Vodafone-Idea Network Down In India: After Airtel users reported an internet outage, telecom service providers Jio and Vodafone Idea also faced network disruptions just hours later across the country. Several users complained of call and mobile data outages in different regions. According to Downdetector, a portal that tracks tech glitches, over 200 reports of Jio outages were recorded around 5 PM on Monday. The Vodafone Idea outage has been affecting users in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Jaipur. Meanwhile, Jio’s outage map shows a more widespread impact, with users in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, Ahmedabad, and several other cities also reporting issues. Notably, the problem was first flagged in Delhi-NCR before spreading to Mumbai and Bengaluru. However, the telecom majors were reportedly impacted by a technical issue but there is no official response regarding this.  After this outrage, Jio officials clarified to Zee Media that “the Jio network has been operating normally throughout the day with no operational issues. All Jio-to-Jio calls and calls from Jio to other non-impacted networks have been working seamlessly. The only problem observed was in calls made by Jio numbers to customers of a specific impacted network, due to downtime on that network’s end. This did not affect Jio customers calling within the Jio network or connecting to any other networks. We assure our customers that the Jio network continues to perform optimally, and services remain fully available.” According to Downdetector, nearly about 44% of Vi users reported mobile internet issues, 37% faced problems with calls, and 19% said they had no signal. On the other hand, nearly 52% of Jio users faced problems with mobile internet, 30% reported issues with JioFiber, and 17% said they had no signal at all.  In the afternoon, Airtel users across several parts of India reported widespread network outages today, August 18. Meanwhile, several users moved to social media platforms to report the issue about not being able to make calls and access data services using their Airtel number. (Also Read: Airtel Down For Thousands Of Users Across India; Calls, Internet Services Unavailable) According to outage-tracking website Downdetector, more than 2,300 users had reported service disruptions by 4:04 PM, highlighting a widespread issue that impacted both voice calls and internet connectivity across the country. However, the reported issues were widespread and not limited to a single city, with users from metro areas such as Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi sharing concerns online and on social media platforms.  Netizens Reaction:  India Network Meltdown  Airtel down first, now Jio & Vodafone-Idea also hit outages. Users across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru struggling with calls & data. 3 major telcos down in one day — rare domino effect!#AirtelDown #JioDown #Vi pic.twitter.com/4EG4vgovHe — The Rakt (@TheRaktIndia) August 18, 2025   Vodafone Idea & Airtel users watching Jio users going into meltdown in Mumbai with their network down!#Jiodown pic.twitter.com/LfdB9Qviai — Vishal Verma (@VishalVerma_9) September 17, 2024   JioFiber along with the mobile network was down for many people today. My internet also not working frequently  How are you guys ?  #jiodown #jio #mukeshambani pic.twitter.com/v75fUWOuor — VARSHA (@trading_in_zone) June 18, 2024   Jio users going to vodafone and airtel right now #Jiodown pic.twitter.com/a7SFtBVOWp — Nilotpal Mrinal Pandey (@nilotpalm6) October 6, 2021

WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud: OneCard has issued an advisory warning customers about a rising scam called ‘WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud’. Fraudsters are using this trick to steal money and sensitive personal data. The scam is highly dangerous as it can give criminals direct access to a victim’s phone and private information. Not just OneCard, but several public and private sector banks have also repeatedly warned users about this threat. If you unknowingly fall victim to this scam, you risk losing access to your bank account, facing identity theft, or suffering financial losses. Notably, this scam is relatively easy to avoid. Unfortunately, the problem is that many people are not aware of it, which is why cases of individuals getting caught in it continue to surface. 

New Delhi: Individual users worldwide have spent $2 billion on the ChatGPT mobile app through iOS and Android platforms since the AI application’s launch in May 2023, according to a report on Saturday. In 2025, revenue of the application grew 673% year-over-year. The app has clocked 318 million downloads in 2025, 2.8 times higher than during the same period last year, TechCrunch reported. India has the highest lifetime installs at 13.7%, while the US followed with 10.3%. American users, however, accounted for over 38 per cent of ChatGPT’s global revenue. Average spending per download in the US is $10, while in Germany it stood at 5.3%. ChatGPT Plus Subscription Cost And Revenue  ChatGPT Users make payments for premium features, such as a ChatGPT Plus subscription at $20 per month, which provides access to advanced models like GPT-5, higher usage limits, and enhanced functionality. ChatGPT outperformed all competitors in lifetime revenue per install, averaging $2.91. Anthropic’s Claude followed at $2.55, while Elon Musk’s Grok stood at $0.75. Microsoft’s Copilot app lagged at just $0.27. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Ranks First Apple Store Analysts suggested Grok’s underperformance is due to its late mobile launch. The standalone iOS app of xAI was only available to users from January 2025, with Android support added in March. The delay has hindered its momentum in the app economy. Meanwhile, Musk, the founder of xAI, claimed that OpenAI’s ChatGPT ranks first on the Apple Store because of Apple’s favouritism, while his apps, X and xAI’s Grok, are sidelined. Apple denied allegations that its App Store algorithms or curated lists favour ChatGPT over Musk’s offerings. “The App Store is designed to be fair and free of bias,” the company insisted, adding that recommendations are based on charts, algorithms, and expert editorial curation using objective criteria, according to multiple media reports. ChatGPT-5 Available To All Users GPT‑5 is available to all users, with Plus subscribers getting more usage and Pro subscribers getting access to GPT‑5 Pro, a version with extended reasoning for even more comprehensive and accurate answers.

New Delhi: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Thursday said that India is now the AI firm’s second-largest market in the world and “it may become our largest.” He commented on a wide-ranging exchange on the WTF podcast with Indian entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath. “Having ChatGPT-5 is like having PhD-level experts in every field available to you 24/7, not only to ask anything but also to do anything for you, write code, generate research, plan an event,” he said. Altman highlighted how the model can support almost every function of an early-stage business. “You could use GPT-5 to help you write the software for a product, help you handle customer support, help you write marketing and communications plans, help you review legal documents,” he added. Altman believes it is the best time to start a career. He said AI tools like GPT-5 can help young Indians. It can assist in software, customer support, and marketing. Altman noted India’s enthusiasm for AI transformation. He emphasised that AI creates an open canvas. Altman claimed that GPT-5 represents a significant leap in how people interact with AI across personal, creative, and professional use cases, unlocking not just answers but execution. He emphasised how feedback from Indian users, across language support, affordability, and access, has directly shaped product development at OpenAI. Altman said, “If there is one large society in the world that seems most enthusiastic to transform with AI right now, it’s India. The excitement, the embrace of AI…the energy is incredible.” The OpenAI CEO highlighted that the real opportunity for India lies in moving from consumption to global creation, building tools, platforms, and companies that the rest of the world will use. GPT‑5 is available to all users, with Plus subscribers getting more usage and Pro subscribers getting access to GPT‑5 Pro, a version with extended reasoning for even more comprehensive and accurate answers.

Mumbai: Vodafone Idea’s losses grew in the June 2025 quarter (Q1 FY26) as the telecom operator reported a net loss of Rs 6,608 crore, compared to Rs 6,432 crore in the same period previous fiscal (Q1 FY25). However, the company’s revenue from operations rose 5 per cent to Rs 11,023 crore, up from Rs 10,508 crore in the year-ago quarter, according to its stock exchange filing. The company’s average revenue per user (ARPU) increased to Rs 177 during the quarter, compared to Rs 154 in Q1 FY25 — marking a 15 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) stood at Rs 4,612 crore, up 10 per cent from Rs 4,205 crore a year earlier. The EBITDA margin improved to 41.8 per cent from 40 per cent in the same period previous financial year. Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra said the quarter marked a decisive turnaround for the company. He noted that investments made in the past three quarters to expand 4G coverage have started showing results, with subscriber losses down 90 per cent compared to Q2 and Q3 of last financial year — the lowest decline since the merger. “This has been a decisive turnaround quarter. The investments made over the past three quarters to expand our 4G coverage have started yielding results, as reflected in the 90 per cent lower subscriber loss compared to Q2 and Q3 of last financial year, being the lowest subscriber decline since merger,” Moondra stated. The company has launched 5G services in 22 cities across 13 circles and plans to expand further in line with the rising adoption of 5G-enabled smartphones. Data usage has reached record levels, driven by the popularity of its SuperHero and Non-stop SuperHero plans. Moondra added that Vodafone Idea is continuing to invest in capital expenditure and, to meet its broader plans of Rs 500–550 billion, is in talks with lenders to secure debt funding.

New Delhi: Apple is gearing up for its big September launch event, where it is expected to reveal the iPhone 17 series. While the company hasn’t confirmed the official date yet, this event is one of the most anticipated tech launches of the year. Along with the new iPhones, Apple is also likely to showcase the next-generation Apple Watch and other products. According to media reports, Apple may announce the September launch event date towards the end of August. Reports suggest the launch date will be September 9, 2025, with sales starting on September 12. The event will be held at Apple Park in Cupertino, but you can also watch it live on Apple’s YouTube channel, website, and Apple TV. For the iPhone 17 lineup, Apple might introduce a new ultra-thin model, possibly called the iPhone 17 Air, alongside the standard iPhone 17. The Air version is expected to be slimmer at just 5.65mm and feature a 120Hz display with the A19 chip. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 could keep a similar design to its predecessor. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to get major upgrades in performance, camera quality and battery life. Both will likely use the A19 Pro chip with 12GB RAM. Also, the Reports suggest that both models could offer up to 8x optical zoom and support 8K video recording. The Pro Max could get a bigger battery of 5000mAh. The Apple Watch Series 11 is said to come in a compact design but with significant improvements, possibly using the S11 chip and a MediaTek modem chip for 5G. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 may get a wide-angle OLED display, satellite connectivity for emergency contact, and new health tracking features. Apart from these products, other possible announcements include the AirPods Pro 3, a new Apple TV 4K streaming device and the HomePod 3.

New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued its formal response to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) regarding matters related to the Terms and Conditions of Network Authorisations under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. This follows a back-reference from the DoT, dated July 3, 2025, seeking reconsideration of certain recommendations that TRAI had earlier submitted on February 17, 2025. According to a press release from the Ministry of Communications, the July 3 back-reference was sent under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. The DoT indicated that some recommendations might not be accepted as proposed or would require modification, prompting the regulator to revisit its earlier stance. This exchange originates from an initial request on July 26, 2024, when the DoT, under the TRAI Act, asked the regulator to suggest terms and conditions, including applicable fees, for granting authorisations to establish, operate, maintain, or expand telecommunication networks under the 2023 law. An additional request followed on October 17, 2024, asking TRAI to examine authorisation provisions for satellite communication networks under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. After consulting stakeholders and industry representatives, TRAI submitted its detailed recommendations on February 17, 2025. These covered various aspects of network authorisation, aiming to align regulatory requirements with the provisions of the new telecommunications framework. The Ministry of Communications noted that the government’s prima facie observations on certain points led to the July back-reference. In its latest reply, TRAI addressed each of these observations and provided clarifications or revised positions where necessary. The regulator’s response has now been made publicly available on its official website.

Google Chrome For Sale: Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has made a bold offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser for $34.5 billion, which the tech giant could be compelled to sell amid antitrust proceedings. The proposed amount, outlined in a letter of intent, is nearly double Perplexity’s reported $18 billion valuation from a recent funding round.   The three-year-old company has reportedly raised about $1 billion from investors like Nvidia and Japan’s SoftBank. Google has shown no interest in selling Chrome, and no court has ordered it to do so. Perplexity’s move is similar to its earlier bid this year to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations, which also faced regulatory hurdles. The offer comes as Google awaits a ruling from US District Court Judge Amit Mehta, expected by the end of the month, on remedies following last year’s decision that the company held an illegal monopoly in online search. Government lawyers have urged Google to sell Chrome, warning that integrating artificial intelligence could further cement its dominance as the main gateway to the internet Chrome Holds More Than 50% Per Cent Of Global Market Chrome has been the world’s most popular web browser for over 10 years and is a key part of Google’s business. Data from StatCounter shows it held a 67.9% global market share in July 2025. Critics say removing Chrome from Google could hurt smaller competitors and reduce benefits for users. Google’s lawyer, John Schmidtlein, warned that since over 80% of Chrome users are outside the U.S., selling it could have worldwide consequences.