The Tamil Nadu government`s ambitious programme to promote Information Technology SEZs in tier-II cities has hit a roadblock, as infrastructure bottlenecks have forced several firms to reschedule their plans and others to pull out. IT majors like HCL Technologies, Satyam Ltd and Sutherland Global Services, which were alloted land at two SEZs near Madurai and Tiruchirapalli, have
Computer experts are resorting to old technology for creating a secure Internet network for sensitive ministries with the help of the Department of Telecommunications. The DoT through the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has set up secured and dedicated communication network (SDCN) in some of the sensitive ministries for intra-departmental classified communication, of
Billed as the future of banking, the value of financial transactions carried out through mobile phones has been pegged at USD 245 billion worldwide by 2014 in a new report by global consultancy firm Ernst & Young. "Overall, mobile payment services are expected to reach USD 245 billion in value worldwide by 2014," according to the report by Ernst and Young (E&Y).
Google News, which has long relied on automation to deliver news content from countless providers, has announced a twist in its algorithm: It will now recognise "featured" content among the tens of thousands of stories it delivers every day. Google announced on Saturday that news organisations can now add "standout" metadata tags to stories they`re proudest of
The government is working on a roadmap for making spectrum available over a specified time frame, bringing in more transparency for telecom operators in the country, as part of the new Telecom Policy 2011 and the Spectrum Act. In a letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal has said the Department of Telecom recognises the need to introduce steps to
The government will start distribution of smart identity card for people living in coastal areas in the next two months. "We have started personalisation and production of identity cards for coastal area. The distribution of these cards will start in two months or so. Around 3,331 villages will be covered initially and 8 million cards will be distributed," C Chandramou
To plug leakages in the fertiliser subsidy disbursement, the Uttar Pradesh government has directed its District Agriculture Officers (DAO) to provide training to fertiliser retailers in their areas on the proposed direct cash subsidy system. Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Director Mukesh Gautam has directed the DAOs in the state to train all the fertiliser retailers in their districts
From Friday, swipe your card instead of handing over cash to buy tickets and monthly passes on the Airport Metro Express. The Reliance Infra-led consortium, which runs the high-speed Metro corridor, has installed debit and credit card machines at all metro stations. Ticket counters will accept VISA, MASTER and MAESTRO debit and credit cards of any bank to buy travel tokens and to
Indian IT firm HCL Technologies on Thursday opened a new Global Delivery Centre in Redmond, Washington, where the company will initially invest USD 4 million (about Rs 19 crore), leading to the creation of 400 jobs over the next two years. The new centre will support the company`s continued global expansion plans and increased focus on business innovation in software product deve
UK police is facing renewed ire in the phone-hacking controversy after it recently threatened to invoke the Official Secrets Act against the journalist who broke the story that murdered teenager Milliy Dowler`s phone had been hacked. The Guardian`s story about 13-year-old Dowler`s phone being hacked at the behest of the News of the World was the turning point in the controversy
Internet access seems to have become a basic need, ranking behind air, water, food and shelter for at least for 33 per cent of the respondents to a global survey by networking giant Cisco. The study also pointed out that four out of five college students and young employees surveyed believed that the internet is important and an essential part of their lives. The 2
Two weeks before a decision was taken to allot new 2G licenses in 2008, the then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the Department of Telecom(DoT) may "continue to follow the existing policy" for license distribution till further changes are made. In an official note to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who sought his views on "Telecom Licences and Spectru
Telecom tribunal TDSAT on Thursday quashed the direction of the Department of Telecom that imposed penalty on the Aditya Birla group firm Idea Cellular for failing to roll out the services on time. Allowing Idea`s petition, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) set aside the demand notice issued by DoT. In January, TDSAT had directed Idea to pay 60 per ce
Union Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora on Thursday announced formation of a complaint centre for citizens to file their mobile tower related grievance. The minister, who inspected radiation level of mobile towers in Haji Ali area, also announced plans to strengthen the Telecom Enforcement Reserve and Monitoring cell of the Department of Telecommunications.
Singapore has said it will boost its national capability to counter cyber security threats through the setting up of a `National Cyber Security Centre` in the coming months. The Centre, which will be headed by the Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority, will help the government deal more effectively with cyber security threats and vulnerabilities by enhancing capabiliti
IGNOU will offer post-graduate degree programs in advanced information and communication technology and electronics (ICTE). The university has signed a MoU with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, in this regard and the courses will be offered at the various C-DAC centres, an IGNOU release said. "The objective of this MoU is to deve
The Centre on Thursday assured Kerala of all possible assistance in its ongoing drive for computerisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS). Food Minister K V Thomas also assured Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy of all possible help in the development of a biometric-based foodgrains distribution system. "The Centre will provide all possible support to Kerala for its
The government on Thursday released text-to-speech (TTS) software in six scheduled Indian languages, to be given to users and developers for free. "This is a landmark achievement of TDIL and team. It will help us provide access of information technology to over 1.25 crore people in country who are visually challenged to some degree," Minister of State for Communication
Satyam Computers on Thursday moved the Company Law Board (CLB) seeking its nod for payment to six directors nominated by the government on its board after the accounting fraud at the IT firm. Satyam Computers (now Mahindra Satyam) has requested the CLB to give go-ahead to it for payment to the directors for the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11. Admitting the ple
A high-level meeting of state and central officials with telecom operators providing services in J&K will be held this weekend wherein operators will address the security agencies` concern over monitoring of social networking sites and voice chat facilities on real-time basis. This follows a meeting Home Minister P Chidambaram had chaired in the Capital earlier this month. In
