Concerned over the security issues, India’s home ministry has asked the department of telecommunication (DoT) to direct service providers to put all 3G services on hold till an effective system of

Concerned over the security issues, India’s home ministry has asked the department of telecommunication (DoT) to direct service providers to put all 3G services on hold till an effective system of tapping infrastructure is put in place.

Indian mobile operators are expected to offer 3G services early next year and the government has committed to handing over the requisite spectrum to winners, in the recently concluded auction process, by September.

The demand by Security agencies is likely to delay the rollout of 3G unless a monitoring services to intercept  both voice & data are available and capability is demonstrated.

Last week, DoT had directed state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL to provide lawful interception mechanisms for 3G voice & data on their networks to intelligence agencies in 15 days. Such listening mechanisms are already in place for 2G mobile telecom services. DoT demanded compliance reports from both companies after meeting law enforcement agencies’ requirements. 

Home ministry has already raised security concerns associated with encrypted data sent on BlackBerry and has repeatedly warned Research In Motion (RIM) that services on these handsets that cannot be monitored will be shut down.

This gives early warning signs for 4G WiMAX/LTE providers to make them ready to comply lawful interception requirements from day one or face the same fate.