DoT makes pre-approval of VAS compulsory

NEW DELHI: Stung by the Blackberry controversy, the government has made it mandatory for telecom operators to furnish details about value-added services (VAS) in advance so that security agencies can keep track.

���It has been brought to the notice of DoT that telecom service providers are not meeting the legitimate monitoring requirement of the security agencies which has serious implications on national security,��� DoT said in a letter to all cellular and basic service providers. The direction would have serious implications for the growth of VAS.