DoT bars video calling over security concerns

Telecom companies that had bought 3G licences, are in for a setback as the government has told them that they cannot launch video calling facilities until interception facilities are cleared by law enforcement agencies.

The department of telecommunications (DoT) has asked three telecom service providers that have already started offering third generation mobile services - Airtel, Tata Telecommunications and Reliance Communications - to put on hold their video calling services on hold after an alert issued by the union home ministry.

Of the three, Tata was the only one to have already launched this service, and has now had to withdraw it. The other operators were to start the video calling facilities by this year-end.

Earlier, the three companies had given a demonstration of the video calling facility to law enforcement agencies, which pointed out that online delivery of video call intercepts could not be carried out in real time by any of the telecom operators.

Subsequently, the DoT asked these operators to put on hold their services until they address the concerns raised by the security agencies. ''A conference call is not distinctly labelled. It is displayed as two different outgoing calls,'' the DoT note said, adding that the service providers should be directed to make provisions for proper tagging.

While Bharti Airtel and Reliance have stated that they would offer the service only after complying with the security rules norms laid down by the government, Tata Teleservices said, ''In the light of the government's concerns over monitoring of some services, Tata Teleservices Ltd has decided to keep services like video-calling in abeyance, till such time as the requisite authorities give their approval for the same.''

Observers point out that such heavy-handed restrictions do not exist in other countries, many of which face equally grave security threats. ''When was the last time the government actually managed to spot a security threat by intercepting phone calls?'' asked one. ''This is just the government acting Big Brother, as usual.''