Movies
PVR Cinemas partners with Cinionic to provide 100 percent laser projection
MUMBAI: PVR Cinemas has announced an expanded preferred partnership agreement with Cinionic, the world’s leading provider of laser cinema solutions, to power 500 screens with Barco Series 4 4K laser projection. On completion of the rollout on new and existing screens, PVR will be the first exhibition chain in India to go 100 percent 4K RGB laser projection. The announcement was made at CineEurope, a European convention and trade show for major, regional and independent cinema exhibitors, which is taking place this week in Barcelona.
The Barco Series 4 family from Cinionic features next generation 4K laser projection that supports sustainability with reduced waste, lower energy consumption, and an extended lifetime. The thoughtfully designed Series 4 moves away from the use of consumables, utilizing reusable components like air filters, and the laser light source eliminates the need for lamps and their subsequent replacement and disposal. All models within this leading laser projection range are also exceptionally efficient, reducing power consumption with smart power management, minimized heat dissipation, and increased operational efficiency.
PVR chairman & managing director Ajay Bijli said, “PVR is aligned to the Climate Action SDG goal of the United Nations and has committed to lower its emission and reduce its carbon footprint. The BARCO Series 4 4K RGB laser projectors is a sustainable investment from PVR as part of its endeavor to make changes in operational practices for reducing emissions and conserve energy for a sustainable future”.
This announcement continues a long-standing partnership between PVR and Cinionic as together they work to elevate the cinematic experience for audiences in India. Laser Projection by Cinionic delivers exceptional presentation quality with vivid colours, high brightness, and clear on-screen images. Through the expanded agreement with Cinionic, PVR will also benefit from Cinionic’s enhanced services with Cinionic Cloud, a digital platform for managed services through remote connectivity, improving the performance and optimizing the cost of operation over time. Cinionic services help to ensure worry-free operations for cinemas, by monitoring the health of the projector, predicting service interventions in advance, and minimizing screen downtime.
“PVR continues to enhance the theatrical experience for India, offering cinematic excellence and a commitment to a sustainable future. We are proud to expand our strong relationship with PVR to deliver a fully laser-powered theatrical experience. The eco-friendly Barco Series 4 offers audiences across India a greener way to go to the movies” said Cinionic CEO Wim Buyens.
In observing evolving trends in the cinema exhibition industry, energy-efficient and eco-friendly product designs are gaining momentum. Energy is no longer simply an internal cost factor. Today’s leading exhibitors are looking for ways to reach their sustainability goals without sacrificing quality and identifying how every part of their cinema value chain can contribute towards supporting a greener value proposition.
Hindi
India’s telecom subscribers cross 1.32 billion in February 2026
Broadband base swells past 1.06 billion as Jio and Airtel tighten grip on the market.
MUMBAI: India’s telecom sector is ringing in steady growth once again adding millions of new connections every month while the race for broadband supremacy continues to heat up like a fiercely contested cricket match. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 1 April 2026, the total telephone subscriber base in the country reached 1,321.31 million at the end of February 2026. This marked a net addition of 7.31 million subscribers during the month, translating into a monthly growth rate of 0.56 per cent.
Wireless subscribers (including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access) stood at 1,273.31 million, registering a net addition of 6.97 million and a growth rate of 0.55 per cent. Within this, urban wireless connections grew to 730.75 million (growth 0.70 per cent), while rural wireless subscribers reached 542.56 million (growth 0.35 per cent).
Wireline subscribers, though much smaller in scale, showed slightly faster growth. The total wireline base increased to 47.99 million, with a net addition of 0.34 million and a monthly growth rate of 0.70 per cent. Urban areas continued to dominate wireline connections with a share of 89.41 per cent.
Overall tele-density in India improved to 92.66 per cent. Urban tele-density stood at 150.68 per cent, while rural tele-density edged up to 60.02 per cent.
The broadband subscriber base crossed a significant milestone, reaching 1,059.05 million at the end of February 2026. This reflected a healthy net addition of 6.33 million subscribers and a monthly growth rate of 0.60 per cent from January’s figure of 1,052.72 million.
Segment-wise, mobile wireless access continued to drive the majority of growth with 996.52 million subscribers. Fixed Wireless Access (including 5G FWA) added 16.51 million, while wired broadband stood at 46.02 million.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. maintained its commanding lead with 519.64 million broadband subscribers. Bharti Airtel Ltd. followed with 364.14 million, Vodafone Idea Ltd. with 129.36 million, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. with 28.70 million, and Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd. with 2.38 million.
Together, these top five players command a massive 98.60 per cent share of the total broadband market.
In the wireless (mobile) segment, private operators continued to dominate with 92.59 per cent market share, leaving public sector undertakings (BSNL and MTNL) with just 7.41 per cent.
Out of the total 1,257.29 million wireless (mobile) subscribers, 1,177.60 million were active on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date, representing an impressive 93.66 per cent activity rate. Bharti Airtel led in this metric with 99.42 per cent of its subscribers active.
Meanwhile, 14.47 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in February, indicating healthy competition and customer churn across zones.
While urban areas still lead in absolute numbers, rural connectivity is slowly catching up. Rural wireless tele-density stood at 59.46 per cent, compared with the much higher urban figure of 142.32 per cent.
Fixed Wireless Access using 5G technology also showed promising traction, growing to 11.93 million subscribers. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are the primary players driving this segment.
The data paints a picture of a maturing yet still rapidly expanding telecom ecosystem. With total telephone subscribers now well past the 1.32 billion mark and broadband users comfortably above 1.06 billion, India continues to solidify its position as one of the world’s largest and most dynamic digital markets.
From bustling city streets to remote villages, more Indians are staying connected than ever before proving that when it comes to telecom, the country’s appetite for growth shows no signs of hanging up anytime soon.
