Airtel and Jio bring Elon Musk’s Starlink to India, Intel gets a new CEO; Infosys founder Narayana Murthy on AI usage and other top tech news of the week

This week in tech, India's telecom majors Airtel and Jio partnered with Elon Musk's Starlink to bring high-speed satellite internet to remote areas. Meanwhile, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy calls out the AI hype, arguing that many so-called AI systems in India are just regular software with a fancy label. Over in the semiconductor industry, Intel welcomes its new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, who promises a bold turnaround at one of the company's most critical moments. Apart from this, top brands like Samsung, Xiaomi and others launched new products. All this and more in Times of India’s weekly tech wrap.
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Airtel and Jio have partnered with Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, which is owned by Elon Musk, to distribute its satellite internet services in India. These partnerships aim to leverage Starlink's technology to enhance connectivity, particularly in rural and remote areas of India. Let's learn about its functionality and real-world applications, particularly in remote areas. Click here to know more

NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, spoke at TiECon Mumbai on Wednesday, attempting to temper the overhyped buzz surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) in India. He pointed out that many systems marketed as AI were simply traditional programming. “I think somehow it has become a fashion in India to talk of AI for everything. I have seen several normal, ordinary programs touted as AI,” Murthy commented during the annual entrepreneurial conference. Read the full story here

Intel has appointed semiconductor industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately. Tan will succeed Pat Gelsinger, who was ousted last year. In his first memo to employees, Tan outlined his vision for restoring Intel's position in the industry.
“Not to say it will be easy. It won't be. But I am joining because I believe with every fiber of my being that we have what it takes to win,” Tan wrote to employees on March 12. "I believe we have a truly unique opportunity to remake our company at one of the most pivotal moments in its history.” Click here to know more

Samsung has expanded its F-series smartphone range in India with the launch of Galaxy F16. The handset features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 octa-core processor built on a 6nm process. The device comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 1.5TB via a microSD card. Samsung Galaxy F16 5G will be available from March 13 onwards. Read the full story here

Xiaomi India has announced the pricing and availability of its Xiaomi 15 series, including the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in the country. The smartphones are already available in China and global markets. The devices feature Leica-engineered cameras, the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2, claimed to deliver improved smartphone imaging experience. The company has also revealed that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will be available for early access starting March 18. Click here to know more

iQoo has launched the Neo 10R smartphone in India today, featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor, a 6400mAh battery, and a 1.5K AMOLED display. Here’s everything you need to know about iQoo Neo 10R
The iQoo Neo 10R is priced at Rs 26,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, Rs 28,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB model, and Rs 30,999 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB configuration. The smartphone comes in MoonKnight Titanium and Raging Blue colour options. Read the full story here

Samsung has launched its latest AI-powered Galaxy Book5 Series PC line up – Galaxy Book5 Pro, Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 and Galaxy Book5 360 in India. As per the company, the new range of AI PCs deliver a combination of power of Galaxy AI with Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC experience, and are powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors.
The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Series PCs with Intel Core Ultra now starts at Rs 1,14,990 for the Galaxy Book5 Pro with Intel Core Ultra – which is Rs 15000 less as compared to the previous generation. As part of pre-book offers, customers who pre-book the Galaxy Book5 Pro, Galaxy Book5 360, and Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 can get Galaxy Buds3 Pro at Rs 2999 (against the original price of Rs 19,999). Click here to know more

Apple recently launched its latest lineup of devices in India, including the MacBook Air M4, iPad Air powered by the M3 chip, a refreshed iPad featuring the A16 Bionic, and the Mac Studio 2025. These products, unveiled globally last week, are now available for purchase in India through the official Apple Store and select online platforms. Customers can take advantage of no-cost EMI options and instant cashback offers on eligible bank cards, making it easier to get their hands on the latest Apple devices. Here’s a detailed look at the pricing, discounts, and key offers available. Read the full story here

Asus India released a new gaming laptop, the TUF Gaming F16 (FX607), priced from Rs 80,990. The device features an Intel Core 5 Processor 210H, alongside an NVIDIA RTX 3050A GPU. The gaming laptop comes with a 16-inch 144Hz IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and FHD+ resolution. It includes 16GB DDR4 RAM (upgradable to 32GB) and 512GB SSD Gen 4.0 storage (expandable to 4TB). Click here to know more

Garmin has expanded its smartwatch portfolio in India with the launch of the Enduro 3 series. The latest line of GPS smartwatches is designed for endurance and is targeted towards athletes and adventurers. The company claims that the Enduro 3 series is built for “ultra-performance” and durability in extreme conditions. It is lighter than previous models, weighing 63 grams, and features solar charging for extended battery life, Garmin notes. The smartwatch also promises to operate for up to 110 hours in GPS mode and 80 days in smartwatch mode with its always-on display. Constructed from premium materials, including a titanium variant with a DLC coating, the Enduro 3 even meets military-grade standards for thermal, shock, and water resistance, the company added. Read the full story here

Facebook parent Meta has scored a victory as an arbitrator has ruled in the company’s favour in a case against Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former employee who published a memoir alleging misconduct at the company. The ruling also extends to Macmillan Publishers and its imprint Flatiron Books, which published the work.
As per the arbitrator’s decision, Wynn-Williams must cease making disparaging statements about Meta and its employees, and to the extent possible, stop promoting or publishing the book. She has also been ordered to retract previously made disparaging remarks. Click here to know more

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced the acquisition of 100 percent equity shares of Darshita Southern India Happy Homes. India's largest IT company made the announcement in an exchange filing on Bombay Stock Exchange. The acquisition is valued at Rs 2,250 crore, as per TCS' exchange filing. The acquisition is an all-cash deal.
Darshita Southern India Happy Homes is a commercial real estate company. TCS further added in the BSE filing that the company will also acquire the land and the building of the Darshita Southern India Happy Homes, turning it into a delivery centre for the Indian tech giant. "Acquisition of land and building which is held by the entity to serve as a delivery center," read the exchange filing. According to a report in Moneycontrol, quoting sources, the planned delivery centre will be located in Bengaluru. Read the full story here

Google DeepMind – the company’s AI branch – has launched Gemini Robotics and Gemini Robotics-ER, two new AI models based on Gemini 2.0, designed to bring AI to the field of robotics. These models aim to bring “embodied” reasoning – the ability to understand and interact with the physical world – to robots, enabling them to perform a wider range of complex, real-world tasks. Click here to know more

Infosys has agreed to pay $17.5 million (around Rs 152 crore) to settle lawsuits related to a cyber data breach at its US subsidiary, Infosys McCamish Systems (McCamish). The security breach occurred in November 2023. It exposed about 6.5 million individuals’ data to unauthorized access and affected some McCamish customers. The lawsuits were filed in response to this incident. Read the full story here

Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, Nvidia, Google-parent Alphabet, Amazon and Meta together make America's Magnificent Seven. These seven biggest American technology companies are known for their market dominance, technological impact, and influence on consumer behavior and economic trends. In Monday's stock market carnage, these seven most valuable tech companies lost more than $750 billion in market value. Tech-heavy Nasdaq suffered its steepest fall since the year 2022, as analysts point to concerns over new trade tariffs, which could increase prices for companies reliant on overseas parts and manufacturing. Click here to know more

Apple CEO Tim Cook wished everyone a happy Holi in a post on X, continuing his tradition of celebrating cultural festivals. He shared a colorful photo taken on an iPhone, capturing the festive spirit. The post featured a vibrant image by photographer Kushagra Tiwari. In the X post, Cook wrote, “Happy Holi to all those celebrating! May it be as joyous and fun as Kushagra Tiwari’s beautiful #ShotOniPhone photo.” The image was part of Apple’s #ShotOniPhone campaign, which promotes creative photography with iPhones. Read the full story here

Google CEO Sundar Pichai took to Meta-owned Instagram to extend Holi wishes to everyone, sharing a glimpse of India's colorful celebrations. In his post, Pichai wrote, “Wishing everyone a very happy and colorful Holi. These #TeamPixel photos capture the vibrant Holi celebrations in India - plus a special Super G!”.
The post features stunning images taken by Pixel users, showcasing the festival’s signature explosion of colors, joyous gatherings, and festive spirit. Alongside the Holi snapshots, Pichai also highlighted a unique "Super G," a reference to a creative Google logo. Click here to know more