The Telecom Ministry will take a final decision on 2G spectrum pricing and on those holding airwaves beyond contracted limit of 6.2 Mhz, based on recommendations of TRAI, within next three months before seeking Telecom Commission`s approval. "Decision on 2G spectrum pricing is expected in next 3 months. DoT internal committee is finalising it. After we get it we will send th
The government today said it will send show-cause notice to Idea Cellular asking the telecom operator why its licence of five circles should not be cancelled for overlapping of licences. "We will send Idea showcause notice in five circles for overlapping licences," Department of Telecom (DoT) Secretary R Chandrashekhar told PTI. Idea Cellular in 2008 pick
Batting for telcos facing hurdles in raising loans in the wake of 2G scam,Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today met the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister and sought their intervention to ensure that operators get finances to complete their projects. "Yes, we met in the morning," Sibal said when asked about his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Mi
Software giant Microsoft today said it has appointed Bhaskar Pramanik as chairman for its India operations. The appointment, effective today, comes less than two months after Ravi Venkatesan quit as Microsoft India`s chairman and corporate vice-president. Prior to the current role, Pramanik served as Managing Director for Oracle India and Sun Microsystems.
Against the backdrop of concerns about corporate governance, a whistle blowing website is offering businesses an opportunity to receive confidential information while protecting identity of the whistle blower. The Corporate Whistle Blower Initiative (CWI), a web-based helpline, has attracted corporates including Edelweiss, Bharti Group and Punj Lloyd. Financial ser
In the age of smart phones and laptops, intellectual property and business secrets are fast becoming a target for cyber thieves who are specialising in this area, a new study has warned. Some hackers are starting to specialise in data stolen from corporate networks, according to research compiled by security firm McAfee. McAfee said deals were being done for trade
Internet rights attorneys appealed a US judge`s order that Twitter must hand over data of three users in contact with the controversial website WikiLeaks. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the March 3 ruling on behalf of Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir, one of the Twitter users targeted by the decision.
Russia`s most popular search engine was embroiled in a scandal today as bloggers accused it of blocking images of opposition protests, while it blamed technical problems. Bloggers complained that they typed Russian-language opposition slogans into the Yandex search engine and found that it showed only unrelated images while a rival search engine, Google, came up with images of an
"We need wild people doing wild things." This is how technology czar Sam Pitroda sums up the need for innovation as he pegs an investment target of USD 20 billion for building public information infrastructure in the country. "We need to set up hundreds of innovation centers. We have written to the chief ministers asking them to set up state-level i
Tired of getting inaccurate and snail-paced information on movement of trains? Help is expected soon with the Railways going ahead with the Rs 110 crore satellite-based system to replace manual tracking of trains to provide its exact position on real-time basis. The real-time train information system (RTIS) aims to provide train running information to the public through internet,
With consumers using variety of mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and netbooks, banks need to ensure security features like two-level authentication to safeguard online transactions, says security software firm Symantec. "Today`s threat landscape requires a multi-layered approach where user identities are authenticated on at least two levels. "Two-
The Telecom Ministry is likely to provide rural wireless broadband connections to over 5 lakh villages in one-and-a-half years and will provide a subsidy to both state-owned and private service providers operators from the Universal Service Obligation Fund for this purpose. "Wireless broadband to cover about five lakh villages... time period, you see, we hope
Greater IT penetration coupled with easy accessibility and the sheer convenience of shopping online is driving the online book store market in India with players expecting the segment to receive a fillip with the onset of e-commerce and the digital book era. The experience of dropping into a bookstore and looking for books, or quickly chatting up with the owner and booking for on
People suffering from emotional and psychological problems will now have access to psychologists through a tele-counselling helpline launched by a leading private hospital. The Apollo M.I.N.D. Line, launched by Apollo Group, is aimed at providing counselling to college students, young women, professionals and senior citizens among others. To avail the services, one can SMS `A
Taking cognisance of the misuse of technology in committing fraud, Punjab National Bank has been directed by the Ombudsman to return over Rs seven lakh with interest to a victim. In its recent directive, the Banking Ombudsman has asked the nationalised bank to put in place strict measures to check such illegal activities. The curious case of phishing involves a sen
Bihar government today admitted in the state assembly that more than 6000 Vasudha Kendras set up for e-governance were not not "too much useful" because of the failure to link the data centres with the block offices in the state. Replying to a short-notice question of Durga Prasad Singh (JD-U) in the state assembly, Information Technology Minister Sahid Ali Khan said ov
Amidst the government demand for accessing contents of telecom services and company emails, industry body Assocham today urged the telecom ministry to factor in the business interest of enterprises while intercepting corporate e-mails. "We need to ensure standardised policies on adoption of security standards to protect and secure data, while preventing fraud and misuse,&quo
A Parliamentary Committee has recommended a comprehensive central electronic database for all districts which should be uploaded state-wise for easy access by district planning teams while implementing schemes under the National Rural Health Mission. The Public Accounts Committee, headed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, has also observed that the Mission Steering Group (
Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) will provide e-contract facility for securing new projects by the end of the year, the company said today. The Mini Ratna company has already entered into e-service (or electronic service) for offering various services and procuring new tenders through online, an NLC spokesperson said. "For providing this e-contract facility,
In a bid to stamp out the growing menace of cyber crimes, Malaysian police today said it plans to set up `a one-stop centre` to curb commercial crimes and threats on the net. Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Wira Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said the centre would be modelled after the Taiwan Cybercrime Prevention and Fighting Centre which managed to control c
