Private telecom operators have offered to provide access to security agencies to their GenNext mobile services -- 3G -- within six months of its launch.

Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai and Secretary, Department of Telecommunication, R Chandrashekhar discussed the issue yesterday and are likely to accept the proposal of the operators, official sources said here today.

3G mobile services mainly include voice call, video calls and data services. In the data services, operators are claiming to offer high-speed internet service but are required to offer lawful monitoring facility to the security agencies.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) and central security agencies have already made it clear to the industry officials that unless they put in place the interception facility for security agencies, they would stop roll out of 3G services.

The industry has, however, cried foul saying the two state owned telecom PSUs -- BSNL and MTNL -- have been offering 3G services since the last two years and these issues were prevalent then also but they were never asked to stop.

"We are only asking for a level playing field with the telecom PSUs," a senior official of mobile industry said.

In fact, last week the DoT had sent a letter to both Tata Teleservices and RCom asking them not to launch 3G services on commercial basis till they demonstrate lawful interception facilities.

The letter had pointed about that shortcomings in interception facilities of video calling on 3G services for the agencies need to be addressed before their launch.

According to an exhaustive note sent by the Union Home Ministry to the DoT, a demonstration was organised by Reliance, Tata Teleservices and Bharti during which the law enforcement agencies pointed out that online delivery of video call intercepts "in real time" could not be carried out by any of the telecom operators.

The contents of such calls were displayed only after five minutes of the completion of these calls as against the requirement of the agencies which want such details and interceptions on real-time basis, official sources said.