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An year in the life of the communications ministry

According to the new Internet service providers policy, private Internet service providers have been allowed entry into the Internet service market, ending the monopoly of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited.

T O D A Y

• Dell upgrades in India • E-commerce survey • Hardware trudges on • One year at the ministry

As on March 1, 1999, 77 licences have been issued to companies for providing Internet services.

The government has permitted the introduction global mobile personal communication by satellite in the country.

The subscribers of this service are now able to communicate from any point on Earth through hand-held telephone units.

A provisional licence agreement has been signed between the Department of Telecommunication and Iridium India Telecom Limited to enable the company to start commercial operations of GMPCS.

The Group on Telecommunications is to make recommendations on the new telecom policy, issues relating to the existing licences of basic and cellular services and issues with regard to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

GoT released a draft discussion paper on new telecom policy for eliciting wider public discussion on suggestions contained in the draft discussion paper.

A committee on spectrum management was constituted on the recommendations of the GoT.

India's first private-sector fixed-line network was launched by Bharti Telenet in Indore and Bhopal. Hughes Ispat became the second company to launch basic telephone network in the private sector by starting operations from Maharashtra and Goa.

As part of the rationalisation process in the procurement of telecom equipment, DoT decided to decentralise powers to its field units in a phased manner.

Twenty items that were being procured centrally, have been decentralised to the telecom circles. Encouraged by the response from the field units, 35 more items have been added to the list of decentralised items for 1999-2000.

The government has decided to sell shares of VSNL to its employees at a price of Rs 294 per share as against the prevailing market price on the Bombay Stock Exchange at Rs 900 per share.

A draft national postal policy was formulated that lays emphasis on upgradation and modernisation of postal services, expansion of postal network through traditional method of opening post offices as well as through innovative methods like franchising on minimum cost and involvement of private initiative in postal services.

The government revised the tariff for certain foreign postal items. This revision, effective from February 1, 1999, would fetch additional annual revenue of Rs 470 million.

UNI

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