Tag: department of telecom

DoT Said to Approach TRAI for Auction of New Spectrum Bands, Radio Waves

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is likely to approach sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) this week for the auction of a set of spectrum bands as well as radio waves held by permits that are due to expire in 2024, an official source said. The source said that DoT is expected to hold the auction in the March quarter of the current fiscal.

“DoT will send reference to TRAI in a couple of days for auction of 37GHz band and radio waves of telecom licenses that are due for renewal in 2024,” the source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The reference is likely to include the auction of spectrum in 600 megahertz band as well as the frequency that remained unsold in the auction held in 2022.

The government had put on offer spectrum in 10 bands but received no bids for airwaves in 600MHz, 800MHz and 2300MHz bands. About two-thirds of the bids were for the 5G bands (3300Mhz and 26GHz), while more than a quarter of the demand came in the 700Mhz band — a band that had gone unsold in the previous two auctions (2016 and 2021).

DoT expects TRAI to recommend auction guidelines for the satellite communication spectrum soon so that it can be included in the auction planned for the March quarter.

However, only one satellite communication player has demanded the allocation of spectrum administratively instead of taking the auction route.

According to the source, some of the licenses of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are set to expire in 2024 and spectrum held through these permits will also be put for auction in the March quarter.

“DoT will be able to conduct auction if TRAI’s recommendation is received by January,” the source said.

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DoT Launches Sanchar Saathi Portal to Track Lost or Stolen Mobile Phones Across India: All Details

People will be now able to block and track their lost or stolen mobile phones across India via the Sanchar Saathi portal launched by the Department of Telecom on Tuesday.

Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that through Sanchar Saathi Portal, people will be able to block, track and check the genuineness of a used device before buying them.

“First leg of Sanchar Saathi portal is CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register). If you lose your mobile phone, then you can visit this portal. There will be some identity verification, requirement of undertaking and immediately after this the portal will interact with law enforcement agencies and telecom service providers and block your lost mobile phone,” Vaishnaw said.

He said that Prime Minister has a clear vision that a lot of attention needs to be paid to user safety and the facilities under the Sanchar Saathi portal are aligned to his vision.

When asked about measures that the government is taking to check fraud through calls on WhatsApp, the minister said that Meta owned app has agreed to deactivate services linked to any mobile phone number engaged in fraudulent activities.

“We have actively engaged with WhatsApp and they have agreed that customer safety is most important. All the OTT platforms are actively cooperating to deregister the users which have been detected as fraud users,” Vaishnaw said.

He said that 36 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected for fraud and simultaneously their WhatsApp account has been blocked.

The minister said that there is Know Your Mobile facility Sanchar Saathi which help users verify the genuineness of second-hand mobile phone before buying them.

“We feel confident that at least with these reforms, at least the rising trends in cyber frauds will be seriously controlled and we will be able to bring them down,” Vaishnaw said.

He said that there is TAFCOP facility on Sanchar Saathi to help people check if there are other mobile numbers working in their name without their permission or knowledge.

The Sanchar Saathi facilities have been developed by C-DoT. The technology development arm under the Department of Telecom has been able to add feature to check use of cloned mobile phones across all telecom networks.

The government has made it mandatory to disclose IMEI— a 15-digit unique numeric identifier of mobile devices before their sale in India.

The mobile networks will have access to the list of approved IMEI numbers which will check the entry of any unauthorised mobile phones on their network.

Telecom operators and CEIR system will have visibility into IMEI number of the device and mobile number linked to it and the information is being used in some states to track your lost or stolen mobiles through CEIR.

One of the common practices is that miscreants after stealing mobile phone change IMEI number of the device which prevents tracking and blocking of such handsets.

The CEIR will be able to block any cloned mobile phones on the network with the help of various databases.

C-DOT has been running the pilot of the technology in some of the telecom circles including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and North East. Recently, Karnataka Police recovered and handed over 2,500 lost mobile phones to their owners using the CEIR system. Apple already has a system to track lost mobile phones with the help of Apple id but major issues have been around Android mobile phones.

With the new system in place, it will be futile to use stolen mobile phones. The system developed under Sanchar Saathi can also help in curbing the smuggling of phones.

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Department of Telecom Lifts Restrictions on Mobile Network Connectivity Near Borders: Details

The Department of Telecom (DoT) announced on Tuesday that it had removed restrictions on telecom operators offering connectivity near international border areas. The licence norms previously stated that operators would have to “fade out” their network signal, ahead of the international border around the country, which would require the installation of special equipment. The amended norms also include the deletion of security conditions that allowed for surprise inspection on operators in those areas.  

In a move that could improve connectivity in locations around the border, the DoT on Tuesday announced in a circular that it was amending the lience norms to remove restrictions on telecom connectivity near international border areas. 

Previously, the security conditions under the unified license agreement stated that telecom operators had to ensure that base stations, cell sites, or radio transmitters were to provide connectivity and mobile telephone services as far away from the borders as feasible. 

At the same time operators were previously required to ensure — using technical infrastructure — that the radio signal was “faded out” when nearing, or about to cross the international border. 

The circular also deletes clauses pertaining to surprise checks by the telecom department, or the army and security agencies, to ensure compliance of the now-deleted security conditions, which included a stern action for violation of the norms, including a financial penalty.

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WhatsApp Android Beta With Feature to Create Communities Rolling Out: Report



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DoT Launches Scheme for Design-Led Manufacturers, Extends PLI Scheme Duration for 5G Ecosystem

The Department of Telecom has launched an incentive scheme for design-led manufacturers and extended the duration of the Rs. 12,195 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme by a year, an official statement said on Monday.

The incentive for design-led manufacturing is part of the PLI scheme which was notified on February 24, 2021. The DoT has amended the clause and made the scheme effective from April 1, 2022.

“With the objective to build a strong ecosystem for 5G, the Union Budget 2022-23 has proposed to launch a scheme for design-led manufacturing as part of the existing PLI scheme. After consultations with stakeholders, the guidelines for the PLI Scheme for telecom and networking products have been amended to introduce the Design-led Manufacturing with additional incentive rates,” the statement said.

Telecom equipment makers who use 50 percent of Made in India components in their product will be eligible for the design-linked incentive.

The new version of telecom PLI heeded to the demand of domestic manufacturers by removing the 15 percent cap on investment to be made for research and development.

The PLI has provision to provide incentive in the range of four to seven percent. The design-led manufacturers will get an additional one percent incentive over existing slabs under the PLI scheme.

The application window will open from June 21 till July 20. The incentives will be given from the Rs. 4,000 crore which is left from the total outlay.

“Further, DoT based on feedback from stakeholders including the selected PLI applicants, has decided to extend the existing PLI Scheme by one year. The existing PLI beneficiaries will be given an option to choose financial year 2021-22 or financial year 2022-23 as the first year of incentive.”

“DoT has also approved the addition of 11 new telecom and networking products to the existing list, based on suggestions from the stakeholders,” the statement added.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) had notified the PLI scheme on February 24 last year, for which a total of 31 companies, including Nokia, Foxconn, Akashastha Technologies, ITI and HFCL Group, were given approval on October 14. The approved companies have committed to make total investments of Rs. 3,345 crore by 2025-26.

The companies interested in the incentive scheme will have to satisfy the minimum global revenue criteria to be eligible. The company may decide to invest for single or multiple eligible products.

The scheme stipulates a minimum investment threshold of Rs. 10 crore for MSMEs and Rs. 100 crore for non-MSME applicants.

Land and building cost will not be counted as investment under the scheme. The allocation for MSME has been enhanced from Rs. 1,000 crore to Rs. 2,500 crore.

“The modification made in the scheme for R&D, adding new products like Open RAN (radio access network) and satellite communication equipment and extending the scheme by 1 year clearly indicates the government’s intent to incrementally incentivise India-led R&D, focus on newer technologies and deeper and widespread manufacturing in India,” EY India partner Kunal Chaudhary said.

The scheme for telecom gear manufacturing in India is expected to encourage the production of equipment worth Rs. 2.5 lakh crore and create direct and indirect employment for about 40,000 people.

The investors can earn an incentive for incremental sales up to 20 times the committed investment, enabling them to reach global scales and utilise their unused capacity and ramp up production.

Industry body ICEA’s Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said the decisions of the DoT would not only go a long way in supporting the Indian entrepreneurs, but also ensure that India consolidates its position in the global value chain (GVC) of the electronics and mobile phone industry.

“The industry could not have expected a better time for this announcement as the global supply chain has been impacted by the geopolitical tensions after the severe hit of the pandemic. Further, the timing of the decisions also gains significance as the country has already taken a major step forward in telecom with the Union Cabinet approving the 5G spectrum auctions,” Mohindroo said.

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