United News of Bangladesh

Mobile financial services (MFS) provider Nagad has introduced state-of-the-art technologies in mobile payments which eased the account opening process and boosted the financial inclusion of the country. Since its inception in 2019, Nagad has been using advanced technologies which helped it draw 5.75 crore users. The MFS has revolutionised the distribution of allowances of the government's social safety net programme. Read bKash relaunches digital payroll solution for RMG workers Through the use of advanced technology, Nagad is successfully distributing student stipends and financial assistance. In the fiscal year 2020-21, Nagad distributed about 8 crore government financial assistance among 3 crore beneficiaries. The MFS has played an important role in increasing financial inclusion by inventing an innovative method of setting PIN by dialling *167#. The number of customers and transactions in Nagad has increased rapidly, as a result. Read Nagad hands Tk 3.32 Cr to postal department as revenue share in fiscal 2020-21 The average daily turnover of Nagad is now around Tk750 crore, according to the MFS. Nagad Managing Director Tanvir A Mishuk said: "Government grants such as education stipend; old age, widow allowances are being sent to the beneficiaries through mobile." "The use of advanced technologies and skills is one of the reasons behind the success of Nagad." Read 10 Minute School courses: bKash offers 20% cashback on payment

A critical vulnerability in a widely used software tool — one quickly exploited in the online game Minecraft — is rapidly emerging as a major threat to organizations around the world. "The internet's on fire right now," said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. "People are scrambling to patch," he said, "and all kinds of people scrambling to exploit it." He said Friday morning that in the 12 hours since the bug's existence was disclosed that it had been "fully weaponized," meaning malefactors had developed and distributed tools to exploit it. The flaw may be the worst computer vulnerability discovered in years. It was uncovered in a utility that's ubiquitous in cloud servers and enterprise software used across industry and government. Unless it is fixed, it grants criminals, spies and programming novices alike easy access to internal networks where they can loot valuable data, plant malware, erase crucial information and much more. "I'd be hard-pressed to think of a company that's not at risk," said Joe Sullivan, chief security officer for Cloudflare, whose online infrastructure protects websites from malicious actors. Untold millions of servers have it installed, and experts said the fallout would not be known for several days. Amit Yoran, CEO of the cybersecurity firm Tenable, called it "the single biggest, most critical vulnerability of the last decade" — and possibly the biggest in the history of modern computing. The vulnerability, dubbed 'Log4Shell,' was rated 10 on a scale of one to 10 the Apache Software Foundation, which oversees development of the software. Anyone with the exploit can obtain full access to an unpatched computer that uses the software, Experts said the extreme ease with which the vulnerability lets an attacker access a web server — no password required — is what makes it so dangerous. New Zealand's computer emergency response team was among the first to report that the flaw was being "actively exploited in the wild" just hours after it was publicly reported Thursday and a patch released. The vulnerability, located in open-source Apache software used to run websites and other web services, was reported to the foundation on Nov. 24 by the Chinese tech giant Alibaba, it said. It took two weeks to develop and release a fix. But patching systems around the world could be a complicated task. While most organizations and cloud providers such as Amazon should be able to update their web servers easily, the same Apache software is also often embedded in third-party programs, which often can only be updated by their owners. Yoran, of Tenable, said organizations need to presume they've been compromised and act quickly. The first obvious signs of the flaw's exploitation appeared in Minecraft, an online game hugely popular with kids and owned by Microsoft. Meyers and security expert Marcus Hutchins said Minecraft users were already using it to execute programs on the computers of other users by pasting a short message in a chat box. Microsoft said it had issued a software update for Minecraft users. "Customers who apply the fix are protected," it said. Researchers reported finding evidence the vulnerability could be exploited in servers run by companies such as Apple, Amazon, Twitter and Cloudflare. Cloudflare's Sullivan said there we no indication his company's servers had been compromised. Apple, Amazon and Twitter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

State-owned telecom operator Teletalk has tied up with Chinese telecom giant Huawei to roll out 5G in Bangladesh. Huawei Bangladesh will provide infrastructure and technical support to Teletalk for deploying 5G networks – to be launched on December 12. A signing ceremony between Teletalk and Huawei was held in the capital a few months back. Read: Malaysian PM inaugurates Huawei customer solution innovation center Under this contract, Huawei will provide the industry-leading and globally-acclaimed technology to Teletalk for ensuring a seamless 5G experience.

Global smart device brand Oppo, in collaboration with BURO Bangladesh, has come up with the campaign "Stories of Heroic People" to mark the 51st Victory Day of Bangladesh. To pay tribute to heroes of the 1971 Liberation War and heroes of the present-day – such as frontliners – Oppo's campaign activities will begin Sunday and run until December 18. During this period, the campaign participants will have to share the untold stories of the heroes living around them. Read: OPPO Reno6 goes on sale They will have to share their stories on Oppo Bangladesh's Facebook page along with their photos. These amazing stories, scenes, and moments of heroes will be collected in Oppo Gallery, a virtual online art collection where everyone can create their own stories with a simple hashtag. Three heroes will be honoured by Oppo and BURO Bangladesh. Read: OPPO Reno6: The new beauty in the town with Cinematic Bokeh Flare portrait The participants who will share beautiful stories can have the opportunity to win Oppo's recently launched phone Reno6 or IoT products as gifts.

Global smartphone brand vivo's industry-first technologies are enabling its users to capture studio-quality images with their smartphones. Devised in collaboration with Zeiss, a global leader in optics and optoelectronics, vivo's gimbal camera technology has been designed for maximum stabilisation to enhance the mobile photography experience. Vivo's premium range flagship has certified compliance of anti-reflective coatings of Zeiss T Coating, which improves visible light transmission, reduces reflections, enhances image quality, and accurately reproduces object colours. Read Xiaomi Civi Review: Does it offer value for money? The industry-leading feature introduced by vivo resolved the consumer pain point of blurry, shaky photos and videos caused by unsteady camera movement. Eye Autofocus intelligently captures the most intrinsic frame details and maintains the camera focus for seamlessly capturing moments, even in motion. The front camera with autofocus (AF) capability is a zenith in photography. Vivo's OIS front camera technology marks a radical step in setting the standard for future smartphone front cameras. The OIS creates a software-hardware synergy, which delivers ultra-stabilisation capabilities to handheld and motion shots. Read NOKIA 8V 5G UW Review: 60K worth Phone is now available at 20K OIS is a technology that helps detect the movement of the phone and adjust the camera automatically to enhance the photo quality, delivering an outstanding overall photography experience. Vivo was the first company to bring the pop-up camera to the market and other brands began to follow suit. The dual LED spotlight under the front panel instantly increases the light source effortlessly. It is tailor-made to ensure a strong selfie experience regardless of lighting conditions. Read Motorola Moto G51 5G Review: Know the Pros and Cons Also, vivo has added two OLED spotlights under the front panel of its handsets, which can be turned on when taking photos and recording videos to get professional photography studio lighting with ultra-clear selfies even at night. In this feature, both the front camera and the rear camera have been designed to work together in real-time. The users can record the background and themselves at the same time with a single tap. It is a boon for creative professionals, vloggers, and live streamers.

Banglalink is committed to building a nationwide 4G network and will continue to develop its digital operator portfolio maintaining double-digit growth in upcoming years, said Erik Aas, chief executive officer (CEO) of the telecom operator. "We are now focusing on expanding our strong 4G network across the country so that all of our customers from every region can benefit from it. With the highest amount of spectrum per customer, we will fulfil this objective soon and reinforce our position in the market," he added. Banglalink established an essential capex commitment for the upcoming 2-3 years and this will ensure its nationwide competitive 4G coverage, the CEO said. Read No data charge for e-transactions on Upay app for Banglalink customers He was addressing VEON's Investor Day event organised by the telecom operator's parent company VEON. Kaan Terzioğlu, group chief executive officer of VEON, and other CEOs of operating companies owned by VEON also joined the event, which was held in the presence of investors and analysts from different regions of the world. Banglalink's revenue market share is expected to converge towards its spectrum market share of 25 per cent. Read Banglalink signs agreement with ZTE for network modernization When it comes to the overall market scenario, the operator has seen a fast growth of 4G-enabled customers. In the last quarter, Banglalink reported that 33 per cent of its customers used 4G, and the customer base grew by 63 per cent year on year.

Grameenphone continues to have the highest number of call drops in Bangladesh though it has declined a little following pressures, said Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder on Thursday. “I myself is a sufferer of the poor network as a mobile user and my woes are greater as I am responsible to ensure quality service to 17 crore people of the country,” the BTRC chairman told the journalists of Telecom Reporters' Network Bangladesh (TRNB) at the BTRC head office. BTRC is conducting test drives at 300 upazilas to ease the problem of poor network and call drops, he said. Read HC forms committee to supervise BTRC’s activities to solve mobile service issues Already the test drive has been completed in 227 Upazilas covering an area of `12,800 kilometers, said Shyam Sunder. He said according to the test drive report from Rangpur, mobile users are facing the worst situation of call drops from all the telecom operators. “We have continued our pressure on the telecom operators by sending letters and instructions on a regular basis along with the drive,” he said. Read Genex Infosys to operate BTRC helpline, provide AI chatbot services He said two high-profile committees have been formed led by the vice-chairman and commissioner. Data is being collected from the operator offices and fields and they are being informed about their network service condition as there are issues with data forwarding too, said the BTRC head. “On March 8, we last auctioned network spectrums to the operators and aim to auction three more spectrums of-2.3, 2.6, and 3.5 megahertz again in March 2022”, he said. Read How to Check Official Phone Using BTRC IMEI Number? The BTRC scheduled the auction in December but it was postponed at the request of the operators, he said.

The 1035-kilometre Laos-China railway was launched recently with the support of Huawei's 5G technology and smart railway solution. To celebrate the grand opening of the railway, an event was organised where Chinese President Xi Jinping and Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith were present virtually. Laos-China Railway is of great significance to bilateral economic, social, and cultural exchanges as well as regional connectivity. Read: Malaysian PM inaugurates Huawei customer solution innovation center Travelling distance from the China-Laos border to the Vientiane capital has become shorter – from two days to three hours. Departing from Kunming and arriving in Vientiane are now possible on the same day. Huawei Smart Railway Solution has supported the Laos-China Railway in the digitalisation efforts, enabling advances in safety and security across all aspects of the railway, including construction, operations, and maintenance. "The launching of the Laos-China Railway is a great vision of the leaders of both countries. Huawei worked together with Laos' telecom operators to build the wireless network along the railway," said Minister of Technology and Communications of Laos Boviengkham Vongdara. Read: Huawei to invest $50 million to develop 500,000 digital talents in Asia-Pacific Somlith Nammanininh, project director of Huawei Laos, said: "I believe the Laos-China Railway will foster the economy, help Laos to integrate into the global market, and create more opportunities for the local businesses and people."

Smartphone brand realme has recently launched its best campaign of the year with the opportunity for customers to win Taka 1 lakh and more. During the campaign to be held from 7-31 December buying any realme smartphone, customers will have a chance to win thousands of exciting prizes. For details, visit: www.myrealmeoffer.com.  Apart from the grand prize,  he buyers can also win realme Book Slim/PAD, Cox’s Bazar couple tour, realme GT Master Edition, realme 8 5G, realme 8, realme Watch 2, Band 2, Buds Air 2, Buds 2 NEO, realme sports bottle, realmeow key ring, fashion brand coupon, cashback upto Tk. 500-1000, free data bundle offer and Netflix/Spotify Subscription. Read Xiaomi Civi Review: Does it offer value for money? To grab this opportunity, customers will have to buy a realme smartphone from an authorized brand shop and then, they can automatically see the gift won after giving necessary information in the online portal using the IMEI of the purchased phone. The buyers will also get a confirmation message of the gift. To know more details customers can call – 09610555555.  To have this chance, the winner needs to take selfie inside the shop after winning the prize and post it on social media using the hashtag - #realmeYearEndOffer. Read NOKIA 8V 5G UW Review: 60K worth Phone is now available at 20K The lucky winners selected through draw will get realme AIoT products as extra prize at the end of the campaign.

Banglalink has signed an agreement with ZTE for its network modernization across the country. Chief Executive Officer of Banglalink Erik Aas and Senior Vice President of ZTE Corporation Zhang Jian Peng (James) signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations at a signing ceremony held in Banglalink office on Tuesday. Digital communications service provider Banglalink will utilize ZTE’s best-in-class products and technology solutions to enhance its network capacity over the next five years under this agreement, according to a press release issued by Banglalink. Read Banglalink, Teletalk sign MoU on infrastructure sharing Banglalink CEO Erik Aas said,“Our partnership with ZTE is yet another testament to Banglalink’s future-forward approach and readiness to provide the best network experiences to customers.” Banglalink has invested heavily in recent years to equip its network with modern technologies, the CEO added. Meanwhile, ZTE vice president Zhang Jian Peng said, “We believe that our innovative technologies and integrated solutions will strengthen Banglalink’s network capacity.” Read No data charge for e-transactions on Upay app for Banglalink customers Banglalink’s continued network investments and acquisition of new spectrum have already resulted in improved network speed and coverage across the country. The partnership with ZTE will bolster Banglalink’s efforts for network modernization further, said the release. Banglalink has recently announced its plan to build a minimum of 3,000 Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) by 2022, the release added. Read Banglalink committed to nationwide 4G rollout, CEO tells VEON event