Gadgets And Technology Daily News | 16 Jun 2023
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Meta Says Subsidies From Big Tech Should Be Last Option for EU Telcos
Meta Platforms said on Thursday subsidies from Big Tech should be the last option for European Union telecoms operators trying to get US companies to foot some of their network cost.
Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and other operators have lobbied for two decades for US tech giants to contribute to 5G and broadband roll-out, saying they create a huge part of the region's internet traffic.
The European Commission launched a consultation early this year on whether tech giants should bear some of the costs of Europe's telecoms network.
Companies such as Meta have said such a move would not solve the telcos' financial problems and ignores hefty investments by tech companies.
Telcos that receive subsidies should also face strong regulatory oversight, including a process to ensure the funds are only used for network investment, Meta said in a response to the European Commission's exploratory consultation on network fee.
A majority of European Union countries have also rejected the push to levy a network fee on Big Tech, sources told Reuters earlier this month.
The European Commission did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Meta said "the Commission should first require a demonstration by any telco seeking subsidies that it has first engaged with CAPs (content application providers) in good faith to reach technical, non-subsidy solutions".
It added any subsidies be awarded by a tender to ensure availability to all network operators, not just the large players.
"Incumbent operators receiving the functional equivalent of government bailouts should have additional restrictions imposed on them such as elimination of executive bonuses, caps on compensation, freezes on dividends," it said.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
Nothing Phone 2 to Go on Sale in India via Flipkart, Carl Pei Reacts to Memes on Design
Nothing Phone 2 will go official on July 11 through a virtual event and the company is actively teasing its second smartphone via its social media handles. Like the Nothing Phone 1, the upcoming handset is confirmed to go on sale in India through Flipkart. A dedicated microsite on the e-commerce website is teasing the specifications of the Nothing Phone 2 ahead of launch. The Nothing Phone 2 is highly speculated to have a similar design language to that of the predecessor. However, Nothing Co-Founder and CEO Carl Pei hints that the smartphone will look different from its predecessor.
The Nothing Phone 2 will be available for purchase in India through Flipkart. The company joined hands with the online marketplace for selling the Nothing Ear 1 earbuds in 2021 and Nothing Phone 1 last year. The e-commerce website has also created a dedicated landing page on its website to tease the arrival of the smartphone on July 11. Interested users can click the “Notify Me” button on the website to receive updates about its launch and availability.
As per the Flipkart listing, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC will power the Nothing Phone 2. The smartphone is claimed to be made up of a 100 percent recycled aluminium frame while over 80 percent of the phone's plastic components are said to be sustainably sourced. The Nothing Phone 2 is also confirmed come with a 4,700mAh battery. It is confirmed to receive three years of Android OS updates and four years of security updates.
Recently, an official teaser image for the Nothing Phone 2 revealed a similar design to the Nothing Phone 1 with a transparent glass back and a slightly different glyph interface. Since then, memes about the Phone 2's design and different posts mocking the company for repeating the same design surfaced on the Web. As a response, Carl Pei posted a tweet on Wednesday suggesting that the design of the Nothing Phone 2 would be different from the Nothing Phone 1. " To everyone sending me this: just you wait and see!”. Pei's response hints that the Nothing Phone 2 will feature design enhancements.
There have also been leaked renders of the Nothing Phone 2 that suggested rounded corners and slighlty curved front and rear panels. However, Pei also called these renders fake. We will get a clearer picture on July 11 of what the Phone 2 will bring to the table, and if the design is different to the Nothing Phone 1.
Redmi 12C Variant With More RAM, Higher Storage to Launch in India Soon: All Details
Redmi 12C was launched in India earlier this year in March. The global variant of the phone was released a few days before the Indian variant. The model was first unveiled in China in December 2022. The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC and backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 10W wired charging support. It was initially launched in India in two storage options - 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB. Now the company has teased a new variant of the phone with more storage and RAM.
A new variant of the Redmi 12C was confirmed by Redmi India on Thursday. The phone was initially launched in the country in two storage options. The 4GB + 64GB variant was listed at Rs. 8,999, while the 6GB + 128GB option was priced at Rs. 10,999.
Redmi has teased the new variant in a tweet, which mentions that the Redmi 12C will feature more storage and will offer faster speed, which indicates increased RAM.
The Redmi 12C is offered in Matte Black, Mint Green, Royal Blue, and Lavender Purple colour options. The model is available for purchase on Flipkart, Amazon, Mi.com, Mi Home stores, and other retail outlets.
Sporting a 6.71-inch HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels) LCD display, the Redmi 12C comes with a refresh rate of 60Hz and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The dual nano SIM-supported smartphone runs Android 12-based MIUI 13 out-of-the-box.
The Redmi 12C is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. The storage is expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card and the RAM is expandable virtually up to 5GB.
For optics, there's a dual rear camera setup on the Redmi 12C, that includes a 50-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel sensor. A 5-megapixel front camera is housed in a centre-aligned waterdrop notch slot for selfies and video calling. The phone packs a 5,000mAh battery with 10W wired charging support.
In terms of connectivity, the Redmi 12C supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and has a micro-USB port. It is equipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for security and weighs 192 grams and measures 168.76mm x 76.41mmx 8.77mm in size.
OKX Seeking Regulatory Approval to Operate in Dubai, Plans to Expand Middle East Operations
OKX, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, is seeking regulatory approval to operate in Dubai as it plans to expand the company's Middle East operations, an executive told Reuters on Thursday.
Regulation is an industry trend, OKX Global Head of Government Relations Tim Byun said.
"We would like to get ahead of that curve and be regulated in a sound manner," he said.
Earlier this month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Binance and Coinbase, another two of the largest crypto exchanges, for allegedly breaching its rules.
Byun said he believed the SEC's move would push more applicants towards innovative regulators like Dubai's Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA).
OKX plans to hire 30 staff, Byun said, after opening an office last month in the Dubai World Trade Center in the business and financial hub of the United Arab Emirates.
OKX Middle East said on Thursday it had received a preparatory licence from Dubai's regulator, a first step towards securing an operating licence that would allow it to serve institutional clients and investors.
"If we expand Dubai to offer services in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain, to jurisdictions where there is no domestic framework required, then those domestic populations are actually getting a windfall benefit because we are regulated by an international regulator," Byun said.
OKX is regulated in the Bahamas and currently does not allow customers from the United States to use its platform due to regulatory issues.
VARA was formed in March 2022 to regulate the emerging virtual asset sector in the emirate - excluding the Dubai International Financial Centre financial free zone — as the UAE pushes to become a global hub for the industry.
No firm has yet been licensed under VARA's full market product (FMP) stage — which would permit the serving of retail clients, regulator information shows. OKX plans to apply for such a licence, Byun said.
"If territories are willing to come up with a balanced clear transparent approach, OKX would like to be regulated and licensed and operate in that jurisdiction," Byun said.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
Binance.US Said to Have Laid Off Employees After US SEC Charges
The US affiliate of crypto giant Binance has carried out a round of layoffs since regulators last week charged it with violating securities laws and sought to freeze its assets, said two people with knowledge of the dismissals and employees' social media posts.
One of the sources said around 50 people were laid off. Reuters was unable to independently verify the number or seniority of employees affected.
A Binance.US spokesperson did not respond to emails and calls seeking comment.
Employees in Binance.US' legal, compliance and risk departments were among those dismissed, the people told Reuters, requesting anonymity because the matter is private.
The SEC on June 5 accused Binance and its founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao of creating Binance.US as part of a "web of deception" to evade securities laws aimed at protecting US investors. Binance said it would defend itself "vigorously."
The SEC also sued Binance.US' operating company, BAM Trading, alleging that it misled investors about "non-existent trading" controls over its platform.
A day later, the SEC asked a federal court to freeze Binance.US' assets, including more than $2.2 billion (nearly Rs. 18,000 crore) held in crypto and some $377 million (nearly Rs. 3,100 crore) in US dollar bank accounts. The SEC expressed concern that the exchange could move those funds offshore.
Binance.US called the request "unwarranted" and said the SEC's allegations were "unjustified."
Two Binance.US employees said on LinkedIn on Wednesday they were leaving the company, with one citing a "round of layoffs."
© Thomson Reuters 2023
Huawei, ZTE Should Be Restricted in More EU Countries, Urges EU Chief Thierry Breton
EU industry chief Thierry Breton on Thursday urged more EU countries to join the 10 that have restricted or banned China's Huawei and ZTE from their 5G telecoms networks, citing risks to the bloc's collective security.
Breton has in recent weeks voiced concerns that some EU countries still have perceived high risk components in their 5G core network, citing intrusive third-country laws on national intelligence and data security — a veiled reference to China.
European Union guidelines adopted two years ago call on its 27 member states to assess the risk profile of suppliers on a national or EU level, and restrict or ban high-risk 5G vendors from core parts of their telecoms networks.
"To date, only 10 of them have used these prerogatives to restrict or exclude high-risk vendors. This is too slow, and it poses a major security risk and exposes the Union's collective security, since it creates a major dependency for the EU and serious vulnerabilities," Breton told a press conference.
He said decisions taken by those EU countries to curb or block Huawei and ZTE were justified and in line with the bloc's 5G guidelines, and urged telecoms operators to do the same.
Germany is examining Chinese components in its 5G network, its Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in April, while Portugal last month issued a resolution that could bar telecoms operators from using Chinese equipment in their 5G mobile networks and 4G platforms.
Huawei, ZTE and Beijing have strongly rejected Western allegations that the companies' equipment might be used for spying.
The European Commission will also ban Huawei and ZTE from its own procurement of telecoms services, Breton said.
"We call on all EU institutions to follow soon," he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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