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We're getting there Boost Mobile will be sold if/when the merger is completed. Joe Maring 20 May 2019 10 What you need to know FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is recommending approval for T-Mobile and Sprint's merger. Boost Mobile will be sold off as part of the deal. T-Mobile and Sprint must commit to building out 5G over the next three years. Updated 4:01 PM ET: Per a report from Bloomberg, today's news still isn't enough to sway the Department of Justice in favor of approving the merger. Specifically, Bloomberg says that, "The Justice Department is leaning against approving T-Mobile US Inc.'s proposed takeover of Sprint Corp. because the remedies proposed by the companies don't go far enough to resolve antitrust concerns, according to a person familiar with the review." A little over a year after it was announced, T-Mobile's merger with Sprint is finally receiving a bit of good news following a couple of setbacks. According to a statement released on May 20, FCC Chairman Ajit … [Read more...] about T-Mobile and Sprint merger receives approval recommendation from the FCC [Update]

KOLKATA: Samsung India is bringing back television production to India after a year with the government scrapping import duty on the biggest component open cell panel, or displays, said people with knowledge of the matter. The South Korean electronics company is about to sign a deal with homegrown contract manufacturer Dixon Technologies to manufacture television sets up to 55 inches in screen size, they said. These account for more than 85% of the Indian market. The company is evaluating options with other contract manufacturers to further expand local TV production in India, they added. Samsung, the largest television brand in India, is also evaluating whether it can restart the television line in its Chennai plant that was shut in October last year after the government imposed duty on open cell television panels. The company had then started importing finished television sets from its plant in Vietnam through the free trade agreement (FTA) route. In September, the Centre had … [Read more...] about Samsung set to bring back TV production to India

NEW DELHI: After slugging it out in the cut-throat smartphone market, Chinese companies Xiaomi, One-Plus and Motorola-Lenovo are now competing in the smart television segment with ultra-budget and premium models. Sector watchers say these firms are strategically placed to capitalise on the brand recall among consumers and to leverage their distribution and online channels, along with their existing manufacturing facilities. “As content consumption increases, every company wants to grab the maximum screen time of users, more so since TV is the second largest category after smartphones which has the most viewership,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research. He was referring to the advent of high-quality streaming services such as Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime which have emerged as a key factor in favour of handset manufacturers, as well as in pushing sales of large-screen smart TVs. “With almost similar supply chain, the barriers to entry … [Read more...] about How Samsung, Sony, LG and others face ‘Chinese threat’ in TV market

New Delhi: Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday assured the Lok Sabha that state-owned telecom player BSNL is going to be revived soon. While BSNL is reporting losses since 2010, another telecom PSU MTNL has been in the red in nine of the past 10 years. The total debt on the two firms is around Rs 40,000 crore. "We are going to revive BSNL and make it profitable," he told the Lower House during the Question Hour. Last month, the government approved a Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that included merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving VRS to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years. The package includes infusion of Rs 20,140 crore for purchase of 4G spectrum and Rs 3,674 crore for GST to be paid on spectrum allocation. Other components of the package are the companies raising Rs 15,000 crore in debt on the sovereign guarantee and the government funding Rs 17,160 crore voluntary retirement scheme … [Read more...] about We’re going to revive BSNL and make it profitable: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently emerged as the world’s richest man as he dethroned Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Gates, who is known for his philanthropic efforts, is reportedly backing a startup that’s working on tackling issues related to climate crisis. According to a report by CNN, clean-energy startup Heliogen has used AI-powered mirrors that can generate extreme heat (more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) and claims to have the potential to replace fossil fuels. The company has Bill Gates amongst its most high-profile backer. In a press release issued by the company, Gates said, “If we’re going to get to zero-carbon emissions overall, we have a lot of inventing to do. I’m pleased to have been an early backer of Bill Gross’s novel solar concentration technology. Its capacity to achieve the high temperatures required for these processes is a promising development in the quest to one day replace fossil fuel.” The startup wants to, as … [Read more...] about This startup backed by the world’s richest man wants to solve climate crisis