Heena Sharma Blog

  Internet shutdowns cost India $2.8 billion, putting the South Asian nation at the top of a list of 21 countries that curbed citizens’ web access in 2020. India -- the second-worst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of overall confirmed infections -- accounted for about three-quarters of the $4 billion lost worldwide to internet curbs. It’s losses more than doubled compared to 2019, a report from a U.K.-based digital privacy and security research group showed. Some countries known to limit Internet access or censor material like China and North Korea were not included in the report because researchers relied on publicly available open source information and documented internet and social media shutdowns. With 8,927 hours of blacked out or curbed bandwidth access, India restricted internet use more than any other nation, as restrictions originally imposed in 2019 continued throughout 2020, according to the Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns report released by Top10V...

Anil D. Ambani-led Reliance Entertainments gaming destination Zapak, in association with Cartoon Network India, has launched mobile game " Ben 10 - Alien Run ". It is the first game for this year to be released in partnership with the channel, with more in the pipeline for enthusiastic fans and gaming buffs. "Conquering inter-galactic quests, transforming into powerful aliens and saving the earth from malicious forces, is the very DNA of the popular franchise," Amit Khanduja, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Entertainment - Digital, said in a statement. "We are delighted to launch 'Ben 10 - Alien Run', which combines all of the show's adventure and fun with Zapak's capabilities to give fans a great immersive gaming experience," Khanduja aded. The game features Ben, a superhero child on a pursuit to take on powerful villains with the help of his mysterious watch called Omnitrix. The game captures childrens' imagina...

Soon, rural India may have access to broadband services through cable networks. To boost rural internet connectivity, the ministry of information and broadcasting and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) proposed to provide broadband services through existing cable networks. According to ministry officials, the move has the potential to provide internet connectivity to nearly 190 million households that have television sets. A Times of India report says that about 100 million homes already have cable TV subscription. Trai chairman R S Sharma said that such a move can increase internet connectivity through fixed line networks from the existing 7 per cent, against the global average of 46 per cent. During the mid-December meeting of the ministry and TRAI with service providers, Sharma cited the instance of South Korea, which has implemented a similar proposal. For it to be implemented, the proposal will now be whetted on the financial implications of a ...