GPS MAY TURN A MUST FOR ALL PHONES

New Delhi, Feb. 13: The government is likely to make GPS mandatory in feature phones by withdrawing an exe- mption it granted earlier, sources said.

The move will enable the government to roll out panic button facility on mobile phones for helping women in distress.

The government ordered all mobile manufacturers in 2016 to mandatorily provide panic button and Global Positioning System ( GPS) facility on cell phones to help women in distress, but feature and non- smart phones were given exemption in November after manufacturers said it would raise the cost.

“The telecom ministry has assured us that it will reverse its November order and restore the circular of 2016,” a senior official of the ministry of women and child development said.

“While GPS could raise the cost of a phone by ` 200, we feel people will be willing to pay extra,” he said.