The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has taken a strong objection to the practice of mobile operators starting operations in new circles and offering new technology services without adequate lawful monitoring arrangements.
In a strongly worded letter to the department of telecommunications (DoT), IB has written that ?this practice needs immediate correction?.
What caused the IB?s ire is the launch of GSM services by Reliance Communications Ltd (RComm) and CDMA services by Tata Teleservices Ltd in Jammu & Kashmir a couple of months ago, allegedly done without the required security clearance.
?Reliance Communications has launched GSM mobile services in J&K without demonstrating its capability to intercept, we are missing out on very valuable information in the state of J&K. Similarly, TTSL has launched CDMA services in J&K without security clearance and problems faced by security agencies in this regard had been brought to the notice of DoT. Thus, it is seen that the mobile service providers are extending their services into new telecom circles and technology without adequate lawful monitoring arrangements,? IB has written to the DoT.
In the case of RComm, the IB has followed up with DoT that in its interaction with the company locally, the operator said that it was prepared to provide monitoring facilities to the security agencies but till date has not demonstrated the facilities despite repeated requests. The IB has once again asked DoT to ask RComm to provide the demonstration to the security agencies without any delay.
When contacted, RComm officials said they were an existing service provider of CDMA service in J&K and their interception facilities are centralised, meaning that it is the same for CDMA and GSM services.
Officials said that therefore interception facilities on their network are available and already demonstrated. However, the company has further demonstrated the GSM interception facilities and is further ready to cooperate with the security agencies.
Even TTSL officials said they have demonstrated interception facilities to the IB and security agencies and there was no violation on their part. A DoT official told FE that TTSL had demonstarted the facility to security agencies in February.
Prior to these two companies, IB had also written to the DoT, MTNL and BSNL, when earlier this year they launched their 3-G services, that the same was done without security clearance and providing for interception facilities.
There was a long impasse between the DoT and the intelligence agencies last year over interception facilities on the push mail service BlackBerry.
The matter threatened to derail the operation of BlackBerry services in the country but finally DoT was able to convince the security agencies about any threat perception, whatsoever.
