TRAI insists on cancellation of several Loop, MTS & Uninor licenses as DoT demurs

Disagreements have cropped up between the Department of Telecom and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) over the cancellation of 31 licenses belonging to Loop Telecom, Sistema Shyam (MTS) and Uninor (Unitech-Telenor) See chart of the licenses While the regulator wants these licenses to be cancelled for failing to launch services within two years […]

Mobile transactions up 76%, but poor growth in developing countries: Gartner

‘Tis verily the season of mobile banking predictions. Shortly after the Boston Consulting Group surprised even the optimists with a $350 billion possible market-size for mobile transactions in India in four years, Gartner has come out with a forecast warning of lower than expected growth in developing markets. At present, the Indian mobile transaction (also […]

Competition Commission okays mega-TPA formation by public sector insurers

The newly-set up Competition Commission of India (CCI) has thrown out an appeal to prevent India’s public-sector insurance companies from forming a single, jointly-owned and powerful TPA or health insurance agency. The complaint was filed late last year by the Indian Third Party Administrators Association, which represents the interests of independent, and mostly small, third […]

COLUMN: Is it the job of Google, Twitter & ISPs to maintain India’s National Security?

On the sidelines of an event on event on ‘Ethics, Governance and Technology’, India’s young and tech-savvy junior IT minister Sachin Pilot said the government had asked websites like Google, Facebook and Twitter to install “real time” monitoring system for national security. While on the face of it, the request looks like just another of […]

Indian Railways warns of cancellation and re-routing of North-South trains tommorrow

The Indian Railways has warned of possible delay, diversion or even termination of trains passing through the Telengana region — one of India’s busiest rail corridors — in Andhra Pradesh tomorrow. Political organizations demanding the formation of a separate Telenagana state have called for a “Rail Roko” or railway blockade tomorrow to protest against what […]

Every city in India is vulnerable, we are near the epicenter of terror: Chidambaram

No Terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the Mumbai blasts, but home minister P Chidambaram said many previous attempts in Mumbai have been foiled, but “unfortunately, this one slipped through.” “We live in the most troubled neighbourhood.. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the epicenter of terror.. Being in a troubled neighbourhood, every city (in India) is […]

Adobe buys online authentication firm to ‘revolutionize’ digital authentication

Web graphics and multimedia company, Adobe Systems, has acquired EchoSign, provider of a web-based electronic signature service — a move that may have far reaching consequences for how electronic documents are authenticated and certified. Digital signatures, though invented several years ago, have not quite taken off due to the cumbersome nature of creating and checking […]

Bharti moves from product-oriented structure to consumer-oriented structure

Bharti Airtel, India’s biggest telecom company, has again reorganized its business structure as the company grapples with reducing profit margins in an increasingly commoditized communications market. Atul Bindal, President of Mobile Business, has been moved out and from the preliminary signs, it looks like the CEO Sanjay Kapoor’s hands have been strengthened. Bharti has moved […]