U.N. Official: BlackBerry Data Requests Legitimate
TMC.Net
The chief of the UN’s telecommunications agency urged the Canadian manufacturer of the BlackBerry to allow law enforcement agencies access to customer data, saying that governments all over the world had legitimate security concerns which should not be ignored.
India Amends Telecom Licence Rules, Starts Allotment of 3G Bandwidth
Total Telecom
India’s Department of Telecommunications Wednesday amended the telecom licensing rules to include regulations for third generation mobile telephony services as it began allocating the bandwidth to seven companies to roll out services in the world’s fastest growing telecom market.
After BlackBerry, India Now Wants Access to Google, Skype, VPN Data
USA Today
A day after giving the maker of BlackBerry two months to open its data to authorities, Indian regulators have put all telecom firms on notice that they have “lawful access” to their data. That puts a bull’s-eye on Google’s Gmail, Skype’s VoIP calls and corporate virtual privacy networks.
India to Have 237 Million Web Surfers in 2015
Wall Street Journal
The number of Internet users in India is expected to triple in the next five years, according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group Wednesday but making money from them isn’t going to be easy. Although PC penetration in India is low, at less than 5% of the population, and so is Internet use, with the country’s approximately 80 million Internet users averaging just about half an hour online a day, the report points to China’s growth and its 384 million surfers as a sign of how quickly this could change.
“We Are Looking at India as a Very Important Market For BWA and WiMAX”
TMC.Net
Hung Song, vice-president, global marketing group, telecommunication systems division of Samsung Electronics Company Ltd, is thinking big as India prepares to leapfrog into the next level of telecom revolution.
Vodafone-Essar Decides Against IPO For Now
Reuters
Vodafone Essar, India’s No.3 mobile company, has decided not to proceed with an initial public offering of the joint venture for now, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. The decision comes after a dozen investment banks last month participated in a beauty parade to bag a mandate for the IPO, which could have raised about $1.5 billion, sources previously told Reuters.
Saudi Deal to Avert BlackBerry Ban Could Set Global Precedent
TMC.Net
RIM could be setting a worldwide precedent for how technology companies and governments work together. A number of countries see the devices as a security threat because encrypted information sent on them is difficult, if not impossible, for local governments to monitor when it doesn’t pass through domestic servers.
Government Appoints Global Agencies to Check Operations of Foreign Telcos
Sify
The Centre has appointed 15 certified global agencies for managing security issues which marred the entry and expansion of foreign telecom companies in India.
Pakistan Better than India and Other Regional Countries in Telecom Services: Seminar Told
TMC.Net
Secretary IT & Telecom Naguibullah Malik has said that 3G services would be launched soon in Pakistan as lot of work on policy directive for 3G has already been completed. He said while speaking at a seminar organized by Pakistan telecommunication Authority (PTA) in collaboration with HUAWEI on Demands for 3G and beyond a local hotel. Secretary IT, Naguibullah Malik, was the chief guest on this occasion and Chairman PTA Dr. Mohammed Yaseen presided over the seminar.
Google Starts Pushing For Network Neutrality in India
TechWhack
Google is known for their search engine but the company is also a huge player in the online services market. And for web services to succeed, consumers have to get unrestricted access to the internet.
Qualcomm in India Broadband Venture
Wall Street Journal
Qualcomm Inc. confirmed Friday it is forming a joint venture with India’s Global Holding Corp. and Tulip Telecom Ltd. to build a network for offering wireless broadband services in the South Asian nation.
Bharti Retail Plans to Open 140 Stores by December
BusinessWeek
Bharti Retail Ltd., owned by billionaire Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Group, plans to open 140 retail stores in India this year, said Raj Jain, managing director of the group’s venture with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The company currently operates about 80 stores, Jain told reporters in New Delhi today. Bharti Retail owns a chain of grocery outlets and easyday Market hypermarkets, according to the company’s website.
Telecom Ministry Wants Service Providers to be IPv6 Compliant By Next Year
ZDNet
Communications Minister A. Raja and Minister of State for Communications Sachin Pilot have been quoted regarding their plans. Talking about the roadmap, A. Raja said, “This roadmap and the formation of the IPv6 task force together will enable citizens to start using IPv6 services by March 2012, for this all telecom and internet service providers are required to become IPv6 compliant by December-2011.”
Etisalat closer to India’s Reliance Etisalat poised to buy 26% stake in Reliance
TMC.Net
UAE operator has to cut stake in existing Indian venture to below 10% to meet country’s regulatory laws Dubai Emirates Telecommunications (etisalat) is close to buying a 26 per cent stake in Reliance Communications, India’s second-largest mobile operator for $3 billion (Dh11.01 billion), media reports said.
Nawras Brings Home Fixed Line, Broadband To Oman
TMC.Net
Telecommunication service provider Nawras yesterday announced the launch of an exciting portfolio of fixed residential services home broadband and voice thereby ending the four-decade-long monopoly of majority state-owned Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) in this field.
