Tag: DoT

112 to be India’s Single Emergency Number

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved a proposal by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), stating that there will soon be a single emergency number in India.The existing numbers are – 100, 101, 102 and 108. These will exist for a period of one year before being re-routed to a single emergency number 112.

“These numbers will be closed in a phased manner (following a public awareness campaign),” said the DoT.

This number will be accessible to all, even those who do not have a GPS enabled cellphone. However, reportedly, DoT has suggested the telecom regulator to study the impact of enabling all mobile phones with GPS before finalizing the view.

A statement issued by the TRAI mentioned that they would soon be finalizing a date for the incorporation of GPS on all mobile phones in order to have a more accurate location information. Until this works out, we’ll still have to remember a set of numbers.

October 1, 2015
Here’s a Wearable that Helps the Visually Impaired

The Dot is a smartwatch company created by a South Korean startup that finally gives the visually impaired a way to access digital information.

The dot, as it is called, has the ability to relay text messages, set alarms, read location directions and has a standard feature set. What is different about the Dot is that it communicates notifications to the user, using Braille.

It is said that four sets of six dots raise and lower at speeds of up to 100 times per second in order to produce four Braille characters at a time. And if that is too quick, the watch can also slow down to one Braille character per second.

The smartwatch is said to be good for 10 hours of usage per charge and average users would only have to charge it every five days. The phone also comes with a vibration motor inside, and the notifications are sent via Bluetooth from a phone.

“The Dot was created in order to offer a more intimate wearable for the visually impaired” – says CEO Eric Ju Yoon Kim.

Kim also plans on increasing the literacy rate among the blind by introducing this smartwatch, where one can now read one’s own messages instead of hear Siri read it out for you.

He also eventually, wants to use the same technology in other products such as microwaves, rice cookers, ATMs etc. The Dot Braille Smartwatch is said to launch this December for under $300.

July 30, 2015
Government Body NIXI Stands for Net Neutrality, Says its Against Selective App Bundling

Yesterday the deadline to cast a vote for saving the internet ended. Though we have to wait for the final take of the government on the issue, Neutral Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has given its answer. The body under IT ministry said that it fully backs Net Neutrality and any move to bundle apps would go against the concept of Internet.

NIXI made a remark –

National Internet Exchange of India as the neutral exchange in the country, strongly supports Neutrality of the Internet which is the only way forward to make the Internet open, free and innovative.

Any move by Telcos to bundle application or content selectively will hamper the very basic concept of Internet.

The government-run organisation also expressed concern over the impact of discriminatory Internet on budding businesses. NIXI commented, “Under these circumstances any dilution of the neutrality of the Internet, is expected to affect the freedom of expression, development of innovative ideas and newer applications and entrepreneurship of youngsters and start-ups.” A couple of days back, a number of tech start-ups wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister of India asking for a free internet. They mentioned how the emerging companies would suffer and would never be able to become the next Google and Amazon.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is yet to give a response to over 1 million emails supporting SaveTheInternet.in campaign, but the organisation is not bound by any time frame. In such circumstances, the telecom operators are open to implementing any plan. The volunteer group behind ‘Save the Internet’ program is requesting the government to impose a temporary restriction on telcos to roll out any plan until the final verdict.

April 25, 2015
Intelligence Agency Asks DoT to Ban Call-Spoofing App WePhone

In a bid to stay informed about the callers’ identity, an intelligence agency has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to block the use of WePhone app. The tool allows you to conceal the identity of the caller.

Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and IT, enlightened members of Lok Sabha about the issue –

A reference from an intelligence agency was received by the Department of Telecommunications to block the ‘WePhone App’ which facilitates its subscriber to spoof the Calling Line Identification (CLI) through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platform.

The WePhone app works on the simple mechanism of transferring the call to the server abroad, which marks for the original location of the caller. This makes it really difficult for the intelligence agency to track the location of the call.

DoT formed a technical committee who found out that a number of computer or mobile applications can be skipped from the getting identified. Mr. Prasad talked about the committee report saying, “Based on the recommendations of the committee, the matter was taken up with the Group Coordinator, Department of Electronics & Information Technology, who issues the direction for blocking such identified websites.”

The statement depicts the intentions of the intelligence agency in clear light, but it is yet not confirmed if the government has carried out the request.

March 5, 2015
Get Ready to Port Your Mobile Number Anywhere Across India

Over the past few years, it has gotten easier and easier to gain access to a mobile phone. Indians currently own over 94,40 crore mobile handsets. The government has now made it easier for Indians to travel across India, with one number across the nation.

Starting May 3, you would be able to port your number to any mobile circle of India and also change your mobile operator. The change came into effect after TRAI changed the regulations on the matter.

As of now users can use the facility of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) to change telecom operators within a telecom circle, which is usually a state.

This action is a follow-up to the amendments issued by the Department of Telecom (DoT) on the 3rd of November 2014. It stated that MNP is to be implemented within six months from the date of passing of amendments.

This will come handy to folks who have to change their place of residence at regular intervals. It will also let users keep their numbers while on long trips without incurring massive roaming charges. A consumer friendly decision will be welcomed by people across the nation.

February 26, 2015
TRAI’s Android App Allows Users to Provide Instant Feedback on Operators

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is perhaps tightening the noose on service providers in India, as mobile phone subscribers from now on can give instant feedback to TRAI about the quality of services provided by operators via an Android based app. Operators will be penalised if they fail to meet minimum service quality benchmarks set up by the regulatory authority.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Sudhi Gupta” author_title=”TRAI Secretary”]

Considering the growing penetration of Internet and smartphones, Trai has introduced a Web-based application as well as an Android-based app for assessing customer perception of cellular services.

[/quote]

Under current regulations, TRAI can levy a penalty of upto Rs.50,000 on mobile service providers in an event when they fail to comply to a service parameter, the amount is doubled if they repeat the same shortcomings again.

Earlier today, TRAI also issued draft regulations to facilitate full mobile number portability that is set to start from May 3.

January 27, 2015
Spectrum Delay to Disrupt Telephony Services in Three Megacities

If you are living in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata and are a subscriber of either of the two largest mobile service providers, Vodafone and Airtel, there might be trouble brewing ahead for you. Mobile telephony may get disrupted the coming month in these cities because of the delay in spectrum allocation.

In February this year, the spectrum allocation bid took place. All major service providers got their share. But the government allotted the airwaves just this month. This might cause a lot of trouble especially for the subscribers of Vodafone and Airtel, whose spectrum expires in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata by the end of next month. The companies have to vacate the 900 MHz spectrum and shift to 1800 MHz.

The delay in Spectrum allocation can result in disruption of Vodafone, Airtel and Idea services

As the Department of Telecom (DoT) allocated the spectrum to the companies this month, they are asking for a six-month extension. This request was made by GSM industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). According to them, shifting of frequencies and bands require at least six months to make a smooth transition. They said that a lot of groundwork needs to be carried out, which includes new tower locations, antenna tuning, network configuration, etc. And hence, they require a minimum extension of six-month for a seamless transfer.

The decision will affect a giant section of mobile users in those cities. It is estimated that combined user share of Vodafone, Airtel and Idea in Delhi accounts for 26 million, which is almost 79% of the GSM mobile users. In Mumbai, the trio provides GSM services to 72% of mobile users.

DoT, however, hasn’t given any assurance to the companies. The representatives of the industry will be meeting with the officials at the DoT on Friday. The result of the meet will decide the fate of millions of mobile connections. If talks fail, it will not just create a connectivity issue but will create an economical issue as well, considering that a good number of businessmen are now dependent on their phones for their livelihood. We’ll get to know how things work out for everyone this Friday.

October 29, 2014
Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Dot, Circle and Square in Daily Life

Samsung has recently announced its flagship and the latest addition to the Note series, the Galaxy Note 3 is available in the market for around 46,000 INR. The device is undoubtedly packed with some great features but what we are going to talk about is the latest S-Pen features which Samsung proudly likes to talk about as the Dot, Circle and Square.

Simply pull out the S-Pen and place it over the screen and tap the button on the pen, you will get a air command window which will have five options:

Action Memo – The Dot feature is useful for taking quick notes, easily to jot down numbers and email addresses, but the great thing is that this feature can help you to link things down, you just type an address and you can directly open maps for navigation for that address or simply jot down a number link it and call directly. Watch our video to get an idea of how this can be beneficial in your daily life.

Scrapbook – Basically a mobile Evernote Web Clipper, this allows you to grab pieces of web page — text or photo — and save it in various notebooks. It can be of great use in our daily life, if your are surfing the internet and you find something interesting that your friends should know about you can simply take out the S-Pen and make a circle around the stuff you want to share and the Note 3 will do rest of the magic for you. The Circle will link the page with what you selected and once the person receives it at the other end they will be able to land to the page you selected. You can check out our video above to see how is this helpful in the daily routine.

Screen Write – Full screen memos with annotations anywhere during any app.

S Finder – Finds content that you have saved with scrapbooker or with S Note, also searches online.

Pen Window – The Square feature allows users to open a separate app in a window size of your choosing, overlaid on top of another app. This feature can be your best friend at times, it is fairly simple to make calculation no matter what you are doing on the phone. You just have to take the S-Pen out and make square of your desired size, you will get a window of the same size giving you some option like Calculator, YouTube, Phone, Whatapp and alot more. Check out our video for a daily life demonstration on this feature.

October 28, 2013
Airtel Ordered To Stop 3G Services In 7 Regions, Fined

DoT on Friday issued a fresh order to Bharti Airtel to stop intra-circle 3G roaming in seven circles where it did not have the spectrum and also levied a penalty of Rs 350 crore (Rs 50 crore per circle) on the company for violating the licence terms and conditions. Airtel has been asked to stop the services within three days.

DoT is expected to send a similar notice to Vodafone India Ltd next week. Bharti Airtel is likely to approach the Delhi high court for a stay on the notices. Friday’s notice is the second to be sent to Bharti.

Last week, DoT made a case for sending the notices on the grounds that the operators were selling new 3G connections in circles where they did not get spectrum in the 2010 auction. This was not allowed as their telecom licences in those circles were not modified to allow them to offer the high-speed wireless data services. The licences were specifically amended for circles where they won 3G spectrum in 2010.

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea won 3G airwaves in 13, nine and 11 circles, respectively, in the 2010 auctions, and between them have a national footprint. They subsequently entered into intra-circle roaming pacts with each other and rode on the airwaves of their partners in circles where they did not hold spectrum themselves. This enabled them to offer high-speed data services on a pan-India basis.

[Via LiveMint]

March 16, 2013