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  • Free WiFi hotspots via ISPs cost Nepali telecom firms Rs 14B yearly.

    Free WiFi hotspots via ISPs cost Nepali telecom firms Rs 14B yearly.

    Internet Service Providers’ WiFi Mobility (free WiFi Hotspot) service has reportedly cost telecom companies revenue of Rs 14 billion annually. The often-debated customer service from fixed-line internet providers seems to have further contributed to making telcos’ finances weaker.

    Nepal’s top ISPs, such as WorldLink and Vianet, provide WiFi hotspot services. Users can connect to these networks on the go. This facility comes at no cost to users. However, this removes the need to buy mobile data packs for users while going out of their homes and offices.

    Now, telcos (Nepal Telecom and Ncell) have projected that this ISP’s facility costs them Rs 14 billion a year.

    Why do ISPs provide WiFi mobility service?
    ISPs have been providing WiFi mobility service to extend their customer satisfaction. It’s a value differentiation facility from their side. It promotes their internet and also strengthens their foundation with their customer base.

    However, the free hotspot service they provide conflicts with the legal bylaw for their operation. Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is aware of the service as well. Earlier, it emerged that NTA could close WiFi Mobility services. Nepali telcos have complained that free WiFi hotspots have worsened their already struggling financial gains.

    Telcos are not satisfied with ISPs’ Free WiFi Hotspot service
    Both NTC and Ncell have publicly stated that ISPs’ WiFi Mobility has impacted their revenues. In its third quarter report for FY 2081/82, NTC mentioned that ISP’s free WiFi hotspots had affected its earnings. At the same time, Ncell CEO and MD Jabbor Kayumov has also been vocal on the same matter. The private operator argues that Nepal’s lower per-user data consumption owes to the free WiFi Hotspot services of ISPs.

    To put it into perspective, India’s per-user data consumption is over 20 GB a month in late 2024. It dwarfs Nepal’s 6 GB usage per user per month during the same period.

    NTA’s bylaw holds that ISPs can offer their WiFi Hotspot service at select places, but for a limited time and volume of data. However, ISPs are providing unlimited access where a user can surf the internet after logging in.

    The issue also involves the license renewal and the frequency of payment. Telcos pay the government Rs 20 billion in license renewal, while ISPs only need to pay Rs 2.70 lakh. This wide discrepancy in government fees has also forced telcos to raise their concern over ISPs’ Free WiFi hotspot service.

    ISPs deny that WiFi Mobility is illegal
    However, ISPs weigh in on the matter with their rationale. ISPAN chair Sudhir Parajuli refutes the tag that the WiFi Hotspot service is illegal. He points out the government’s own investment in WiFi hotspots across the country.

    He adds, “The Government has utilized RTDF funds to operate free WiFi Mobility in 220 places. It’s serving in government hospitals, religious places, etc.” He adds that if it’s about the Rs 20 billion fee in license renewal, there is a ‘grey’ area. “Who takes security guarantees for the equipment?” he asks.

    Meanwhile, NTA seems to have concluded that WiFi Mobility is an impediment to telecommunications. On numerous occasions, NTA chair Bhupendra Bhandari has stated that it plans to shut down such services. So maybe, we may have to buy data packs while setting out for internet access. Nepali Telecom

  • India’s AI startup scene lacks depth and isn’t as creative as the US & China

    India’s AI startup scene lacks depth and isn’t as creative as the US & China

    India’s mushrooming artificial intelligence-focused startups are attracting a lot of buzz, but a lack of innovation and groundbreaking research means the country is way behind the US and China in the tussle for AI supremacy.

    This is a result of what the industry calls ‘secondary’ innovation—technologies that cannot be patented globally to influence global economics in the long run. Spending on foundational engineering, research and development (ER&D) work in AI is minuscule, at least five executives involved in AI-related work told Mint.

    In November, the World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo’s) annual report said that India was the sixth region in the world in terms of overall patent applications—behind China, the US, Japan, Korea and the European Union. However, the gap was stark—China filed 1.7 million patents through 2024, almost 3x more than the US, with 600,000 patents. India filed only 90,000 patents—5% of what China did.

    The gap is even more evident in generative AI, the core battlefield in global technology right now. Last year, China filed over 38,000 patents in generative AI with Wipo, the global patent authority, ahead of the US with around 6,500 patents. India ranked sixth here too with 1,350 patents in generative AI—3.5% of China’s advancements, and around a fifth of the US.

    Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister for electronics and IT, promised last month that “India’s first foundational AI model is still on track to be released by the end of this year”. Yet, the patent filings suggest a US-China war for AI supremacy threatens to leave India out of the league of nations that would influence global innovation and economy over the next decades.

    Fund scarcity
    Founders argue that much of this is due to the lack of large early-stage funds. US-based Essential AI, founded by Ashish Vaswani, the former Google Brain engineer who co-invented the transformer model that backs all generative AI applications, emerged from stealth in December 2023 with a $56.5-million series-A funding round.

    Others that have raised large capital in the US over the past three years include Adept AI’s $65-million Series A funding round in April 2022, Cursor’s $60-million Series A in August and more. Each of these ventures is currently investing in building foundational technologies that, in the long run, would be patented and licensed to run AI applications and services around the world.

    Executives leading global ventures agree that India is behind the curve in AI at the moment.

    There is “definitely a lack of enough AI engineers working on core engineering in the field in India”, said Pranav Mistry, founder and chief executive ofTwo.ai. Mistry, former global chief of Samsung’s advanced research division, spoke withMinton the sidelines of a gathering in Bengaluru earlier this month.

    “There is certainly a mindset difference between India and the US in terms of how ventures approach AI engineering in the two nations. In the end, being able to hold patents is what will give geographies access to geopolitical soft power over the years to come—and India should definitely focus on this field,” Mistry said.

    Vaswani of Essential AI said, “There’s no reason for India to not build its own AI models—and there should be more ventures focused on doing it in and for India, within India.”

    Developing vision
    Investors argue that a lack of vision for the long run from founders is a key part of why core ER&D work is not being found among India’s AI startups.

    “Any entity pitching for undertaking foundational AI engineering comes with a five-year road map, which is the equivalent of multiple decades in the modern-day AI world. It is absolutely true that India is still working on building on top of the engineering that US and other entities are undertaking—and work that could be licensed globally and impact industries holistically are still at a very limited stage in India,” said Pratip Mazumdar, co-founder and partner at early-stage venture capital firm, Inflexor Ventures.

    But the lack of funds is also a key reality. In India, apart from Sarvam’s $41-million Series A funding round in December 2023, there have been no large early-stage investments in AI-focused startups. Noida-based Gan.ai and Bengaluru’s Gnani.ai, two startups that, alongside Sarvam, have been the first to be backed by the Centre’s $1.2-billion IndiaAI Mission, have raised $5.25 million and $4 million in funding so far, respectively.

    Gurugram-based Soket AI Labs, the fourth of the first government-backed startups, has yet to raise a venture capital round and only has “around $3 million from angel investors” so far, according to its founder and chief executive, Abhishek Upperwal.

    Government support
    “This is why the government’s AI Mission reducing the cost of access to processors for training AI models is crucial, and we’re happy to offer equity to the government in exchange for the access,” Upperwal said.

    Also read: The brain behind Generative AI has his sights set on India

    “Venture capital investors in India have a limited appetite for investing in deep-tech R&D, which is crucial for AI startups to build a new foundational AI architecture that can be patented and licensed out for global usage in the long run—we’ve been trying to raise capital for the past two years, but to no avail,” he said.

    The issue, policy experts said, goes beyond just the startups.

    A startup “is only as able as the whole ecosystem—and no single entity can alone solve a fundamental issue in an entire industry”, said Rohit Kumar, founding partner of The Quantum Hub and a consultant in various government and public sector initiatives.

    “Fundamentally, R&D in India is still not well-prioritized—budgets are too little, and institutions do not have the means that their US and China counterparts have to pursue fundamental innovation,” said Kumar. “Incubators in top engineering institutes are hampered by bureaucratic processes, which isn’t seen internationally—India is heavily shackled in these ways.”

    In the long run, though, investors believe that a key balance between core innovation and nifty application development would be the right way forward. Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner at deep tech-focused venture capital firm Speciale Invest, said that while India is “a little behind the curve at the moment, we haven’t missed the bus in AI yet.”

    “A lot of the foundational work is hard, and has multiple challenges to the tale—access to infrastructure is limited, and the kind of talent that can actually undertake work that would be foundational or be patented is also limited. As a result, there’s, of course, room for startups to catch up in terms of core engineering efforts, unlike how many refer to India having missed the opportunity to influence the global electronics and semiconductor industries,” Rajaram said.

    Prayank Swaroop, partner at venture capital firm Accel, said for startups, “the real opportunity lies in purpose-built AI applications that solve specific problems at scale. We’re seeing Indian startups creating targeted solutions using existing foundational models as building blocks—this approach allows faster innovation cycles and can deliver significant value.”

    Others, however, believe that more weight to fundamental innovation is the need of the hour for India. The Quantum Hub’s Kumar cited China’s technological progress as an example.

    “The high-volume, low-margin secondary innovation markets also need to be captured. But, as China has proved, gains made in innovation at scale need to be reinvested into fundamental innovation,” he said. “China is a clear example of how that works, and we need to replicate this in India more efficiently.” LiveMint

  • US official says DeepSeek avoids export laws & supports China’s military

    US official says DeepSeek avoids export laws & supports China’s military

    AI firm DeepSeek is aiding China’s military and intelligence operations, a senior US official said, adding that the Chinese tech startup sought to use Southeast Asian shell companies to access high-end semiconductors that cannot be shipped to China under US rules.

    Hangzhou-based DeepSeek sent shockwaves through the technology world in January, claiming its artificial intelligence reasoning models were on par with or better than US industry-leading models at a fraction of the cost.

    “We understand that DeepSeek has willingly provided and will likely continue to provide support to China’s military and intelligence operations,” a senior State Department officialsaid.

    “This effort goes above and beyond open-source access to DeepSeek’s AI models,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to speak about US government information.

    The US government’s assessment of DeepSeek’s activities and links to the Chinese government have not been previously reported and come amid a wide-scale US-China trade war.

    Among the allegations, the official said DeepSeek is sharing user information and statistics with Beijing’s surveillance apparatus.

    Chinese law requires companies operating in China to provide data to the government when requested. But the suggestion that DeepSeek is already doing so is likely to raise privacy and other concerns for the firm’s tens of millions of daily global users. The US also maintains restrictions on companies it believes are linked to China’s military-industrial complex.

    US lawmakers have previously said that DeepSeek, based on its privacy disclosure statements, transmits American users’ data to China through “backend infrastructure” connected to China Mobile, a Chinese state-owned telecommunications giant.

    DeepSeek did not respond to questions about its privacy practices.

    The company is also referenced more than 150 times in procurement records for China’s People’s Liberation Army and other entities affiliated with the Chinese defense industrial base, said the official, adding that DeepSeek had provided technology services to PLA research institutions.

    The official also said the company was employing workarounds to US export controls to gain access to advanced US-made chips. The US conclusions reflect a growing skepticism in Washington that the capabilities behind the rapid rise of one of China’s flagship AI enterprises may have been exaggerated and relied heavily on US technology.

    DeepSeek has access to “large volumes” of US firm Nvidia’s high-end H100 chips, said the official. Since 2022 those chips have been under US export restrictions due to Washington’s concerns that China could use them to advance its military capabilities or jump ahead in the AI race.

    “DeepSeek sought to use shell companies in Southeast Asia to evade export controls, and DeepSeek is seeking to access data centers in Southeast Asia to remotely access US chips,” the official said.

    The official declined to say if DeepSeek had successfully evaded export controls or offer further details about the shell companies.

    DeepSeek also did not respond to questions about its acquisition of Nvidia chips or the alleged use of shell companies.

    When asked if the US would implement further export controls or sanctions against DeepSeek, the official said the department had “nothing to announce at this time.”

    “We do not support parties that have violated US export controls or are on the US entity lists,” an Nvidia spokesman said in a prepared statement, adding that “with the current export controls, we are effectively out of the China data center market, which is now served only by competitors such as Huawei.”

    DeepSeek has said two of its AI models that Silicon Valley executives and US tech company engineers have showered with praise – DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1 – are on par with OpenAI and Meta’s most advanced models.

    AI experts, however, have expressed skepticism, arguing the true costs of training the models were likely much higher than the $5.58 million the startup said was spent on computing power.

    DeepSeek has H100 chips that it procured after the US banned Nvidia from selling those chips to China, adding that the number was far smaller than the 50,000 H100s that the CEO of another AI startup had claimed DeepSeek possesses in a January interview with CNBC.

    “Our review indicates that DeepSeek used lawfully acquired H800 products, not H100,” an Nvidia spokesman said, query about DeepSeek’s alleged usage of H100 chips.

    In February, Singapore charged three men with fraud in a case domestic media have linked to the movement of Nvidia’s advanced chips from the city state to DeepSeek.

    China has also been suspected of finding ways to use advanced US chips remotely.

    While importing advanced Nvidia chips into China without a license violates US export rules, Chinese companies are still allowed to access those same chips remotely in data centers in non-restricted countries.

    The exceptions are when a Chinese company is on a US trade blacklist or the chip exporter has knowledge that the Chinese firm is using its chips to help develop weapons of mass destruction.

    US officials have not placed DeepSeek on any US trade blacklists yet and have not alleged that Nvidia had any knowledge of DeepSeek’s work with the Chinese military.

    Malaysia’s trade ministry said last week that it was investigating whether an unnamed Chinese company in the country was using servers equipped with Nvidia chips for large language model training and that it was examining whether any domestic law or regulation had been breached. Reuters

  • FCC demands ‘Cyber Trust Mark’ program review due to China ties

    FCC demands ‘Cyber Trust Mark’ program review due to China ties

    Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr said he had ordered a review of the US Cyber Trust Mark program over “potentially concerning ties to the government of China.”

    Carr said the review was being carried out by the FCC’s Council on National Security. He did not provide details. Reuters

  • Hospitals in the US will spend USD 443B more on free treatment

    Hospitals in the US will spend USD 443B more on free treatment

    Hospital trade groups widely panned the Senate Republican tax bill, and a new analysis suggests that it would see health systems spending billions more on patients without Medicaid coverage.

    Hospitals would see their costs for uncompensated care rise by $443 billion over the next ten years under the Senate proposal, according to an analysis released Friday by America’s Essential Hospitals.

    In 2034, hospitals would see their costs for uncompensated care rise by at least $84 billion in the Senate GOP plan, or twice as much as the $41.7 projected in the House Republican plan, the report estimates.

    America’s Essential Hospitals, which represents 350 safety net hospitals and health systems, says those providers would be hit especially hard under the Senate tax plan.

    Safety net hospitals, who care for greater populations of Medicaid patients, would see a disproportionate hit under the Senate plan, which critics say would result in millions of Americans losing Medicaid coverage. The Senate plan would place more restrictions on how states finance Medicaid plans and would also impose more strict work requirements, hospital groups say.

    Essential hospitals would be saddled with 25% of the higher costs of uncompensated care, even though those safety net hospitals represent only 5% of the nation’s hospitals, the new report said. The report estimates that essential hospitals would see $20.8 billion in reduced aid in 2034, and $110 billion between 2025 and 2034.

    “Cuts of this magnitude would disproportionately harm essential hospitals and the communities that they serve,” the report states.

    Hospitals and health systems had plenty of objections to the House tax plan, but they say provisions in the Senate plan would put more restrictions on how states finance Medicaid programs. The House bill would freeze state directed payments at current levels, but the Senate plan would force 34 states to reduce payments, according to projections from America’s Essential Hospitals.

    Bruce Siegel, MD, president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals, said in a statement earlier this week, “The draconian Medicaid cuts contained in the Senate bill would devastate health care access for millions of Americans and hollow out the vital role essential hospitals play in their communities.”

    While many of America’s Essential Hospitals are based in cities, two-thirds of the group’s members operate hospitals in rural areas. Hospitals and even some Republican lawmakers have said some of the congressional proposals could hurt rural hospitals and could potentially force some of them to close.

    The Catholic Health Association of the United States has warned that the Senate plan would lead to millions of people losing Medicaid coverage, and that some hospitals would have to consider dropping services or even shutting down.

    Laura Kaiser, president and CEO of SSM Health, said in a news conference with Catholic hospital leaders Tuesday that some rural hospitals may be among those in the most danger. She said rural hospitals are already “facing enormous, enormous challenges, staffing shortages, rising costs, and in many cases, razor thin margins or no margin.”

    “For many, Medicaid is the primary payer,” Kaiser said. “When that support is weakened, the entire system teeters. When rural hospitals close, entire communities lose lifelines, not just for chronic care, but for emergencies, childbirth, trauma, everything in between.”

    Even under the House package, as many as 1.8 million Americans living in rural communities would lose coverage by 2034, according to an analysis released Monday by the American Hospital Association. Rural hospitals would lose $50.4 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, under provisions in the House plan, the association said.

    Hospitals have said if millions of people lose coverage under Medicaid, then many of those Americans would likely end up coming to emergency departments for their care. And hospitals say the prospect of treating more people with no ability to pay will pose more hardships, with many health systems losing money or barely breaking even.

    Hospital leaders also say many of those showing up without coverage will likely have more advanced diseases, requiring longer and more expensive stays.

    The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan research arm of Congress, has estimated that 10.9 million Americans would lose coverage under the House bill, the Associated Press reported. Chief Healthcare Executive

  • As per the Center, COVID-19 spread across India

    As per the Center, COVID-19 spread across India

    Covid-19 has become endemic in India, top scientists at the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) monitoring the virus have said, ruling out the risk of any severe fresh outbreak. The current situation, they noted, is marked by small, isolated episodes rather than large waves of infections.

    This assessment is reflected in the steadily declining number of active cases. India’s active caseload dropped to 5,012 on Sunday, down from 5,976 on Friday, according to official data. Two new deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the total fatalities this year to 112.

    Scientists attribute the decline to high population immunity and the continuing mildness of the virus. The current spread is largely driven by Omicron sub-variants NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, which have so far remained less virulent.

    “When transmission efficiency increases, the peak comes faster and the decline is also faster,” said Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, national chair at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and former head scientist at the agency. “Covid-19 has become endemic in India. The concerning part is that we don’t want new infections, but the good news is that new variants over the last three years have remained mild or milder.”

    He also noted that many infections now go undetected but still contribute to building antibody responses in the population, a natural form of immunization that limits severe illness.

    The testing levels have declined, and comprehensive data on current infections remains limited.

    “Presently, there is no very good record of the number of tests being done, and it needs to be done scientifically. But there are no significant adverse clinical symptoms to be concerned about,” one senior DBT scientist said.

    Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, public health expert and past president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Cochin, said that Covid-19 is now behaving like a cyclical disease, with temporary immunity leading to periodic rises in cases. “As the level of immunity in the population drops, the virus is able to infect more people and cases will naturally rise. However, due to past vaccination and exposure to the virus earlier, immune memory protects against severe disease and death,” he said. Vulnerable individuals, he added, should remain cautious, especially during periods of surge.

    Jayadevan also pointed out that SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve in response to the human immune system, leading to recurring infection cycles roughly every 6 to 12 months. “The reported number of cases is always an underestimate because of limited testing,” he said. Influenza, which is also circulating, remains a significant contributor to disease burden, he added.

    Earlier, Mint reported that a spike in cases during April was driven by the JN.1.16 sub-variant of Omicron. In May, most cases were linked to recombinant sub-lineages such as LF.7 and LP.8.1.2. As per government guidelines, all hospitalized Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) patients and 5% of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) cases continue to be tested for Covid-19. Positive SARI samples are routinely sent for genome sequencing.

    The health ministry reported 1,197 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing total recoveries this year to 19,435. Authorities continue to advise precautions, including avoiding crowded places when unwell and following Covid-appropriate behaviour.

    “In hospitals too, patient load has come down and most cases are now manageable at home,” said Dr Vikas Maurya, head of the respiratory department at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. LiveMint

  • MoHFW advises liver & heart transplants to AB.-PMJAY

    MoHFW advises liver & heart transplants to AB.-PMJAY

    The union health ministry has called for including liver and heart transplants under the government’s flagship health insurance scheme, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

    This assumes importance given that health insurance schemes in the country cover life and disability, but not organ donation.

    The recommendation comes in a report, titled the National Review Meeting on Organ Transplantation Activities in Government Hospitals, prepared by the National Organ Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), a top body which manages organ transplantation, under the health ministry.

    The call for expanding insurance coverage comes in the backdrop of the low number of organ transplants performed in India. Mint has seen a copy of the report, which has been submitted to health ministry.

    AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance scheme, providing health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year. Notably, the scheme’s ambit has been expanded to include free treatment benefits of up to ₹5 lakh per year to senior citizens aged 70 years and above.

    Earlier this month, a nationwide review meeting was conducted on organ transplants in government hospitals by a group of top government experts to identify bottlenecks in the system and formulate a roadmap for improvement.

    The report underlined that government institutions have inadequate capacities and that new centres are required to be established and made functional. It emphasized the need for a multi-pronged strategy involving policy changes, financial investment, and capacity building to bridge the demand-supply gap in organ transplantation.

    The report highlighted a huge gap between demand and supply: while India requires at least 100,000 kidney transplants per year, only 13,476 were performed in 2024 across both government and private centers.

    “These recommendations aim to strengthen India’s organ transplantation capabilities and make life-saving procedures more accessible to those in need. During the nationwide assessment of the government hospitals, we identified their challenges and suggested measures to improve their capabilities in terms of infrastructure, finance, manpower etc. We have submitted our report to the health ministry and now the ministry will take action on these recommendations,” said Dr. Anil Kumar, director, NOTTO.

    One of the key recommendations is to include comprehensive inclusion of liver and heart transplantation in national health schemes like PMJAY, he added.

    “Some states like Maharashtra and Delhi have expanded their coverage under the PM-JAY scheme. So, the recommendation of the report to include liver and heart transplantation under PM-JAY may be considered to accelerate organ transplantation in the government institutions,” he said.

    Dr Anup Kumar, head of kidney transplant and urology department at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, said, “ It is a welcome move. PMJAY offers coverage of up to ₹5 lakh, but these are very expensive procedures require ₹20-25 lakh in the private sector. However, in government institutions these transplants can be done in ₹10 lakh. So, to cover these two transplants, the government has to also consider increasing the coverage plan of PMJAY from ₹5 lakh to at least ₹10 lakh.”

    Further, to bridge the critical demand-supply gap, the expert group has put forth several key recommendations, which include financial incentives for transplant teams, enhanced funding for infrastructure development, establishment of dedicated transplant centres and robust training programmes for medical personnel and transplant coordinators.

    “We have tried to understand why government institutions are not able to do the maximum number of organ transplants and what are the solutions. Do we require to build new centres or strengthen the existing capacities. Some government centres like Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) Ahmedabad conducted a total of 508 organ transplants in the last year, including 195 cadaveric transplants, PGIMER Chandigarh performed 320 organ transplants including 55 cadaveric transplants,” Dr. Kumar said.

    However, the report revealed that government institutions like GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, despite having the physical infrastructure and licence, did not perform any organ transplants. LiveMint

  • Music therapy serves in hospitals to ease anxiety enhance surgical procedures

    Music therapy serves in hospitals to ease anxiety enhance surgical procedures

    Sometimes, treatment begins with a simple question: “What song do you love?” Once just background comfort, music is now being embraced as a clinical aid in surgical and medical care, thanks to its proven psychological and physiological benefits.

    “We sometimes ask patients what their favourite songs are,” said Dr Renu Singh, a gynaecological surgeon at Queen Mary Hospital in Lucknow. “Most of our procedures are done under regional anaesthesia, where patients remain conscious. This awareness can heighten anxiety—they worry about how long the surgery will take, what the outcome will be, and even what the doctors are discussing.”

    To counter this, Dr Singh and her team curate customised playlists based on patient preferences—ranging from bhajans and soft instrumental music to upbeat tracks, including Bollywood numbers. “It’s amazing to see how something as simple as familiar music can calm them. They often say the surgery felt shorter, and their stress visibly reduces.”

    Surgeries can last anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours. During this time, the presence of machines, beeping monitors, and clinical chatter can overwhelm patients. “Music acts as a mind-diverting technique,” Dr Singh added. “It drowns out the intimidating noise of the operation theatre and allows patients to focus on something comforting.”

    Dr Ritu Verma, an anaesthesia expert at Queen Mary Hospital, noted, “Many patients arrive extremely anxious. For them, we offer music therapy — sometimes through overhead speakers, and other times via headphones. It’s not just feel-good therapy; there are real clinical benefits. Despite the promising results, this tool remains underutilised.”

    “It also helps in faster post-op recovery and reduces the chances of nausea when patients are coming out of anaesthesia,” Dr Verma explained.

    At Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), music is being used during complex procedures such as kidney transplants. “We’ve noticed that patients who listen to music beforehand are more relaxed—their blood pressure and heart rate are usually lower,” said Dr Narayan Prasad, head of nephrology at SGPGIMS.

    The science behind this isn’t new—but it’s only now finding widespread application in Indian hospitals. “Music works in subtle but powerful ways,” Dr Prasad said. “It’s non-pharmacological, safe, cost-effective, and most importantly, patients genuinely enjoy it.”

    Music is increasingly being used as a clinical tool to support the heart, calm the mind, and enhance recovery in patients with cardiovascular conditions.

    “Music helps the heart — quite literally,” said Dr Aditya Kapoor, head of cardiology at SGPGIMS. “It helps regulate the heartbeat, eases stress, and motivates patients during recovery. It’s one of the safest non-drug therapies we have.”

    “More and more cardiologists are using music therapy to stabilise patients. The evidence so far is very encouraging,” Dr Kapoor added. “In cardiac rehabilitation, we use music therapy and have observed that it reduces the release of stress hormones and helps stabilise heart rate, blood pressure, and other parameters.”

    Sleep, pain and psychological well-being
    Doctors report that music therapy contributes to better sleep quality — an essential element of cardiac rehabilitation. Post-operative patients also report lower pain perception when exposed to calming music.

    In cardiac rehab, music isn’t just a mood lifter — it becomes a motivator. “Patients undergoing supervised exercise programs perform better and with greater enthusiasm when music is played,” said Dr Kapoor. Hindustan Times

  • India now has over 1.2B telecom users: TRAI

    India now has over 1.2B telecom users: TRAI

    India’s telecom sector continues to show growth, with the total number of telephone subscribers crossing the 1.2 billion mark, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday.

    The total subscriber base increased from 1,189.92 million in December 2024 to 1,200.80 million in March 2025. Tele-density also rose during the quarter — reflecting better connectivity across urban and rural areas.

    Urban subscribers grew to 666.11 million, while rural subscribers touched 534.69 million.

    This growth led to an increase in rural tele-density, indicating deeper digital reach in remote regions.

    The share of rural subscriptions also rose from 44.31 per cent at the end of December 2024 to 44.53 per cent at the end of March 2025.

    Wireless subscriptions witnessed significant growth, with more than 13 million new connections added during the quarter ending March 31.

    The combined mobile and 5G FWA user base reached 1,163.76 million, while traditional mobile connections alone rose to 1,156.99 million.

    This suggests growing interest in mobile services across consumer segments.

    India’s broadband internet landscape remains robust, with over 944 million subscribers.

    This reflects India’s continued dominance as one of the world’s largest internet user bases, even as new technologies shape the way people connect.

    The sector also saw an improvement in financial performance. Gross Revenue (GR) for the quarter stood at Rs 98,250 crore, with Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) touching Rs 79,226 crore.

    License fee collections also grew, underlining the strong demand for telecom services.

    Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for wireless services rose to Rs 182.95, with prepaid users contributing Rs 182.53 and postpaid users averaging Rs 187.48 per month.

    User engagement remained high, as average minutes of usage per month increased to 1,026 — showing higher interaction with telecom services for voice, data, and content.

    The broadcasting sector remained stable, with 333 satellite pay TV channels reported out of 908 permitted channels, including 101 HD channels.

    The Pay DTH segment recorded an active user base of 56.92 million, offering a wide range of content alongside Doordarshan’s free services. The Hans India

  • Starlink gets a permit; tests & security criteria success remain awaited

    Starlink gets a permit; tests & security criteria success remain awaited

    Elon Musk’s Starlink Services, which delivers high-speed internet almost anywhere on the Earth, has got the approval from the Department of Telecom (DoT) for commercial operations, said Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal.

    However, they still need to get another couple of approvals from the department. “Once they apply for spectrum, they need to do the testing and then show compliance to the security conditions,” he told businessline on the sidelines of a symposium here on Thursday.

    When asked if there is any timeframe, he said, “essentially it is in the hands of Starlink now. Government is not standing in the way.”

    Starlink is the third company to get a licence from DoT, which had approved similar applications by Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio to provide services in the country.

    Satcom Licence
    On Amazon Kuiper getting a licence for satcom, Mittal said, “I think application is in place, but I think it is a little distance from approval.”

    If there is any timeline on getting the licence, he said, “I don’t think it is in our hands. They have to pursue it and come up with whatever gaps there are in the application,” he said.

    Mittal was in Chennai to inaugurate the first Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Symposium 2025. The three-day event brought together thought leaders, innovators, and industry stakeholders to explore India’s strides in telecom R&D, indigenous technologies, and the vision for a digitally empowered Bharat.

    After giving a brief about the fund, Mittal urged the audience to raise any issue that they may have about the fund, which was launched two years ago, and improve it.

    Later talking to newspersons, Mittal said the department is working on re-vamping the entire sanction programme of TTDF. The idea of the whole workshop is to actually get people to tell what is not working and how it can be made better.

    Digital Bharat Nidhi, erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund under the DoT launched TTDF on October 1, 2022.

    There has been a tremendous amount of funds which have flown into the telecom sector. The challenge of this programme is collaboration. Getting synergies across projects. This symposium is really intended to bring all this knowledge together, he said.

    Proposals doubled
    Mittal said in 2024-25, the number of proposals evaluated doubled to 941 as against 405 in the previous year. A total of 125 proposals were approved in 2024-25 as against seven in the previous year (up by 18 times) and the number of MoUs winged was 111 as against 7 (15 times). In 2024-25, a sum of ₹297 crore was approved as against ₹255 in the corresponding year. A sum of ₹158 crore was disbursed (₹29 crore), he said.

    Mittal said the department is also on an electronic platform by which knowledge sharing can happen among various stakeholders. “We want to keep this pace going and we hope that we will be able to learn with all these suggestions made to improve upon the existing structure,” he said.

    Mittal said that a lot of research is happening.

    “We have made targeted calls for chipset design, rural connectivity pilots, 6G, Quantum standardisation and certification, financial support for market readiness. We are trying to cover the entire supply chain of the telecom research ecosystem,” he said. The Hindu BusinessLine