Technology
Kenya and Google join hands to bridge the digital divide
Google’s Loon Baloon | Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Kenya has, in partnership with Google’s sister firm, Loon, launched a fleet of 35 internet balloons that will provide internet services to remote areas of the country. This is the first balloon-powered internet to launch in Africa.
HOW DO INTERNET BALLOONS WORK AND DO MANY COUNTRIES USE THEM?
Google’s internet balloons are wireless Internet connectivity towers that float in the stratosphere. They beam Internet signals to earth-based stations, which then transmit the internet to users through internet service providers.
These floating giant balloons are made from plastic. They are fitted with solar panels that power the gadgets that control the balloon’s operations and beam internet signals to earth.
A single balloon can provide internet connectivity to an area of about 80km in diameter and serve about 1 000 users on the ground. It’s expected that the signal strength users get will be similar to 4G browsing speeds.
WHAT DOES INTERNET CONNECTIVITY LOOK LIKE IN KENYA?
Kenya has a wide variety of connectivity infrastructure. About 39 million Kenyans are hooked up to wireless
subscriptions, mostly through mobile phones, which depend on signals from a mast. Wired subscriptions stand at about 458 000.
This is impressive for a population of about 51 million people. Internet connectivity in Tanzania, by comparison, reached an estimated 27 million people (out of about 56 million people) by March 2020.
Despite impressive developments, more can be done. Most people in Kenya access the internet through their mobile phones.
When looking at how well mobile phone providers cover the country geographically, we see that large areas of the country, particularly in the north and northeast, don’t have much coverage.
Most internet coverage is around towns in the central, coastal, and western areas and along major roadways. This state of coverage is partly attributable to internet privatization and electricity coverage.
Commercially, it does not make sense for internet service providers to cover areas of low population density, since the cost of physical internet infrastructure outweighs the benefits from subscriptions.
The market competition also affects connectivity. Two mobile network operators – Safaricom and Airtel – have a stranglehold on the market. They have not provided internet users with choice in terms of price, service variety, and quality.
And over about 20 years, the telecoms market has seen the demise of close to 70 internet service providers.
HOW WILL THE BALLOONS CHANGE THIS?
As countries aim for universal internet connectivity, Google’s Internet balloons are a welcome addition. If the balloons are directed towards the currently underserved areas, their presence could reduce the digital exclusion of those areas.
Their entry in the market may also jolt the current market players to reconsider their pricing models and become more innovative in their service offerings. There could be a reduction in data rates or bundling of more services at the current price. That’s good for internet users.
But every big entrant into the market could have an impact on smaller players, some of which continue to provide “last mile” internet coverage, even in commercially less attractive regions.
Poorly resourced and weakly capitalized internet service providers might fold unless they reimagine their business models. This is a new venture, and it’s too early to know exactly what effect these balloons will have or the types of social changes they’ll bring.
WHAT TYPE OF OPPORTUNITIES COULD THESE BALLOONS BRING TO KENYA’S REMOTE AREAS?
There are a number of opportunities that these balloons can bring, particularly to rural areas. The balloons don’t have the physical limitations of wired connections, such as installations in sometimes inaccessible regions.
The balloons could give more people access to information and communication technology infrastructure and services. They could help create more industry around e-commerce, e-learning, and e-government.
Given the involvement of the government of Kenya in the project, we should expect a push for increased internet use in the key sectors of rural areas such as health, education, and agriculture.
For instance, the balloons could allow more children in rural areas to have the option of online learning. Also, new telemedicine technology has been launched and the balloons are expected to facilitate long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, and monitoring.
Hopefully, as the benefits of Google’s internet balloons unfold, we should also see faster development of local digital applications, supported by local digital infrastructure platforms. That might spur the development of content.
With better and improved internet connectivity, there is also an opportunity to reimagine public service delivery.
Read the original article.
In a previous article, I shared with you the method or you can say the trick to watch Netflix ₹199 (now ₹149) mobile plan on Laptop, Desktop, TV using Scrcpy. But that method required you to keep your PC connected with your phone using a USB data cable while watching or while casting your screen. I know that was a little odd in the WiFi decade.
So here I am back with another method, obviously, a wireless one, to watch Netflix ₹199 (now ₹149) mobile plan on Laptop, Desktop, TV using Scrcpy. I know you must be wondering that if the Netflix mobile plan can be cast wirelessly then why did I share a wired method, but wait! let me introduce Netflix to those who have read till here and still wondering what this is all about!
Netflix is a streaming service that allows us to watch a wide variety of award-winning television shows, movies, anime, documentaries, and much more. By paying a monthly subscription fee, we can stream the shows on a wide variety of devices like laptops computers, desktop computers (Windows PC or Mac), mobile phones, etc.
When Netflix launched its services in India. They knew that to compete with Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar, they need to make an affordable plan. So they launched the 199 (now ₹149) Indian Rupee Netflix mobile plan that allows subscribers to watch all Netflix content on either phone or a tablet. But the downside of the mobile plan is that you can’t use it on a TV or a computer.
Now coming back to our topic, how to watch Netflix mobile plan on Laptop, Desktop, TV using Scrcpy wirelessly, you must be familiar with the wired method to get the wireless method working. So, please check out the previous article or this YouTube video.
The steps for the wireless method comes into play only after you have successfully connected your phone with your PC using SCRCPy via USB. So, here I am assuming that the Netflix videos are being cast flawlessly on your computer device.
If your answer is yes, then follow the steps mentioned below:
Things you require to use Netflix mobile plan to watch content on Laptop or Desktop wirelessly:
- Mobile Phone (Most Realme, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus devices won’t work but you can try)
- Active Netflix mobile plan
- Data cable
- Laptop, desktop computer (Windows PC or Mac)
- ADB and Scrcpy software for computer (Download links in this article)
- Mobile hotspot or Wifi router (UPnP and DMZ enabled)
If you have all the prerequisites mentioned above, then you are good to follow the steps mentioned below. You need to follow the mentioned steps after successfully connecting SCRCPY with USB (refer to this article).
- Keep your USB connected and launch the scrcpy application to check if it is working properly.
- Connect your mobile device to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
- Get the local IP of your mobile device, in Settings → About phone → Status.
Mobile device local IP
- Open command prompt as administrator and locate the scrcpy directory. (I have put the scrcpy folder in C drive, you can locate wherever you have put the scrcpy folder on your computer or you can refer to this YouTube video).
SCRCPY directory in CMD
- Type
adb tcpip 5555in the cmd, once you are inside the scrcpy directory, to enable ADB over TCP/IP on your device. - Unplug the USB data cable device.
- Now type
adb connect DEVICE_IP:5555(replaceDEVICE_IPwith your local IP – refer step 3). - Type
scrcpy -b2 -m1280in cmd. - Badhiya! you have successfully connected your mobile device to watch Netflix mobile plan on PC wirelessly.
Please restart your mobile and computer if you get a device not found error.
Download links for SCRCPY and ADB are in the previous article.
Note: Audio will not be routed to your computer. You can hear the audio directly on your phone speakers, else you can connect a sound system or a pair of headphones to your phone using Bluetooth or a 3.5mm jack. To watch on your TV, kindly connect your TV to your computer using an HDMI cable or Wireless Projection feature.
Scrcpy Credits: Github and XDA Developers
![[Working] How to use Netflix mobile plan to watch on Laptop, Desktop, TV](https://giveupnot.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Working-How-to-use-Netflix-mobile-plan-to-watch-on-Laptop-Desktop-TV.jpg)
Netflix is a streaming service that allows us to watch a wide variety of award-winning television shows, movies, anime, documentaries, and much more. By paying a monthly subscription fee, we can stream the shows on a wide variety of devices like laptops computers, desktop computers (Windows PC or Mac), mobile phones, etc.
When Netflix launched its services in India. They knew that to compete with Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar, they need to make an affordable plan. So they launched the 199 (now ₹149 ) Indian Rupee Netflix mobile plan that allows subscribers to watch all Netflix content on either phone or a tablet.
But the downside of the mobile plan is that you can’t use it on a TV or a computer. If you have a Netflix mobile plan and you are curious about How to use Netflix mobile plan to watch on Laptop, Desktop, PC, or even on your TV then you are at the right place.
Many people suggest using Bluestacks or other emulators but those tricks are not working anymore. But here, I have shared a 100% working method to use Netflix mobile plan to watch content on Laptop, Desktop(PC or Mac), or TV. If you read and follow every step of this article carefully, then you don’t need to make another search anywhere about this.
Note: This video is in the Hindi language.
Things you require to use Netflix mobile plan to watch content on Laptop or Desktop:
- Mobile Phone
- Active Netflix mobile plan
- Data cable
- Laptop, desktop computer (Windows PC or Mac)
- ADB and Scrcpy software for computer (Download links below)
If you have all the prerequisites mentioned above, then you are good to follow the steps mentioned below. You need to follow the mentioned steps on your phone as well as your computer.
On your phone
Steps to follow on mobile
- Open Settings on your Android phone and select the about phone option.
- Look for the Build number and tap on it six to eight times. Enter your Pin or passcode if you have set one, then a message “You are now a developer”.will appear.
- Go back to settings and look for a new menu item “Developer options”. You can find it on the main settings menu or inside the system settings.
- Open developer options and look for USB debugging and enable it.
On your Computer
- Download the ADB and Scrcpy software and extract them using WinRAR.
Step 1 on Computer
- Run the ADB setup and input ‘Y’ then press enter inside the ADB setup window. You need to input ‘Y’ three times unless you get the message “All done”.
- Connect your phone to your computer with the USB cable, select transfer files or FTP mode, and let the drivers install automatically(if any).
- Now run the scrcpy application as shown in the image.
- A dialog box will appear on your phone asking permission to allow USB debugging. Select “always allow” and click OK.
- Close the scrcpy application on your computer and run it again.
- If you have done everything correctly, then you’ll see your mobile phone screen appear on your computer.
- Launch the Netflix app on your phone, play something, watch the magic happen.
- Hurray! now you can use your Netflix mobile plan to watch shows on your Laptop or desktop computer.
Note: Audio will not be routed to your computer. You can hear the audio directly on your phone speakers, else you can connect a sound system or a pair of headphones to your phone using Bluetooth or a 3.5mm jack. To watch on your TV, kindly connect your TV to your computer using an HDMI cable or Wireless Projection feature.
Wireless method to watch Netflix mobile plan on Laptop, Desktop, PC, TV please refer to this article.
Google Drive Download link for Windows 64Bit: DOWNLOAD | Password: openit
If you are getting a black screen problem then please try the older version of SCRCPY below.
Scrcpy old version download link for Windows 64Bit: DOWNLOAD | Password: openit
Scrcpy 32Bit version download link for Windows 32Bit: DOWNLOAD | Password: openit
We’ll be adding a download link for Mac soon.
Digital payment solutions provider Paypal will shut down its domestic payments business within India from April 1. The company will instead focus more on the international payments business. which means global customers will still be able to pay Indian merchants using Paypal.
“We will continue to invest in product development that enables Indian businesses to reach nearly 350 million PayPal consumers worldwide, increase their sales internationally, and help the Indian economy return to growth,” a PayPal spokesperson said in a statement.
“From April 1, 2021, we will focus all our attention on enabling more international sales for Indian businesses, and shift focus away from our domestic products in India,” the spokesperson added.
“This means we will no longer offer domestic payment services within India from 1 April.”
PayPal was one of the payment options on many Indian online platforms like Swiggy, MakeMyTrip, BookMyShow, etc.
![[Working] How to use Netflix mobile plan to watch on Laptop, Desktop, TV](https://i0.wp.com/giveupnot.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Working-How-to-use-Netflix-mobile-plan-to-watch-on-Laptop-Desktop-TV.jpg?resize=80%2C80&ssl=1)
