Jio True 5G: Trial Review at Barrackpore

Though India's first spectrum auction for 5G airwaves was conducted in July this year, the telecom service providers - Jio and Airtel did make a hurry to launch 5G, unlike 3G or 4G. 5th generation of telecom services went mainstream in India on October 1st, 2022. That's just 2 months to get 5G live. Well that's fast, and thanks to DoT, all operators got trial spectrum to conduct 5G trials and tests on their 2G/3G/4G networks. Debt ridden telco Vi is yet to announce its 5G debut. 

ব্যারাকপুরের গপ্পোঃ ডাক্তার ভোলানাথ বসু

ব্যারাকপুরের সরকারি হাসপাতালটির নাম ডঃ বি.এন. বসু মহকুমা হাসপাতাল (Dr. B.N. Bose Sub-Divisional Hospital)। অনেকেই একে বীরেন বোস হাসপাতাল বলে ভুল করেন। কিন্তু কে ছিলেন এই ডাঃ বি.এন.বসু?

B.N.Bose এর পুরো নাম ভোলানাথ বসু। ১৮২৪ সালে (মতান্তরে ১৮২৫ সালে) ভোলানাথ বসু চানক মৌজার তালপুকুর গ্রামে জন্মেছিলেন। এই চাণক-ই পরবর্তী সময়ে ব্যারাকপুর নামে পরিচিত হয়ে ওঠে।  তাঁর বাবার নাম ছিল রামজয় বসু। তাঁদের বাগানবাড়ির বিস্তীর্ণ জমি ৫০ বছর আগেও বোসবাগান নামে পরিচিত ছিল। পরে কৃষ্ণনাথ মুখোপাধ্যায় তা কিনে নিয়েছিলেন। এই জমিতেই আজ জিমন্যাশিয়ামের বিশাল মাঠ। 

প্রথমে তিনি গ্রামের পাঠশালায় পড়াশুনা করলেও পরে তিনি লর্ড অকল্যাণ্ড প্রতিষ্ঠিত ব্যারাকপুর বিদ্যালয়ে (আজকের ব্যারাকপুর গর্ভমেণ্ট স্কুল) ভর্তি হয়েছিলেন। লর্ড অকল্যাণ্ড এবং তাঁর বোন এমিলি ইডেন মূলত চারপাশের লোকালয়ের বাঙ্গালী ছেলেদের জন্যই এই স্কুলটি স্থাপন করেন। তারা মাঝে মাঝে সেই বিদ্যালয়টি পরিদর্শন করতেন এবং পড়াশুনার ব্যাপারে ছাত্রদের উৎসাহ দিতেন। ১৮৪০ সালে লর্ড অকল্যাণ্ডই ভোলানাথকে কলকাতা মেডিক্যাল কলেজে ভর্তি করিয়ে দিয়েছিলেন। শুধু তাই নয়, তিনি ভোলানাথ বসুর জন্য মাসিক দশ টাকা বৃত্তির ব্যবস্থাও করে দিয়েছিলেন।

Online Scrub Suit Sellers in India

Before COVID I never had used these scrub suits so frequently during my duty hours. However I used to use the scrub suits provided by the hospital, but sometimes they misfit and during the summer they are not great to wear for 8 to 12 hours at a stretch, even without the PPE. 

I was gifted by an awesome suit by my regular tailor, but that quality cloth even he can't manage further. Therefore I had to look into online offerings - Amazon has many of them. But when I googled it, I found there are several options for us. I am just listing them out. 

KNYAMED - https://knyamed.com/ 

Hirawats - https://www.hirawatsonline.com/ 

Skyscrubs - https://skyscrubs.in

Wear On Call - https://wearoncall.com/ 

French Terrain - https://frenchterrain.in

Med Togs - https://medtogs.com/

UniformCrafts - https://uniformcraft.com/

VinisUniform - https://vinisuniforms.com/

Sashafe - https://sashafe.com/

Zubito - https://zubito.in/

Cguard - https://cguard.in/

So far I bought from Hirawats and KnyaMed. Hirawats' product is ok, but what I felt that as the order was corrected later, the quality of the cloth was not great, nor the pockets were stitched properly. KnyaMed's order was just placed, let's see what they deliver. 

If you're little or more healthy, get your double set of scrubs made by the local tailor. 

As most of these sites are new, I would say to opt for Cash on delivery option in most of these sites. 

Kolkata's Cheenepara: Toong On Church

Introduction to Kolkata's old China Town - Tiretti Bazar can be found here. 

It can be assumed that the immigrant Chinese had no exact word for their place of worship and community meeting place - they started calling them as church as the British called their own place of worship. Though these Taoist temples have no link of Christianity.

Just like Kolkata's old China Town is more than the Chinese Breakfast, these Taoist temples are more than religious centers. 

Toong On Church is the first Chinese temple you will find if you are coming from the Central Metro station. 

​Old China Town in Kolkata - Introducing The Bazar of Mr. Tiretta

Tho​​ugh I have written about Old China Town previously on my blog, this one is distinct cover up on the Old China Town of Kolkata.

Introduction: Old Chinatown of Kolkata - Teriti Bazar

Lion Dance in Territi Bazar - Celebration of Chinese New Year 2023

First thing I came to know about this place was the Chinese breakfast at Tiretta Bazar (in Bengali it is often pronounced as Teriti Bazar/টেরিটি বাজার). It was back in 2013 when I first visited this place, later I did some web search to get the idea of old China Town of Kolkata (কলকাতার চীনেপাড়া)  - the history of Chinese colonies and how the community evolve in the center of Calcutta despite the crime, gangsters and opium. 

Chinese people has long history of coming to India since the time of Fa Hien in early 400's and Hiuen Tsang during 600's. But in modern India Yang Daijang (British called him Tong Achew /টং অছি) was the first Chinese man to settle in Budge Budge, 33 km south of Calcutta. The place Achipur (আছিপুর), near Budge Budge is named after him (Achew). He started a sugar mill there in 650 bighas of land when Warren Hastings was the Governor General (1774-1785). Many says the sugar got its Bengali name, Cheeni (চিনি) as it was made by the Chinese immigrants.

5G Updates: Jio 5G-SA vs Airtel-Vi 5G-NSA, Netcon-Athonet, Jio's 5G Ambulance

India's 5G goes mainstream as Jio and Airtel two of four telecom service providers have launched their 5G commercial services. But there is another excitement awaiting with 5G - that's private 5G networks. Adani Data Networks is the single company in the country who will launch only private 5G, while Jio, Airtel and Vi are capable of launching private 5G as the trio have acquired spectrum in 26GHz band. 

Private 5G networks are the latest excitement to the industry, as it would support Indian enterprises preparing for the Industry 4.0 revolution.

Home grown smaller IT infrastructure and digital solutions providers are working to bring their own private 5G solutions. In October 2022, Chennai based Netcon Technologies (https://netcontechnologies.com) has launched Private 5G solutions in collaboration with Italy based Athonet (https://athonet.com). The solutions were unveiled at the recently concluded India Mobile Congress 2022 in New Delhi. 

Which Processors Support NavIC, India's Answer to GPS?

If you don't know about NavIC, it is actually India's home grown satellite navigation system. Yes, it's like GPS. GPS is American made, and NavIC is made by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). NavIC is the short form of Navigation with Indian Constellation. It is also known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). 

As NavIC is available for civilian use over L5 band (and S band for military use), it is now offering regional coverage covering India and a region extending 1,500km around it. While American GPS, Russian GLONASS, European Union's Galileo, China's BeiDou have global coverage, i.e. all these 4 satnav services are Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). NavIC presently using only 7 satellites to cover a region centering India. As 4 out of 7 satellites are  geosynchronous and remaining 3 are geostationary - as a result the satellites are always in line with Indian territories - that makes geolocation highly precise. 

History of NavIC began in 1999, when US denied specific GPS data to India during Kargil war. The project of Indian GPS or IRNSS was approved in 2006, and planned to go operational by 2011. But it got delayed, eventually NavIC was launched in 2018. 

List of e-Pharmacies in India and More Discussion

Retail pharmacy industry of India is now heavily depending on online pharmacies. A December-2021 analysis by KPMG notes that there is immense possibilities in India's retail pharmacy industry as present traditional pharma retail business is mostly unorganized, and in tier II and tier III cities the growth opportunity is yet to be tapped properly, while value and convenience will go third reason behind growth of e-pharmacies. It also notes that different governmental projects are also promoting e-pharmacies, like Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), Digital India, Ayushman Bharat, Startup India and National Digital Health Mission (NDHM). 

India's Tower Companies Could Invest Rs 2 Trillion by 2025 for 5G Roll Out, Timeline of Tower Companies of India

There was a old post from 2017 - regarding the tower companies of India. However after Jio's entry with 4G in 2016 the scenario of Indian Telecom had changed a lot. As the mobile service providers saw ruthless merger and acquisition, the same came for tower space too. 

At present there are only handful of tower companies in India - top three companies are Summit Digitel, Indus Towers, American Tower Co. , just like the three pvt. telecom service providers - Jio, Airtel and Vi. Though in this space there are few smaller players survived - GTL, Aster.

As 5G is coming, the tower companies have found new zeal - by 2025 their investment could reach Rs 2 trillion to take care of 5G roll out. 

Barrackpore Christian Cemetery - Commonwealth War Graves

ব্যারাকপুরে বেশ কিছু ঐতিহাসিক 'Hidden Gem' আছে। তার মধ্যে বেশিরভাগই আর্মি বা পুলিশের জায়গাতে অবস্থিত বলে সাধারণের নাগালের বাইরে। আজকে যেটা নিয়ে কথা বলব সেটা কিন্তু সবার নাগালের মধ্যেই - কিন্তু Cantonment এরিয়ার ঠিক বাইরে আর রাস্তা থেকে একটু ভিতরে থেকে বলে বেশিরভাগ মানুষই এর ব্যাপারে জানেন না। ছোটবেলায় এই সব এরিয়াতে সাইকেল চালিয়ে অনেক ঘুরেছি, আমিও জানতাম না এর ব্যাপারে। এটি হল ব্যারাকপুরের খ্রিস্টান কবরস্থান বা Commonwealth War Graves। ২০১৯ সালে West Bengal Heritage Commission এই জায়গাটিকে 'হেরিটেজ সাইট' হিসেবে নথিভুক্ত করেন - গেটে লাগানো হয় ব্লু প্লেক (Blue Plaque)। 

ব্যারাকপুরের খ্রীষ্টান কবরস্থান -  Commonwealth War Graves

Chintamani Bird Sanctuary - a Hidden Gem (or Forest) in Kolkata City

Want to find green in the midst of Kolkata, then your destination could be Chintamani Bird Sanctuary (চিন্তামণি কর পাখীরালয়) in Narendrapur. Truly speaking it's a hidden gem of Kolkata and dream destination for bird lovers or watchers inside the metro, where birds dwell in the long trees or come here every winter. 

It is like a Wakanda, the hidden city of Marvel comics. 

Adani's Plan for Private 5G Focuses on Certain States Only

Just before the start of 5G auction of India, Gautam Adani owned Adani Group had cleared the fact that they will not enter into commercial mobile space and they did the exact in the Spectrum Auction 2022. Adani Data Networks Ltd (ADNL), an arm of Adani Enterprises picked up spectrum in the mmWave band i.e. 26 GHz band only, and that too only in key 6 circles - Andra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Mumbai, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu where industrialization is in massive scale and the scope of private 5G would be huge. They even did not spend money to win spectrum in Delhi-NCR circle. That's definitely not an aggressive bidding from Adani Data Networks. 

5G Auction of India: Adani Aiming New Vertex with Private 5G Solutions

26th July, 2022 can be a big day for Indian telecom. Well great golden days of Indian telecom is long gone. Presently only three private telcos and one govt. backed telco (BSNL & MTNL merger is unofficially done) are existing. But with the introduction of 5G, the telecom boom may reappear in the industry despite more debts will put on the carriers. 

The auction for 5G spectrum will start in few hours. Despite government brings huge platter of 72000 MHz of airwaves across 9 bands (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 3.3 GHz, and 26 GHz), there are only four bidders - Jio, Airtel, Vi and Adani Data Networks. 

How Mysuru King Tipu Sultan Got Calcutta Connection?

Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan has never put his feet in Kolkata, but there are two masjids in Kolkata, of his name, bearing the legacy of the Tiger of Mysore - one at Esplanade/ Dharmatala and another one at Tollyganj. For the uninitiated, Tipu Sultan was a ruler of Mysore, and fought against British during 1700's. Today Kolkata does remember him and his successors. Prince Anwar Shah Road and Prince Golam Mohammad Shah Road in South Kolkata bears the name of his son. But what is the link between Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and Kolkata?

George Orwell said, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history."

Top Biriyani Houses in Kolkata

Without any introduction it is obvious that Biriyani is the most popular dish in India, though it has several local varieties. Online food order & delivery company Swiggy notes that Indians ordered whopping 115 biriyanis per minute in 2021. They also noted that 4.25 lakh new Swiggy users chose it as their first order. On a funny note, Swiggy also remembers that their delivery partner travelled longest 39.3 Km to deliver biriyani in 2021. 

Biriyani came from the Persian word, 'Beryan' which means 'fried before cooking'. 

Alliance vs Jio Fiber : Tariff Comparison

West Bengal’s top broadband provider, Alliance Broadband has expanded their coverage outside Bengal. It is now available in Bangaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad. 

For the uninitiated, Alliance Broadband has became the top broadband player in West Bengal for last 7-10 years, beating the state-owned BSNL. Technically Alliance was offering cable broadband while BSNL relied on ADSL technology initially, but both now have moved to Fiber in most of the areas. Fiber offers faster data than cable or ADSL, and maintenance charge is also low. For last some years the cost of rolling out fiber has been declining due to huge deployment across the globe. 

At present I have both Jio Fiber and Alliance Fiber connection at my home. Downtime is rare with Jio, while Alliance has some 30hr+ downtime in my area, thanks to local operator. Also during thunderstorm Jio never goes off - making it seamless internet experience. 

Jio Updates: Jio Enters into Satellite Internet Biz

This update which came in February, 2022 is actually a big update, though Jio did it silently - Jio enters into satnet biz by founding Jio Space Technology Limited (JSTL) by creating a JV with Luxembourg based SES (Société Européenne des Satellites). 

Jio owns 51% of the JV, while SES holds the remaining 49%. SES is already an established player in satcom business and newly formed entity will use multi-orbit space networks that is a combination of geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellations capable of delivering multi-gigabit links (upto 100Gbps) and capacity to enterprises, mobile backhaul and retail customers across the length and breadth of India and neighbouring regions.

EV Boom in India, Nexon EV vs Nexon EV Max

India is getting its EV boom in the 4-wheeler car market. Lead by Tata Motor’s flagship Nexon EV the car market is bound to change in coming years. Though luxury car makers like Audi, Jaguar, Porsche have their EV models, but these cars never are aimed for mainstream. And it would be shameful not to mention Tesla, which may have 1/3rd of EV car market in America and Europe, is yet to be present in India. 

Tata Motors has launched their upgraded Nexon EV as Nexon EV Max, and will roll out Tiago EV soon. They already have another EV - Tigor EV. That would make Tata Motors with maximum EV offerings in India - 4 EV cars. At a point Tata Motors can be India's answer to Tesla. 

Other EV cars in India are - MG ZS EV (from Rs 20.88 L), Hyundai Kona Electric (from Rs.23.71 lakh), Mahindra e-Verito, Mahindra e2oPlus.

And those are already in the list to be launched are, Mahindra e-KUV100, Nissan Leaf, Mahindra XUV300 EV, and Tata Tiago EV.

Interestingly top automaker in India, Maruti Suzuki is yet to be join the EV race. As per reports, Maruti Suzuki is working with Toyota for a mid-sized EV SUV, codenamed YY8. 

Shoes in India for Men - Top Brands & Websites.

Though Emizentech's data of 2021 shows nearly 70% of internet users use mobile apps for shopping and more than 50% of internet traffic generating from mobile devices, I still like the desktop browsing. 

This is a list of shoe brands available in India. These links are useful to check the official price, but mostly I would find them cheaper on big giants of Indian e-commerce portals like AJio, Amazon, Flipkart or Tata CliQ. 

Jio Updates: Jio's Tower Arm Got New Branding under New Ownership

It is a late update #1 on Reliance Jio. 

Back in December 2019, Jio announced Canada-based Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP and its institutional partners (including Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC) would bought Jio's telecom assets through some complex deal. The valuation was Rs 25,215 cr. In September 2020 DoT cleared the transaction.

Summit Digitel Infrastructure, which is the new name of the tower arm of Jio Infratel under new ownership, currently has 1,51,000+ operational telecom sites. 

Website of Summit Digitel: https://www.summitdigitel.com/

Facebook page of Summit Digitel: https://www.facebook.com/SummitDigitel/ 

In March 2022, BSNL has inked a pact to use Summit's passive infrastructure assests, while in April Airtel did similar agreement with it. 

In December 2020, Summit Digitel joins Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA). 

TAIPA has members like: Indus Towers Limited, ATC Group Companies, Tower Vision, Ascend Telecom Infrastructure, Sterlite Technologies, Space World, Coslight, Suyog Telematics, Applied Solar Technologies, iBus Networks and Summit Digitel Infrastructure.

TAIPA did a makeover in September 2021, as Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) (https://dipa.co.in/). The rebranding came in the time to reposition itself as the representative body for digital communication industry players while aligning with future industry requirements.

List of India's telecom tower companies - here.

The article is a part of tracking Reliance Jio. 

Mavenir Backing Open RAN Aggresively & Curious Case of India's 5G

Way back in September 2020, I wrote up on Open RAN networks and how it is reshaping future of telecommunications globally. After 1.5 years that O-RAN is very much alive and getting more traction from the industry. ORAN is now widely accepted globally. For those are uninitiated, Open RAN (Radio Access Network) offers the flexibility to the service providers to use hardware and software solutions from different companies in multiple layers. It's something like to use open source software. 

Winter 2022 : Meaty Affairs in Zakaria, Zam Zam and Wah Janaab!

So pandemic is under control, and I can't wait for food trips in Kolkata in the winter. Why food trips and not foodwalks - because we planned for a specific zone or a restaurant this time. 

First trip - Evening Dripped in Kebabs  

This was our first trip to Zakaria in 2021-22 winter (Nov 17)

ঝট করে প্ল্যান নামালাম, দেবঋষিও রেডি - way to Zakaria. শুরুতে প্ল্যান ছিল দিলশাদ আর অ্যাডামসের কাবার মেরে পেট খালি থাকলে (থাকার যদিও কথা না) বোম্বে হোটেলে বিফ বা টেরিটি বাজারের চাইনিজ রেস্তোরাগুলোতে পর্ক ডেলিকেসি দিয়ে পেটের কানায় কানায় ভর্তি করে বাড়ি ফিরব। কিন্তু বাধ সাধল কলকাতার নভেম্বরের গরম - বিফ খেয়ে শরীর এত গরম লাগল যে আমরা হাল ছেড়ে দিলাম। 

2022 Laptop Buying Guide

Last year I did some research & analysis for finding out a personal laptop which suits my lifestyle. Eventually I did not buy anything new and continue to use the old one. It's 2022 now, and already January is over. Again I am in search of my dream laptop. 

Before I jump to note down the laptops for my wishlist, I like to tell you something - knowing the CPU is very important, i.e. Intel Core i5 tag is not everything, look for which product line it is. 

For eg: if the laptop's processor is Intel Core i5 11370H you must learn what is the meaning of this kind of nomenclature. 

FDA Approves Two Oral Antivirals against COVID-19 - India Got One of Them

COVID-19 Pandemic which started in 2019 is probably getting into its last phases as third wave hits India in December 2020-January 2021. Thankfully now we have got two oral drugs against SARS-CoV2 virus which is responible for COVID-19 diseases. So far as per our experience the latest variant of SARS-CoV2, aka Omnicron is the causative agent in the third wave.

America's drug controller FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved these two anti-COVID oral antivirals as Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) - Molnupiravir and Paxlovid. 

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPY) Offerings in India

Though 'buy now, pay later' schemes are available in the market in the form of credit cards in India for many years, new concept of BN-PY was around for 5-7 years. First I heard of LazyPay and Simpl from my brother who was using them in Chennai for heavily discounted foods and etc. Then I got to know about Ola Postpaid which offers cashless rides and generate a monthly or 15-day bill to pay the ride charges at one go. The best part of this BN-PY schemes are while you pay later there is no interest charge (similar to credit cards with 30 day bill) but often these are easy to grab (not subject to approval from banks for a credit cards) - so for students or youngsters LazyPay, Simpl, Ola Postpaid were a hit.