The ministry of home affairs has expressed its dissatisfaction over the BlackBerry email and web browsing interception solution offered by service providers saying that the mechanism was not user friendly.
The department of telecommunications (DoT) will soon start looking into the issue of ineligibility of recent licensees such as Unitech, Loop and Datacom, in the wake of the Comptroller and Auditor-General's scathing report. And, take action, if it thinks it is required.
The government plans to issue UID numbers to 600 million people by 2014.
BSNL had earlier cancelled its tender for 5.5 million GSM lines and called for bids again after revising the guidelines, following an amendment in the licence conditions for security purposes.
Communications Minister A Raja's promise to let people switch their mobile service operators while retaining their telephone number has got delayed once again - the deadline for the implementation of mobile number portability has been postponed from October 31 to December 20.
The staff cost for NTPC, the country's biggest power producer, is likely to go up by about 16 per cent as the company plans to spend about Rs 2,800 crore in the current financial year on its employee benefits and renumeration. It had spent Rs 2,400 crore in 2009-10.
Moving beyond selling application forms, the Department of Posts has started offering a complete package to agencies and companies for their recruitment process.
State-run power transmission firm PowerGrid has called for fresh offers from shortlisted bidders BHEL-ABB and Siemens for its Rs 7,000-crore HVDC (high voltage direct current) sub-stations' project.
In its communication to DoT, the DGA said the department had granted new unified access service licences to certain companies without proper verification of their eligibility and other credentials.
The prepaid debit card by India Post would have a minimum value of Rs 1,000 and a maximum of
While the mechanism of auctioning commodities like coal and electricity and telecom spectrum at electronic platforms has brought in transparency in their allocation, experts believe that the strategy cannot fructify until the prevailing shortfall in their availability is met.
Says nothing should move until system is in place to enable full tapping of lines.
Telcordia and Syniverse Technologies were selected by DoT to implement MNP across the country. India was divided into two zones for the implementation of MNP, a service that would allow a mobile user to retain his phone number while shifting to a new operator.
This will push the size of the division to 25,000. Pitroda panel had suggested BSNL to cut staff strength by 100,000.
The department of telecommunications has agreed to set up a search committee to look for new chairmen and managing directors for both, as suggested by the Sam Pitroda-led committee on the organsiation's revamp.
DoT will call operators offering such services within a few days to discuss the issue and make it clear that they may not be left with any option but direct stopping of the services.
An attempt is to be made over the next month to get over the opposition of staff unions to the Pitroda Committee recommendations on the revamp of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), the state telecom network outside Mumbai and Delhi.
Reliance Power (R-Power), a Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) company, is close to finalising a gas-based power plant in Gujarat with a capacity of 7,000 Mw to 8,000 Mw. This would entail an investment of around Rs 30,000 crore, based on investment levels that are normally required for power projects at present.
The department of information and technology (DIT) is considering an amendment in the Information Technology Act (IT Act) to facilitate this move, according to an internal note prepared by the department of telecommunications (DoT).
The decision had been communicated to the department of telecommunications, a senior official of the department told Business Standard.