth services market are as follows:
• • Opposition from Conventional Health care Providers
• • Require Data Security Increasing Concerns Regarding Health care Fraud And Data Theft
• • Lack of Regulations And Standards resultant in Low Interoperability of results
• • Complexity in Judgment mHealth Apps on Android Or Apple Stores and Low Guidance From Physicians in Selecting Apps

Access the report here.

The post mHealth Services Market to Exceed US$ 23.0 Billion By 2021 appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

It is important that while deciding on the network provider or the 4G data plan, users should also look for a proper smartphone, which undoubtedly should have 4G LTE support.

Many considerations come into place when deciding which smartphone you should buy next, but the biggest to many Ugandans (myself inclusive) will be the price. How much am I going to spend and how much am I willing to spend? So we’ve come up with a little something to help you out.

Huawei P8 Lite

The Huawei P8 Lite phablet topped our list of some of the best smartphones you would probably want to buy for your loved one. The phablet announced last year 2015 in April was made available in the Ugandan market in the third quarter of the year. P8 Lite is a high-end smartphone with awesome and amazing specs such as; IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors, 5.0 inches screen, resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels procted by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 running on an OS platform of Android OS, v5.0.2 (Lollipop) and now upgradable to v6.0 (Marshmallow). The phablet comes with a HiSilicon Kirin 620 chipest and an Octa-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 processor.

The Huawei P8 Lite comes packed with an internal memory of 16GB of which we might say is good to store all you info, with an expandable microSD slot of upto 256GB and supported by 2GB of RAM.

Photo-genics, the P8 Lite will really do you good. The rear camera is 13MP, f/2.0, 27mm, autofocus, dual-LED flash, check quality which features; Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, while the front camera, also dubbed as the ‘Selfie Camera’ is 5MP.

Get one of these for your loved one from any MTN stores at 850,000 UGX and get a FREE 4G sim card that comes with 3GB of data vaild for 2 months. And since it’s Black Friday, get it much cheaper at 805,000 UGX on Kilimall Store.

Huawei G7

The Huawei G7 I might say is a high-end smartphone. Those that really wish to upgrade from their mid-range level smartphone to a high-end on, the Huawei G7 would really be a good choice for you. When it comes to it’s specs, the Huawei G7 features a; IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors, 5.5 inches screen, resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels procted by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 running on an OS platform of Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat) but the good news is now it’s upgradable to v6.0 (Marshmallow). Huawei G7 is packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipest and a Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 processor, 16GB of internal memory, 2GB RAM, and an expandable microSD slot of upto 32GB (dedicated slot).

The cameras are really good just like the Huawei Phablet P8 Lite. The rear camera is 13MP while the front camera is 5MP.

MTN is giving you 1.5GB of Data vaild for a month, if you grab yourself one from any of their stores for only 800,000 UGX, and as it goes for 1 million UGX at Kilimall Store since it’s Kilimall Black Friday.

Lumia 550

Okay! some of you might not prefer having an Android or iOS smartphone, and it’s just that Windows phone you love. So why not get yourself one of these Lumia Microsoft 550 this festive season.

The 4.7 inch smartphone is an entry-level phone for that one person that has never owned a smartphone before. The Lumia 550 has a capacitive touchscreen with 16 colors, with a dimenisons of 136.1 x 67.8 x 9.9 mm weghing not much but 141.9g. The phone comes with an OS plaftorm of Microsoft lastes OS ‘Windows 10’, a Qualcomm MSM8909 Snapdragon 210 chipset, and a Quad-core 1.1 GHz Cortex-A7 processor.

According to GSM Arena, it’s battery life is at an endurance rating of 42hrs.

Speaking of it’s battery life, Lumia has a Li-lon 2100 mAh battery that gives you a talk-time of upto 16hr while on 2G, 14hrs while on 3G, and 10hrs while on 4G.

About it’s camera and memory, Lumia 550 has 5MP rear camera, and 2MP front camera, a expandable microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot) 8GB of ROM, and 1GB RAM. It’s camera supports f/2.4, autofocus, LED flash, check quality, also features a 1/4″ sensor size, geo-tagging, and touch focus.

If you’re to buy one from any of the MTN store, it comes with a FREE 4G sim card with a data plan of 1.2GB vaild for 2 months at only 475,000 UGX and 455,000 UGX at Kilimall stores.

Galaxy S7 Edge

You might want to know that when it comes to Samsung Mobiles, it’s the second best with Apple topping the list as the best smartphone markers in the world. Huawei comes third, and others follow.

You’ve been probably been hearing of the Samsung Note 7 exploding multi times untill it had to scrapped off market. Well, here’s the good news for this festive season, if you ought to buy a high-end smartphone to surprise you partner, or a friend, or your brother or sister, or your parent, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. The specs and the price, all favorable.

Specs and price
Has a body dimension of 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm weighing 157 g, a build of Corning Gorilla Glass 4 back panel, IP68 certified dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes. The Phablet also spots a 5.5 inche Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors and a
resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels with a protective Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

The Galaxy S7 edge comes packed with an Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow), a Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 Exynos 8890 Octa chipset, Quad-core and Octa-core processors, microSD expandable card slot of up to 256 GB, ROM of 64GB, and 4GB RAM. The primary camera is 12MP to give you a perfect picture, and the secondary camera is 5 MP.

Avaiable at all MTN stores for 2,850,000 UGX that comes with a FREE 4G LTE sim card packed with 30GB of data vaild for 1 month, while the phablet goes for 2,475,800 UGX at Kilimall stores, it’s Kilimall Black Friday.

Other 4G smartphones you can get yourself this festive season at any of the MTN stores include; Huawei Mate 7 and Mate 8, Huawei P8,Samsung Galaxy J1 Ace, Samsung Galaxy J5, Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Galaxy S6 Egde, to name a few.

The post Best Budget 4G Smartphones to Consider As Christmas Gifts to Loved Ones appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

For starters if what you’re getting from your service provider to your hand held device is not 4G LTE (or WiMAX if your using a modem or router) then run because that is not pure 4G. Telecos in some countries market speeds faster than 3G like  HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) or HSPA (3.5G) which is up to five times faster than 3G and in some cases WCDMA (3.9G) as 4G.

For mobile users, 4G connectivity is based on the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard or LTE advanced which is an improvement of LTE. Theoretically a pure 4G LTE network can provide speeds of up to 100 Mbps which is between 10 – 50 times faster than a 3G network. One of the reason why 4G is faster than 3G networks is that CDMA (the way of getting many signals to share frequencies by coding them) is replaced by a more efficient technology called orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), which makes even better use of the frequency spectrum.

Because of the improved efficiency, LTE has a very low latency (about 20 micro Seconds) which means if you’re playing an online game, streaming a live event, video chatting, controlling a drone or another device over a 4G network, you get a better experience. Another factor noted, is during file transfer (upload and download) 3G transfer rates tend to ramp up over time, while 4G speeds remain consistently fast from the beginning to end of a download.

One question that one would ask is; if 4G is faster and better why not completely phase out 2G and 3G. Despite being faster, voice calls are still being transmitted over 3G/2G networks. Trials are taking place to upgrade the 4G networks to have voice capabilities, but this could take several years to implement.

Also 4G networks are still slowly rolling out to regional areas, (MTN leading with 75 LTE in the country) meaning that 3G/2G still provides the backbone coverage in many less populous areas across the country. In addition, one would have to buy a 4G enabled device to access 4G connectivity hence this makes the service pricey.

One should also understand that one don’t pay more for 4G than one does for 3G but since your transferring more data your data bundles will last for shorter time than when on 3G. Your phones battery will also take a beating since 4G requires more power.

The post Understanding how 4G works appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

Correspondingly, many Ugandans are holding 4G capable smartphones and are not aware of what they can do with them. MTN is aware that some of its customers have 4G LTE devices e.g. mobile phones or modems. For their convenience, MTN is giving these customers a free MTN 4G/LTE SIM card that they can use in their devices. Below are 10 reasons why you should switch your SIM card to an MTN 4G enabled one:

1. Free 1GB

Every MTN customer that exchanges their old SIM for a 4G SIM card also gets 1GB of FREE data instantly. The resultant positive experience due to using the Internet on MTN Uganda’s 4G network is intended to upgrade you to a whole new world of first class internet access across the country.

Please visit any MTN service center now & upgrade your simcard to 4G for FREE. Get 1GB Data FREE & a FREE power bank pic.twitter.com/3fek3Zd7BA

— MTN Uganda (@mtnug) May 30, 2016

2. Free 4G LTE SIM card

MTN customers with 4G capable devices can now exchange their old SIM cards for a FREE 4G card at any MTN Service Center across Uganda. MTN wants data customers to have the best Internet experience during downloads, uploads of audio and video files without buffering.

4. Widest coverage

MTN’s 4G LTE network covers all major towns in Uganda including Kampala, Entebbe, Mbale, Mbarara, Lira, Arua, Gulu, Kabale, Kasese, Fort Portal, Moroto, Masaka and Jinja. Customers in areas out of these towns continue their high speed internet experience seamlessly with the MTN countrywide 3G+ network using the same 4G SIM card and device. Indoor

4. Super Speeds up to 100Mbps

The 4G SIM card upgrade guarantees positive customer experiences when using MTN data. 4G LTE technology has the potential to operate at speeds of up to 100mbps, which is almost triple the speed of any existing mobile connection available commercially in Uganda, and the wider region.

Viewing or listening to content on an MTN 4G mobile phone or tablet means that you never have to endure a video skipping or buffering again. Mobile phones and tablets with MTN 4G are turbocharged with high download speeds and fast responsiveness, so you can stream high quality video or music. You will experience smooth, clear video chats and even browse the web, faster.

4. Affordability from a variety of bundles

With the new “Juzza Internet” proposition, MTN is rewarding customers for using MTN Internet bundles and thereby making it easier and more affordable for them to enjoy the benefits of the internet, without worrying about high costs. Every bundle one buys, one gets a 100% bonus.

In addition, MTN offers even more value through the very affordable snack and night bundles that enable customers to use exceptionally high volumes within a limited time, to satisfy that once in a while near unlimited or higher data need that would fall out of their regular usage. These are available for immediate purchase whenever you need them, using airtime, mobile money and the now popular ‘My MTN’ mobile money app available on Google Play store and Apple App store.

6. Auto-renewal

Once you sign-up for any of the MTN Data Bundles, you can set your account to auto-renew. That means that upon expiry of your data bundle from when you activated it, it will automatically be renewed.

7. The ‘My MTN’ App experience

An app to manage both your MTN number and mobile money accounts online straight from your 4G smartphone. The My MTN App was developed by MTN to allow individuals and organizations to enhance their productivity through quicker and easier access to information. You will be able to renew your data, voice and Go bundles, pick contacts straight from your phone book for Mobile Money and schedule bill payments from using this app.

8. MTN offers 4G devices for every lifestyle

From 99,000/- to more than 2,000,000/- you can get yourself any 4G enabled dongle, Wingle, MiFi , router for business or smartphone to enjoy and share the MTN 4G LTE experience.

DOWNLOAD: MTN Uganda’s 4G Devices Magazine

9. It is possible to share 4G experience with others from your 4G device

The 4G speeds and experience can be shared with anyone who doesn’t have a 4G device through WiFi or USB tethering made possible with the latest 4G devices from MTN like smartphones, 10 User MiFis and the 4G WiFi dongle they refer to as the MTN Wingle. In business, time is money. Processors like the Snapdragon let you download your large presentation files at super-fast MTN 4G speeds, so you can spend less time waiting, and more time impressing your clients.

10. A variety of 4G solutions for your businesses

From portable 10 user MiFis and Wingles, to robust and easy to install 32 user routers, MTN opens up a whole new world of solutions for businesses in the 4G era. With 4G it is now possible to replace your office with the cloud through high speed internet access to heavy data solutions like group email, backup services, online marketing, telepresence and business accounting tools.

11. A robust backup infrastructure to keep you on

MTN’s sustained investment in network backup infrastructure ensures that their customers experience the best quality of calls and data, as indicated consistently in the Quality of Service (QoS) reports by Uganda Communication Commission (UCC). Due to the extensive infrastructure, MTN’s customers are guaranteed of reliability to always stay connected no matter the unforeseen challenges like fibre cuts, equipment theft and disasters

11. Crystal clear Internet calls

It’s almost as if the person you talk to is right next to you. Internet calls using MTN 4G are crystal clear and have no delays.

13. Meet over the internet

From a simple hangout to skype video calls, you can be anywhere and on the move as you have a meeting. This is one of those experiences with MTN 4G that make life easier and more productive.

The post More than 10 reasons why you should switch to MTN 4G appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

Telecom Egypt would start by offering mobile services using rivals’ networks if it secures one of the 4G licenses, said the Telecommunications Ministry official, who asked not to be named because the results of a meeting of the national telecommunication regulator held on Sunday are still private.

The plan replaces an earlier one that some mobile operators threatened to fight in international arbitration. Mobile carriers, including local units of Vodafone Group Plc, Orange SA and Emirates Telecommunications Corp., were concerned that a new competitor would eat into their market share, the telecommunications regulator said at the time.

Egypt’s government won’t let the situation escalate into threats of arbitration this time and has been seeking feedback from the carriers and working to settle disputes with Telecom Egypt, said Ahmed Adel, Lead Telecom Analyst at Beltone Financial. The 2014 plan to issue a virtual license would have let Telecom Egypt provide mobile services while the existing wireless carriers would have provided fixed-line services.

Telecom Egypt, which is 80% owned by the government, is encouraged by recent government talks over the licenses and hopes to offer mobile services in the “near future,” it said in a statement on Monday.[related-posts]

Representatives from Vodafone Egypt and Telecom Egypt said they haven’t received official communications yet from the government over the 4G licenses. Representatives from Etisalat Misr and Orange Egypt weren’t immediately available to comment. Orange Egypt Chief Executive Officer Yves Gauthier said in March that if the government allows its fixed-line operator to offer mobile services, mobile operators should be allowed to sell fixed-line services.

“The development of this offering will depend on the pricing for the license for Telecom Egypt as a new operator and how other operators evaluate it,” Adel said. The carriers will also seek something in return for opening the market to another rival, he said.

[Bloomberg]

The post Egypt Plans 4G License Sale as Monopoly Eyes Mobile appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

When talk of 4G started going round, again I managed to get my hands on a 4G device as soon as the signal went live, the first being from Smile Communications. The speed was amazing, but I was disappointed because it couldn’t work at home, and since I was on holiday and based at home, that was a deal breaker for me. Smile has however since expanded and has wider coverage now.

More recently I have been alternating between the MTN 4G MiFi and the Vodafone 4G MiFi, so I can’t help but compare the two whenever I talk about one. The Vodafone MiFi is tempting because of the “unlimited” internet, whereas the MTN MiFi delivers speed “uncut”.

1. Countrywide 4G coverage

The fact that I have 4G at my upcountry home is the best part! Earlier this year, MTN announced that they had countrywide 4G coverage. I was skeptical at first but when in a few weeks I had to take an unexpected trip to the North, I confirmed that indeed 4G was alive and kicking. It doesn’t cover the entire country, but major towns are covered. There’s a high chance that there’s coverage in the town where you went for Christmas holidays.

At the moment only MTN has the kind of 4G reach.

2. Quick charge even when being used

The second thing that MTN’s Huawei made device has over the Vodafone is that I can easily charge while using it, and it will actually fill up. For some strange reason, if you charge the Vodafone device when it’s on, it just can’t even get a bar of charge, and yet in 2015 you may not have the luxury of switching off the internet to charge. When you’re upcountry for Christmas and you’ve got everyone tapping your MiFi, its 10 internet addicts who need to juice up while online!

3. HiLink Smartphone app gives you control on the move

When you have a device that has no screen or buttons beyond the power button, it’s essential to have a properly featured interface for you to control and monitor the mifi. Both devices have the web based interface that is standard on routers, but when you’re mobile, the Huawei HiLink comes in like a knight in shining armor and saves the day.

The Android app installed on my phone gives me control over the device in a way that the web interface just cant. In one glance, you can see lots of information, including the signal strength, battery, messages, data usage and the users connected. Then the settings are logically placed, and easy to use on mobile.

4. Speed uncapped, uncut

I got onto Vodafone when they launched with the unlimited (read 35 GB) package with a mifi, but I didn’t read the fine print. The speed is throttled to 2 Mbps, so you don’t actually enjoy 4G speeds. This could be OK if you simply want to line up torrents that will download overnight or when you aren’t using the computer, but for real usage, the MTN 4G MiFi that comes with the full speed capacity beats it.

Overall, the Huawei MiFi from MTN Uganda is a neat package to get you on 4G in more places than just Kampala CBD, and I must say it has lived up to the hype.

Enjoy the holidays!

The post 4 reasons why my MTN 4G MiFi is rocking my Christmas holiday appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

“Of the 16 new smartphones we have launched this year, eleven of them are 4G compliant. This pace of launch will continue as we feel the adoption of LTE would be bigger than 3G,” Asim Warsi, the Korean firm’s vice president — marketing (IT and mobile) told ET.

According to TOI, Samsung has inked a partnership with India’s Reliance Jio for BTS infrastructure for its upcoming 4G services and also launch of handsets. There have also been media reports that Samsung will launch 4G smartphones exclusively for Reliance Jio at almost half the rate at which they are currently sold.

The post Samsung set to turn to budget 4G handsets for revival appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.