Airtel 4G Network Review in Pune

I was always curious about 4G LTE technology. Airtel has launched TDD-LTE in India on 2300 MHz band 3 years ago. But expansion of this 4G network was steady because of lack of 4G device ecosystem. Very few among all 4G devices support 2300 MHz band. FDD-LTE on 1800 MHz band is more common in the world. But now situation is different. Many mobile manufacturers are supporting TDD-LTE before launching their product in India. 4G mobiles are now available in India for price as low as Rs 5000.
Recently, I bought Nokia Lumia 638 which is currently the cheapest 4G mobile in India for Rs 5400. The phone has moderate configuration with Quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, 5MP camera and most important 4G TDD-LTE support.
Firstly, I inserted my Airtel SIM card in the phone but it was showing no 4G network option in network mode. Later, I realised that 4G network needs a brand new 128k SIM which is different from normal 64k SIM which is used for 3G/2G.
I contacted local Airtel outlet and exchanged my existing SIM with 128k 4G ready SIM. Now I got 4G option that I was expecting.

As Airtel 4G coverage is currently very weak in Pune, I had to go outside to hunt for 4G network. On highway, there was a good 4G coverage. I saw 4G symbol for the first time on my device. That was really a moment full of happiness :D

I performed a network search on the same place and I was getting Reliance Jio's 4G network also. But I couldn't figure out whether it was FDD-LTE or TDD-LTE.

In recent spectrum auction of 2015, major telecom players in India like Idea, Airtel, Vodafone and Jio have purchased 1800 MHz spectrum from Government for FDD-LTE which is more common worldwide. So we can expect FDD-LTE launch in coming months.

Further I performed many network speed tests at various locations in Pune and I was getting 20 Mbps speed on an average.

4G network doesn't support traditional services like voice calls, USSD and SMS. The network automatically switches to 2G or 3G when any incoming/outgoing call or SMS is there. This switching is seamless and very fast. Battery consumption on 4G is still moderate and depends on how much data you download on phone with 4G network.
Currently, Airtel 4G plans are same as 3G. As you recharge with any 3G plan, you get 4G speeds whenever the network is available.
Well, Airtel 4G network in India is currently ok ok. It just provides higher speeds than 3G and has lower latency. With Cat. 4 LTE that my Lumia 638 supports, theoretical peak speed of 4G network is 150 Mbps. So, 4G in India is still is in infant stage with lower coverage and average performance.
My hopes are on the next big thing Reliance Jio (RJIL). Expected launch of Reliance Jio's 4G is in December 2015. Still a few months away!
I will share with you as soon as I get any update about that. Till then, stay tuned!

LTE User Equipment (UE) Categories: Which one is meant for you?

Many companies are launching their 4G-enabled phones from this year. Recently launched Xiaomi's MI Note 4G is available in India for Rs 8999.
Different 4G phones come with different speeds. LTE UE category of the device decides max downlink/uplink speed that it supports.
In this post, I am going to summarise various LTE UE categories from 3GPP and devices which support particular category.

Category	Max Downlink Speed (Mbps)	Max Uplink Speed (Mbps)	3GPP Release	No. of Supported MIMO	Supported Devices
Cat 1	10	5	Rel. 8 (LTE)	1	N/A
Cat 2	50	25	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	N/A
Cat 3	100	50	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	Original Moto X, iPhone 5
Cat 4	150	50	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	Nexus 5, Moto G 4G, Moto X (2nd Generation), iPhone 6, MI Note 4G, Samsung Galaxy S5, LG G3
Cat 5	300	75	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	N/A
Cat 6	300	50	Rel. 10 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	Huawei Honor 6, Samsung Galaxy S6 LTE-A, LG G3 LTE-A, Nexus 6
Cat 7	300	150	Rel. 10 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	N/A
Cat 8	1200	600	Rel. 10 (LTE-Advanced)	8	N/A
Cat 9	450	50	Rel. 11 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	N/A
Cat 10	450	100	Rel. 11 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	N/A

Among these, Cat 3, Cat 4 and Cat 6 devices are more common. Cat 9 devices will arrive in 2016.
Cat 3 devices are slowly becoming outdated and most of the phones coming next year will support Cat 4 LTE. Cat 6 and above UE categories are also mentioned as LTE-Advanced. Carrier aggregation is the special characteristic of LTE-Advanced. It allows to aggregate two distinct parts spectrum for better network throughput and hence higher speeds.
Cat 4 LTE will be in many budget 4G phones coming next year. Many cheaper Snapdragon SOCs including 210, 400, 410, 610, 615 and 800 support Cat 4 LTE. Cat 6 LTE is supported by high-end Snapdragon SOCs like 805 and 808. It is mostly meant for high end flagship phones. Snapdragon 810 SOC includes support for Cat 9 LTE. But no device currently supports it. Alright, that's enough information to check how much LTE potential your device has.

Software Coder and a Driver: LOL!

Welcome back after a long break! After publishing my own articles on various technological innovations, I'm publishing a fact based on the present condition of Indian IT and software industry. It proves that coding or programming is such a skill just like cricket or driving. But, the Science background is mandated behind this skill by our educational system. You will also believe this as you go through it!
The content has been taken from another blog named interim thoughts. Special thanks to the unknown publisher of this article.

-Nitish

Of geeks and coders
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Recently, I had this discussion around the issue of qualification for a software developer. Indian IT services companies often issue recruitment ads asking for first class engineers from the best colleges in India. Notably the IITs. That was how some of the companies started. Then they climbed down, going to the best non IIT colleges. Then they climbed down and now almost any engineer with a first class can make it through to most companies.
There are many other companies who ask for best in class graduates. Some companies prefer NIIT graduates - who are not engineers, though many of them are engineers too.

Really, what is the level of qualification required to be a software developer? This is a funny question if you ask me, since it is like asking what qualification do you require to be a driver. To be a driver, you need no qualification. If you are an MA or a M Ed, well, good luck to you but that has no bearing on whether you get a driving licence or not. As long you can drive a vehicle well and convince the RTO inspector that you can, you get a licence and you can drive.

To be a coder, is exactly like that. In India many people (and companies) make us believe that you need a science background to learn coding. It is like asking for mechanical engineers when what you really want are drivers.

I have some of my friends as young as 8th standard who have waded knee deep into coding. I know of some who have created small tools and other patches even before they cleared their class Xth exams. I know of accountancy grads who are experts in coding/hacking. One of the guys who studied with me had created his own game - and he was not even a graduate - his dad has passed him a defunct PC which he had made good use of. Qualification - well nothing. Except that they loved doing what they did.

Google Jam is a step in the right direction. I wish service companies in India too tried and picked up geeks this way rather than a traditional formal-tie interview process. These are the geeks who will create more code juice and innovate - they may not follow coding standards though and geeks oten come with their own idiosyncracies - which service industries hate. But Google and Microsoft? They love 'em.

The highly qualified educated coder who gets into the IT service industry today wants to "get out of coding" even as he sets foot in the industry - with the result that the industry is filled with (generally) low technical skills. The industry also "rewards" good coders with management positions with the result that they lose their technical skills and that is often seen as the only way to grow in the firm. (That last part is changing though the hiring is still done the old way.)

One point here is that good educational qualifications (ranging from any graduation to post graduation or an MBA) help in assessing whether a potential employee can create documentation, processes - but thats not the same as coding. What IT service companies do need is a mixture of low to medium end coding skills at the entry level followed by good communication, presentation and documentation skills at the next levels. Honestly, you need neither first class engineers nor first class graduates at the entry level in an IT service company. You do need a high level of presentation skills, negotiation skills, strategic thinking at a managerial level and beyond.

Coming back, coding is a fair bit about self interest, which is about the geek - someone who lives, talks and breathes code - and nobody can teach you to do that (not for code, not for music, not for blogging). This is for those whom computers (or central excise or dance) is a passion.

The other part is around technical training, which is for the NIITs and their ilk to milk. The engineering colleges should really get out of creating newer engineering streams for Information Technology (IT - this thing sells like crazy) and focus on creating engineers not coders.

Make no mistake, the uber technical chaps are highly regarded, paid as much as (if not far better -look at any core tech companies payscales) than uber domain guys and there will always be a continuous demand for technology professionals at all levels. And, once again, it does not matter what qualification you have as long as you have a licence to drive (or code).