Editorial: No Information, No Communication

to small radial coverage, thus may not be financially viable.

In my opinion, with the present situation, 3G can only give more throughput for voice services as being more spectral-efficient.

Let us hope 700 MHZ, which is recommended by ITU in ‘Region 3’ for IMTS, is spared in India and used for data services. Really, it was unfortunate that SPS have paid hefty sums for 3G spectrum. How will they reap the benefits?

advisor, Videocon Telecom and VP, ITU, APT Foundation of India via Email This is with reference to the editorial ‘No Information, No Communication’ ( VOICE&DATA, December 2011). I am quite delighted with the contents of your editorial that hits the nail on the head. I have frequently pointed out the dangers of using foreign-hosted email IDS by the Indian government officers, viz. IAF officers and, at one stage, National Disaster Management Officers! Some of the dangers are as follows:

Most of our government officers do not have a nationally hosted email ID (leave aside carry a visiting card with their contact details). Consequently, they end up with email IDS hosted overseas. If you scan some of the government websites, you would come across very senior officers in senior position flaunting Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Gmail IDS, thus compromising on the nation’s security. Look up DOT connected with Indian Ministry of Communication. Their site lists the MOC with a Yahoo! and Hotmail ID, his PS with a Gmail; MOS uses Gmail, and his PS uses Hotmail; Wireless adviser is on Gmail and to top it DDG (security) is on Hotmail—god save the country from these modern ‘Jai Chands’. Why does the government not assign every officer with a nicnet ID for the duration of his tenure and clearly prohibit the use of private email IDS for office communications?

Those officers who have their email IDS assigned to them, rarely see their emails and less rarely, write them on their own despite having a computer system.

Recently, during a networking dinner at India Telecom Show at IHC, when asked by an American for a visiting card, a very senior BSNL officer was found hunting around for a pen and paper for writing his contact details.

Most employees with private mobile operators (who all promptly get their email IDS and occasionally visiting cards) also seem to missing on the required etiquette of promptly acknowledging receipt of emails.

Where scams are emerging through every crevice of our working, what will the investigating agencies/auditors find as a trail if the email communications are hosted at overseas websites? Or, is this our reason for holding overseas email IDS for official use?

The above attitude reflects a ‘chalta hai’ approach to our work, which is not healthy when the world is quickly getting connected.

president, Span Telecom via Email