Sale of GenX technology will need govt okay

NEW DELHI: Global majors who want to sell commercial next generation technologies to Indian service providers will soon have to apprise the government before they do so.

The logic behind the move is that it enables the government to ask technology developers to work along with the telecom regulator before Indian operators introduce these services.

This is aimed at helping security agencies address all monitoring issues before the commercial deployment of new technologies by operators, a government source told ET. This system would also ensure that service providers would not have to withdraw any new services on account of its introduction without regulatory clearances.

Another factor for this is the rapid advance of technology — soon conventional monitoring methods would no longer hold good as the Internet is fast emerging as predominant platform for new services.

In the first step towards implementing this move, the communications and IT ministry is likely to take up security-related issues with technology major Qualcomm’s CEO Paul Jacobs. Qualcomm is among the leading innovators having pioneered internet-based telephony services on mobile devices. It has platforms like BREW and BREW Chat.

Besides, Qualcomm’s widely-used IP based mobile services called Push-To-Talk, launched by Tata Tele in India in ’04, had to be withdrawn as the company had not installed the mandatory monitoring equipment. Similarly, Hutch (whose technology was not provided by Qualcomm) was also asked to stop their PTT services.

“The march of technology needs to be harnessed in benefit of economic growth, at the same time the national security cannot be compromised. If the compliance measures are exhibit before launching them commercially, there would be no problems arising like in the PTT issue,” a government source clarified.

The official also added that the government would take a similar approach with other technology providers in order to proactively put sufficient checks and balances in place.