United News of Bangladesh

Edotco Group (edotco), an end-to-end integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company, has been presented with the Frost & Sullivan award of "Asia Pacific Telecoms Tower Company of the Year,'' for 2021, for the fifth consecutive year. Alongside this prestigious award, the company also announced that it has achieved the Top 10 Global tower company ranking, according to the TowerXchange. Read Edotco, BRAC collaborates to ensure safe drinking water in Maheshkhali Adlan Tajudin, chief executive officer of edotco Group, said: "Both of these achievements recognise our work across the region. We have continued to play the role of key infrastructure partner in the nations we are present." In 2020 edotco deployed a series of sustainable design innovations and renewable energy offerings across its footprint as well as initiated partnerships towards the deployment of smart street furniture and next-generation technologies in their mature operating countries. Also read: Banglalink, edotco partner to expand network connectivity in Bangladesh The organisation also reported successfully reducing its carbon emissions by 58% per site while continuing to champion sustainability infrastructure development and practices throughout the region. Edotco announced its break into the Top 10 Global Towerco ranking for the first time with a portfolio of 34,100 towers. Also read: edotco brings more affordable connectivity in country "So far in 2021, our key achievements include completing our first build to suit tower in the Philippines, signing new large deals in Bangladesh and being appointed as technology partners by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) to equip the upcoming tallest skyscraper in Malaysia with next-generation telecommunications solutions. In the next couple of years, we aspire to break into at least three new markets, repurpose our product portfolio to include fibre and small cells as we reposition ourselves to take on new challenges within the industry and at the same time reshape the organisation to be analytics and data-driven," Adlan said. Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Best Practices Awards recognise best-in-class companies that excel in their respective business segments, as well as their efforts to develop the industry in 2020. Read BTRC chief: Coordination key to turning things around in telecom

Chinese telecom giant Huawei recently announced its Seeds for the Future Program 2.0 at the "Tech & Sustainability: Everyone’s Included" forum. Through the programme, the company plans to invest $150 million in digital talent development over the next five years, expecting to benefit more than 3 million people. Read Huawei launches ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme in Bangladesh The forum, organised in China, was co-hosted by Huawei and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Representatives from Huawei, IUCN, the World Economic Forum, Carbon Disclosure Project, Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative, and Singapore Institute of International Affairs joined the event to discuss the role of technology in driving sustainability and building a more inclusive, eco-friendly world. READ: Huawei launches new 5G products At the forum, Jay Chen, vice-president of Huawei Asia Pacific, announced the company's plan to cultivate more than 40,000 ICT talent in the next five years through multiple programmes including Seeds for the Future in the region. "In the digital economy, digital talent is playing an increasingly important role in driving digital transformation and economic growth. Access to education is vital for creating opportunities that support sustainable and fair development. Due to the pandemic, we are moving the programme online and opening it up to more outstanding students than ever before," said Jay. READ: $300 billion market by 2025 for Augmented Reality: Huawei The Seeds for the Future program, initiated in Bangladesh in 2014, is designed to inspire local talents and encourage them to tackle digital challenges. The programme has so far seen participation from around 6,000 students in the country. Other talent development programmes of the company in Bangladesh include ICT Competition, ICT Academy, and Digital Training Bus in collaboration with various private and public sector organisations and agencies. Read Huawei concludes ‘Seeds for the Future’ 2019 selection round

Android apps have revolutionized different aspects of our lives. There is no argument that these apps are our friends. But is every app safe? Possibly, it is not. Some of your apps might be leaking your personal information and exposing you to security threats or spam. This article will discuss this issue and give you a list of dangerous android apps that may steal your data. What is information theft? Why is it dangerous? If someone collects and uses your personal information without your consent, this kind of act is called ‘information theft’. This information might include your name, date of birth, address, pictures, the number of your credit card, or the PIN of your virtual wallet, or even your email ID. Losing this data to criminal groups can threaten both of your money and safety. Read realme 8 5G Review: Affordable 5G Phone with Flagship Features Over the last few years, more allegations have been raised against different social media and other companies that provide services via android apps. Currently, different renowned social media/networking companies around the world are facing allegations of stealing their users’ private information. Pathao, a renowned Bangladeshi ride-sharing app, has been accused of collecting its customers’ private information beyond what it needs. Nowadays, many people tend to store financial account and payment information on their Smartphone devices. When such data gets compromised, it can be devastating for the victims. The criminal gangs can collect the financial information to rob money and/or commit other crimes. A person can even become a prey of blackmail or serious spam from information theft. Read Best Budget Graphics/ Drawing Tablet 2021 10 Android Apps that can leak users’ information There are thousands of android apps designed to phish users’ private data. We have chosen the 10 most popular ones that you should stop using right now if you are already a subscriber. Pip Photo It is an innocent-looking photo editing app that has gained much popularity for having interesting and helpful features. But recently, online security experts have advised for being cautious while using this app. Experts requests the users to be more careful while allowing permissions that the app asks for after installation. If any requiring permission seems to be unnecessary, users should avoid that. In simple words, it would be safe, if you can avoid using Pip Photo. Read Infinix Hot 10s Smartphone Review Rubbish Cleaner Memory cleaner or speed-up apps have been quite popular among smartphone users. People want to utilize their phone’s maximum speed. Therefore, many Smartphone-users tend to download and install apps. These applications clear the cache memory and turn off different unnecessary background features of a phone to ensure its max speed. However, not all memory cleaner and/ speed booster apps are safe. The app called ‘Rubbish Cleaner’ has crossed its limit threatening the phone’s privacy and security. Read OnePlus Nord CE Review: Know the Pros and Cons? Inwell Fitness Inwell Fitness is an aerobic weight exercise program that claims to improve its subscribers’ physical and mental fitness. However, the app has been alleged to do quite the contrary. It has been disclosing its more than 100,000 users’ information to different agencies. Google Play store has banned Inwell Fitness for this security concern. Processing Photo It is another photo editing app that has been downloaded 5M times worldwide. From the number of downloads, it’s evident that the ‘Processing Photo’ app is user-friendly and provides much value to its users. But behind its friendly face, it plays a rather dangerous game with the users. It is also enlisted as a harmful app, and people are advised not to install it. Read Amazfit T-Rex Pro Smartwatch Review: Smart choice for adventure lovers Wallpaper Apps Wallpaper apps are accused of being one of the most popular sources of mobile phone malware. In 2018, such apps infected more than 200K users. This prompted Google to run an investigation about these apps. The result made google ban numerous wallpaper applications from the PlayStore. You should still be cautious while downloading such apps. Lockit Master Lockit Master is simply a screen locker app. It lets users set passwords and screen patterns to unlock the phone after the screen gets locked. This app has also made its way in the list of harmful apps. To protect your data you must avoid using it. It would be best to use the similar built-in feature of an android app. Read Top 7 Best Android Skins in 2021: Know pros, cons App Lock Keep This is another app that was meant to provide more privacy to the users. Thousands of people around the world have installed this app to lock different features like galleries, message boxes, and other applications. But ‘App Lock Keeep’ has been accused of spying on the user’s personal data and leaking them. Horoscope Daily Too many people love to believe in horoscopes and want to know how their upcoming years, weeks, and days will go. Horoscope Daily is a ‘horoscope app’ that gives people such information. However, in return, this app gathers users’ diverse personal information like date of birth, sex, personal preferences, email ID, etc. It would be wise, if you can avoid using this app. Read Best Upcoming Phones in July 2021 in Bangladesh: Official and Unofficial Horoscope Pi Horoscope Pi is similar to the Horoscope Daily. It tells people about different problems they are going through or about to happen in their lives and provides a solution for those problems. Horoscope Pi is a threat to your Facebook login and password. So, stay aware. How to avoid the security risk while using android apps When it comes to the question of preventing the android app from stealing your information, you are your first line of defence. All you need to do is try to be a little bit more cautious. Check which permissions you are providing to your apps. If any app asks for any access that you find totally irrelevant, uninstall the app. Read OnePlus 9 Pro Full Review: Does it offer value for money? Another good piece of advice would be sticking with the core features and functionalities of your phone. Avoid installation of third-party apps to do tasks for which your phone already has a built-in feature or default app. For instance, you can easily lock screen, clean cache, turn on the flashlight using different default features/apps of your Smartphone, and there is no need for third-party apps for these. You can also use different reliable safeguards and internet security apps. Some apps protect you from installing apps from unknown sources. Read Dual Monitor Setup: Uses, Buying Guide, Price in Bangladesh Many apps ask you to fill up a form during the sign up or registration process. Beware of giving away your personal information while signing up or registering for an app. Verdict So far, we have discussed around 10 unsafe Android Apps that can steal your personal information. Besides these, there are many such useful but dangerous apps that can read and alter your information. To avoid information theft and similar kind of unwanted such situations, you have to be more careful. There are already too many aspects of our lives that we have to worry about. Make sure that the android apps you are using are not one of them. Read Charging Smartphone Battery: Everything You Need to Know

Global smartphone brand vivo has become the second-fastest growing 5G smartphone brand globally in Q1 2021, jumping 62% quarter-on-quarter. "Vivo was the second-fastest growing 5G smartphone vendor in Q1 2021, jumping 62% quarter-on-quarter to 19 million units shipped, driven by its iQOO U3 5G and U7 5G smartphones," Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, associate director of Strategy Analytics, said. Also read: VIVO introduces V21 with ‘Perfect Night Selfie System’ Adopting a forward-looking strategy, vivo has made significant investments in research and development and has rolled out a succession of 5G mobile phones, including iQOO Pro 5G, NEX 3 5G, and the X30 series. Ken Hyers, director of Strategy Analytics, said: "Global 5G smartphone shipments grew 6% quarter-on-quarter and hit a record 136 million units during the first quarter of 2021. We forecast global 5G smartphone shipments to reach a record 624 million units for the full-year 2021, soaring from 269 million in full-year 2020." Also read: For youth-connect, Vivo ropes in Bidya Sinha Mim Strategy Analytics is a global leader in supporting companies across their planning lifecycle through a range of syndicated and customised consumer and market research solutions, read a press release.

Grameenphone has incorporated the national Covid-19 vaccination management portal "Surokkha" into its one-stop digital solution MyGP. So, MyGP users can now enjoy the opportunity to access the government's authorised portal for Covid-19 vaccine registration. Also read: Covid-19 vaccine registration now possible through imo They will find a freshly added card to access the Surokkha portal in the "What's New" section of the app. Upon clicking the card, users will be taken to the webpage directly from where they can register for a vaccine. Also, the portal allows one to check for the registration status updates, collect cards and certificates after vaccination; and answers the FAQs regarding the total campaign. Also read: Registration for Covid vaccination to restart Thursday Solaiman Alam, chief digital and strategy officer at Grameenphone said: "Bringing more people under the vaccination process is indeed going to be extensive. Grameenphone has decided to play its role in the mammoth task by incorporating the Surokkha portal into its official app MyGP which has a huge reach. This will facilitate registration for vaccination in hopes of a pandemic free world tomorrow."

Huawei has released its "2020 Sustainability Report," highlighting the significant progress that it has made in its four strategies for sustainability – digital inclusion, security and trustworthiness, environmental protection, and a healthy and harmonious ecosystem. Huawei has been using its innovative ICT solutions to provide people across different regions with equal access to quality education and healthcare resources. In 2020, Huawei rolled out its "Skills on Wheels" and "Connecting Schools" programmes in over 200 schools around the world, benefiting more than 60,000 people. READ: Huawei launches new 5G products The company also used ICT solutions to provide technical assistance to nearly 90 countries. It launched the RuralStar Pro solution, providing voice and mobile broadband services to more than 50 million people in sparsely populated remote villages. Treating cybersecurity and privacy protection as another top priority, Huawei released the Software Process Trustworthiness Capability Framework and Assessment Criteria in 2020 to establish a complete set of trustworthy coding production mechanisms. As of the end of 2020, Huawei had been granted 2,963 patents relating to cybersecurity and privacy protection around the world. READ: $300 billion market by 2025 for Augmented Reality: Huawei To promote renewable energy, Huawei has deployed its digital power solutions in more than 170 countries and regions, serving one-third of the world's population. To date, these solutions have generated 325 billion kWh of electricity from renewable sources and saved 10 billion kWh of electricity. "An intelligent world should be a green world. Advances in technology can help us better understand and protect nature, mitigating the impact of human activity on the planet," said Liang Hua, chairman of Huawei, in the report.

Global smart device brand Oppo has come up with diverse, flexible, and cost-effective services for its users. Oppo is providing International Warranty Service (IWS). Now users can enjoy warranty, repair and software upgrade services at authorised service centres located in over 59 countries for designated devices. Read: OPPO partners with Thales for World’s First 5G SA-Compatible eSIM Also, as the usurers are getting their devices fixed, the brand is allowing them to sit in front of the repair engineer and watch the entire process. There are also several kinds of warranty services, specifically designed for broken screens, back covers or other problems, such as screen protection plans and extended warranty. Read: Oppo offers discounted prices on Reno5, A15s In addition to these, the users can also get online support if they prefer not to visit the brick-and-mortar service centres now.

The Pentagon said it canceled a disputed cloud-computing contract with Microsoft that could eventually have been worth $10 billion. It will instead pursue a deal with both Microsoft and Amazon and possibly other cloud service providers. “With the shifting technology environment, it has become clear that the JEDI Cloud contract, which has long been delayed, no longer meets the requirements to fill the DoD’s capability gaps,” the Pentagon said in a statement Tuesday. The statement did not directly mention that the Pentagon faced extended legal challenges by Amazon to the original $1 million contract awarded to Microsoft. Amazon argued that the Microsoft award was tainted by politics, particularly then-President Donald Trump’s antagonism toward Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, who stepped down Monday as the company’s chief executive officer. Bezos owns The Washington Post, a newspaper often criticized by Trump. The Pentagon’s chief information officer, John Sherman, told reporters Tuesday that during the lengthy legal fight with Amazon, “the landscape has evolved” with new possibilities for large-scale cloud computing services. Thus it was decided, he said, to start over and seek multiple vendors. Read:Microsoft unveils Windows 11 operating system Sherman said JEDI will be replaced by a new program called Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability, and that both Amazon and Microsoft “likely” will be awarded parts of the business, although neither is guaranteed. Sherman said the three other large cloud service providers — Google, IBM and Oracle — might qualify, too. Microsoft said in response to the Pentagon announcement, “We understand the DoD s rationale, and we support them and every military member who needs the mission-critical 21st century technology JEDI would have provided. The DoD faced a difficult choice: Continue with what could be a years-long litigation battle or find another path forward.” Amazon said it understands and agrees with the Pentagon’s decision. In a statement, the company reiterated its view that the 2019 contract award was not based on the merits of the competing proposals “and instead was the result of outside influence that has no place in government procurement.” Oracle, which had earlier sought the JEDI contact but didn’t make it to the final round, declined comment Tuesday. In separate statements, IBM said it was evaluating the new Pentagon approach and Google said it looked forward to discussing it with Pentagon officials. Read: Sanctioned Russian IT firm was partner with Microsoft, IBM The JEDI project began with the $1 million contract award for Microsoft, meant as an initial step in a 10-year deal that could have reached $10 billion in value. The project that will replace it is a five-year program; Sherman said no exact contract value has been set but that it will be “in the billions.” Sherman said the government will negotiate the amount Microsoft will be paid for having its 2019 deal terminated. Amazon Web Services, a market leader in providing cloud computing services, had long been considered a leading candidate to run the Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure project, known as JEDI. The project was meant to store and process vast amounts of classified data, allowing the U.S. military to improve communications with soldiers on the battlefield and use artificial intelligence to speed up its war planning and fighting capabilities. The JEDI contract became mired in legal challenges almost as soon as it was awarded to Microsoft in October 2019. The losing bidder, Amazon Web Services, went to court arguing that the Pentagon’s process was flawed and unfair, including that it was improperly influenced by politics. This year the Pentagon had been hinting that it might scrap the contract, saying in May that it felt compelled to reconsider its options after a federal judge in April rejected a Pentagon move to have key parts of Amazon’s lawsuit dismissed. Read:Microsoft buying speech recognition firm Nuance in $16B deal The JEDI saga has been unusual for the political dimension linked to Trump. In April 2020, the Defense Department inspector general’s office concluded that the contracting process was in line with legal and government purchasing standards. The inspector general found no evidence of White House interference in the contract award process, but that review also said investigators could not fully review the matter because the White House would not allow unfettered access to witnesses. Five months later, the Pentagon reaffirmed Microsoft as winner of the contract, but work remained stalled by Amazon’s legal challenge. In its April 2020 report, the inspector general’s office did not draw a conclusion about whether the Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp. was appropriately declared the winner. Rather, it looked at whether the decision-making process was proper and legal. It also examined allegations of unethical behavior by Pentagon officials involved in the matter and generally determined that any ethical lapses did not influence the outcome. That review did not find evidence of White House pressure for the Pentagon to favor the Microsoft bid, but it also said it could not definitely determine the full extent of White House interactions with the Pentagon’s decision makers.

realme has kicked off its ‘Mega Eid Campaign’ where the buyers and fans can win prizes including deep freezer and washing machine. It also guaranteed data bundle offer as well for Robi, Airtel and Banglalink users. In consideration of the recent situation, the users could buy realme smartphones from their nearest outlets through home delivery facility and enjoy these offers. Read: realme to bring G85 gaming processor-equipped phone C25s This campaign would continue till 20 July. Each purchase during the offer period would be rewarded with a guaranteed prize that includes deep freezer, washing machine, realme 8 Pro, realme 8, realme 8 gift box, realme C21 gift box, realme Buds Classic, realme T-shirt and instant cashback. This offer would be valid for realme official smartphones only. Read realme narzo 20 review: Best Features, Specs and Price phone in Bangladesh 2021 Prize winners would be informed via SMS. To know more about the campaign buyers could call this number -09610555555. Buyer could order for home delivery with the Eid offer at the link: https://myrealmeoffer.com. Read realme C25s Review: G85 Equipped Powerful Gaming Smartphone

Chinese telecom giant Huawei won five awards for its cutting-edge technology and inventions in the Mobile World Congress 2021 held in Barcelona from June 28-July 1.  This year, the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) announced the winners of the Global Mobile (GLOMO) awards. Huawei bagged awards in five categories – best innovation for Covid-19 pandemic response and recovery, outstanding mobile contribution to the UN SDGs, best mobile innovation in emerging markets, best mobile innovation for the connected economy, and best mobile infrastructure. READ: Huawei launches new 5G products Introduced in 1996 by the GSMA and judged by a panel of more than 250 global experts, the GLOMO Award is widely regarded as the highest honour within the mobile industry.  In this year's edition, the telemedicine solution for Covid-19 developed by the China-Japan Friendship Hospital based on Huawei's 5G network solutions won GSMA GLOMO Best Innovation or Covid-19 Pandemic Response and Recovery award. This high-end technology provided by Huawei has helped the hospital to scale up patient services and assist more than 5,000 hospitals across China. Read OnePlus Nord CE Review: Know the Pros and Cons? Marvin Chen, president of Huawei DIS Product Line, said: "5G is seeing large-scale application in healthcare. Huawei will continue to innovate 5G solutions together with the healthcare industry to develop 5G applications that can help fight the pandemic and get more value out of 5G."  Also, Rainforest Connection and Huawei's "Nature Guardian" project has contributed positively to protect nature, prevent deforestation, and safeguard against biodiversity loss. As a recognition, this project has been honoured with the GSMA 2021 GLOMO for its outstanding mobile contribution to the UN SDGs.  Huawei also bagged the best mobile innovation in emerging markets award of GSMA GLOMO for its industry-first integrated access and backhaul solution (RuralStar Pro), which has superseded traditional costly transmission modes of optical fibre, microwave, and satellite. READ: $300 billion market by 2025 for Augmented Reality: Huawei