Kiran Rathee

Telecom equipment manufacturers are struggling with the government's demand for guaranteed vulnerability-free gear, citing the rapid evolution of cyber threats. Vendors met with the Department of Telecommunications seeking clearer policy guidelines for Pro Tem certificates, essential for selling products like 5G equipment. The government assured that National Centre for Communication Security is finalizing new policy guidelines soon, addressing industry concerns about self-declarations and potential penalties.

In the absence of well-defined rules, the self-declaration sought from vendors would seem to be of little relevance, the companies said.

A US startup, Orbital, is looking to set up space-based data centres to meet the surging demand for AI computing power. The company aims to launch its first data centre satellite next year, with plans for 100,000 satellites in low Earth orbit to deliver 10 gigawatts of compute. ​​Orbital plans to scale up deployment towards the end of the decade when the SpaceX-owned Starship will come online and significantly reduce the launch cost, Poon said.

It sounds like science fiction, but US-based satellite startup Orbital is looking to set up data centres in space that may power responses given by chatbots as artificial intelligence (AI) drives an unprecedented demand for computing power.

Telecom regulator Trai is seeking powers under the IT Act to act against call management apps like Truecaller. These platforms are reportedly tagging and blocking legitimate commercial communication numbers (1400 and 1600) as spam, hindering government initiatives and legitimate businesses. Trai aims to be designated an 'authorised agency' to enforce compliance, with the IT ministry reportedly agreeing to the demand.

The telecom regulator has sought powers under the Information Technology (IT) Act to take action against call management apps and digital platforms, such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall, for tagging and blocking calls originating from 1400 and 1600 as spam despite the special numbering series being assigned for commercial communications, said people with knowledge of the development.

The commerce ministry questioned the smartphone PLI scheme's success for an extension. Industry data showed production more than doubling and exports rising ten times. Domestic value addition quadrupled, surpassing China's pace over decades. The scheme met all objectives, including exports and job creation. This policy intervention offers valuable lessons for future manufacturing growth.

The industry told commerce minister Piyush Goyal that the scheme had exceeded all its targets with production more than doubling to $71 billion in

India's space regulator IN-SPACe has approved Reliance Jio's satellite proposal. This move allows India to establish its first local low earth orbit constellation. Jio plans to deploy approximately 1,600 satellites for broadband and mobile services. The proposed system offers significant data capacity, exceeding current global systems. This development enhances national security and reduces foreign satellite dependence.

Space regulator IN-SPACe has adjudged Reliance Jio's proposal to deploy about 1,600 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites as “technically sound” and on par with global systems like Starlink, said government officials who didn't want to be named.