ICT Including Services
DoT targeting for spectrum auction in March 2020
DoT is targeting spectrum auction in mid-March 2020, after its high-powered committee on spectrum pricing decided in favour of TRAI's recommended base price. "We are targeting March for spectrum auction for 5G and others. We will push for cabinet approval next month after taking Digital Communications Commission nod on prices. Our internal committee has cleared the TRAI base prices for all the bands, all processes are concurrently going on official sources said.
LoRa Alliance announces First Authorized Test Houses in India
The LoRa Alliance, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN standard for the Internet of Things (IoT), announced that LoRa Alliance Authorized Test House. TÜV Rheinland has opened a LoRaWAN Certification testing site in India, and that DEKRA will also offer local certification testing by the end of the year. Both company’s sites in India will provide local testing of LoRaWAN devices seeking to become LoRaWAN Certified.
Data localisation in RCEP for security interests
India has proposed locating computing facilities inside the country if it is meant to protect its essential security interests and national interests at the ongoing negotiations of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement. It is said that the participating countries may prevent cross-border transfer of information by electronic means, including personal information, only where it is “necessary to achieve a legitimate public policy objective” or “necessary for its essential security interests or national interests”.
DoT calls for papers to develop Indian AI stack
A committee under the DoT formed for the standardization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has invited papers on AI. These original papers should address different aspects of AI such as – functional network architecture, AI architecture, data structures required, etc. DoT said that as the proliferation of AI increases, there is a need to develop an Indian AI stack so as to bring interoperability, among other things. Papers have been invited from academia, research, and technical industries, telecom service providers, application service providers.
Govt. invites suggestion from citizens as part of Cyber Security Strategy 2020
As a first step towards formulating the new futuristic document titled National Cyber Security Strategy 2020, the National Security Council Secretariat has asked citizens to give suggestions as part of updating the cybersecurity policy of the country. The Indian Government under the aegis of National Security Council Secretariat through a well-represented Task Force is in the process of formulating the National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 (NCSS 2020) to cater for a time horizon of five years (2020-25).
India’s Mobile Exports Grows Eightfold In 2018-19
Mobile handset exports grew over eightfold to Rs 11,200 crore (€1.4 bn) in 2018-19 and exceeded imports for the first time, Indian Cellular and Electronics Association said. Handset exports during April-July 2019 reached around Rs 7,000 crore (€875 mn), thereby creating grounds to hit annual figure of Rs 25,000 crore (€3.1 bn) in the current fiscal. Total handsets produced in India reached 29 crore units valued at Rs 1.81 lakh crore (€22.6 bn) in 2018-19, from a precariously placed 5.8 crore unit of handsets manufactured in 2014-15.
Ministry of Electronics and Informatio Technology (MEITY)’s four committees on Artificial Intelligence (AI) have published following reports:
- Report of committee - A on platforms and data on AI
- Report of committee - B on leveraging AI for identifying national missions in key sectors
- Report of committee - C on mapping technological capabilities, key policy enablers required across sectors, skilling, reskill
- Read more/DownloadReport of committee - D on cyber security, safety, legal and ethical issues
Notifications/Consultation Papers/Recommendations/Policies and Directives
- Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (Meity) has released “Guidelines for Procurement of Cloud Services”
- Consultation Paper on Cloud Services
- Draft Telecommunication Consumer Education and Protection Fund (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2019
- Recommendations on Allotment of spectrum to Indian Railways for Public Safety and Security services
- The Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Standards of Quality of Service and Consumer Protection (Addressable Systems) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2019
- TRAI releases The Standards of Quality of Service of Basic Telephone Service (Wireline) and Cellular Mobile Telephone Service (Seventh Amendment) Regulations, 2019