Lifts Ban On Non-Voice Services, But Asks Telcos To Offer Interception Capabilities For Them

Now, make video calls on mobiles as govt allows full 3G data service

 MOBILE phone companies can offer on mobiles video calls and other third generation (3G) services such as high-speed internet and chat, on the condition that they provide interception capabilities for these services by July 31, the telecom ministry said on Thursday.
    Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices that have already launched 3G — high-end data services on mobiles — can therefore offer unrestricted services now. Last month, the government had asked mobile phone companies not to offer non-voice third generation mobile services unless they demonstrate that these facilities can be tapped live.
    This temporary ban on 3G services had threatened to dent the first mover advantage enjoyed by Reliance Communications (RCOM), Tata Teleservices, and the state-run companies, in addition to delaying plans of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Aircel to launch these highend services on mobile.
    An RCOM spokesperson said the company welcomed the telecom ministry's clearance for providing all 3G services. RCOM also said it would provide monitoring capability for video calls with the support of global vendors by the July 31 deadline. "RCOM has been eagerly waiting for the past six weeks, having completed the testing successfully in compliance to global standards and practices for such monitoring," the company added.
    The telecom ministry, in a statement said that service providers must develop required technical capabilities and submit them for testing in advance so that the evaluation process is complete well within the July 31 deadline.
    Bharti Airtel's chief executive Sanjay Kapoor said on Wednesday that the company, which was earlier slated to offer 3G services by December-end, would launch these facilities "soon".
    In December, the Intelligence Bureau objected to 3G data services on handsets because the agency was unable to tap these facilities live, or on a real time basis.
    Private operators paid 51,000 crore to the government for the 3G airwaves after an auction held in May 2010. BSNL and MTNL were allotted 3G spectrum earlier, but the companies had to match the price paid by private competitors for the airwaves.
    An intensely competitive environment has more than halved call tariffs in the Indian telecom space since late-2008, putting pressure on profitability. Companies paid a high price to get airwaves for 3G services with which they hope to catch premium customers