A Department of Telecommunication (DoT) committee has suggested tightening of the rules for remote access and the provision to keep track of data and voice traffic on mobile networks in India, from remote locations across the world, reports The Economic Times. According to the report, the panel has suggested that all foreign telecom service operators must create an online copy of the remote access information accessed and maintain security records of both completed and attempted remote access to the information. These recommendations are expected to affect foreign telcos like AT&T, BT (British Telecom), Verizon, and Cable & Wireless among others. Install local remote servers: The panel has also recommended these telecom service providers must install a local remote access server in the country and store information like remote access requests provided from foreign locations locally in its remote access servers. Further, the service provider should also be in a position to restrict remote access to Indian mobile networks, as and when directed by the licensor i.e. DoT. DoT had introduced limited remote access to mobile operators in March 2007, after increasing the FDI limit in telecom from 49% to 74% and had later agreed to the demand of foreign telcos like AT&T, BT (British Telecom), Verizon, and Cable & Wireless in March 2009, to enable these telcos manage calls and data accessed on Indian mobile networks by their corporate clients from select overseas locations as well as transfer their client information to those foreign locations, as indicated by a separate Economic Times report. This looks…
