Scientists from the National University of Singapore developed a super sensitive magnetic sensor that is 200 times more sensitive than commercially available sensors. Associate Professor Yang Hyunsoo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering led the study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications in September 2015.

Kalon Gopinadhan, member of the research. said, "We started by trying to understand how graphene responds under the magnetic field. We found that a bilayer structure of graphene and boron nitride displays an extremely large response with magnetic fields. This combination can be utilised for magnetic field sensing applications."

The hybrid sensor displayed much higher sensitivity to magnetic fields in comparison to existing sensors made of silicon and indium antimonide. When measured at 127 degree Celsius, the maximum temperature which most electronics products are operated at, there was an observed gain in sensitivity of more than eightfold over previously reported laboratory results. It was more than 200 times than that of most commercially available sensors. Another breakthrough of the sensor is that the mobility of the graphene multilayers can be partially adjusted by tuning the voltage across the sensor, enabling the sensor's characteristics to be optimised. Production cost for graphene is also much lower than silicon and indium antimonide.

The new hybrid magnetic sensor is a technological breakthrough that paves the way for the development of smaller and cheaper sensors for various fields such as consumer electronics, biotechnology, automotive, information and communication technology,.

Revolutionary network extender

5BARz International ( OTCQB: BARZ ) has recently launched the 5BARz network extender, the revolutionary product that enables wider and stronger network coverage. The network extender is a lightweight compact device that strengthens weak cellular signals to deliver high-quality signals for voice, data and video reception on cell phones and other cellular-equipped devices. The cellular network infrastructure company has commenced rollout in India, with the rest of the world to follow.

“My focus has always been on the ‘international,’ on something that is global, on something that resonates wherever you go,” Bland said . “Three percent of all cell users around the world leave their network provider because of poor signal quality. And you look at the competition and realise that nobody has solved this problem. The carriers are looking for solution and that’s why we are here.”

Bland also mentioned that the company’s immediate goal is their partners’ onboarding process and complete it at the soonest time possible, so that they can start providing the device to various telecommunication firms globally. The success of the Indian expansion has led the company to various markets such as Europe, South Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Improved mobile plans

Amaysim , Australia’s largest mobile services reseller, boosted its top tier plan from 7GB to 8GB with price dropping $5 to $49.90. It also includes unlimited standard national talk and text as well as 300 standard international minutes and unlimited standard international SMS & MMS to selected countries.

The reseller also slashed the price of the 5GB plan from $44.90 to $39.90. Customers can now add on international inclusions for an additional $5 per month. The rest of the unlimited plans consist of 2GB and 1GB plans, which also come with unlimited standard national talk and text.

The move was prompted by signs of increased competition in the local mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) market. For example, Ruslan Kogan is re-entering the fray with Kogan Mobile’s partnership with Vodafone Hutchison Australia. TPG Telecom moving its mobile customer base to Vodafone’s network while grocery rivals Woolworths and Coles also launching low-cost mobile services.

“What we have seen in recent times is not surprising, it’s a competitive market and we have set ourselves goals that we believe we can achieve,” Amaysim Chief Executive Julian Ogrin said. “The MVNO market is prone to regular competitive fluctuations and Amaysim is focused on reinforcing its existing strengths in the market.”

“We are not concerned that there are three operators getting into wholesale because we don’t look at it where the network goes, we focus on the state of the overall MVNO ecosystem is. We always benchmark ourselves against Europe, where the market two or three years ahead of Australia,” he added.

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