Disruption to businesses due to an outage caused by Airtel Infrastructure today (8th April 2010) is just an example how much we depend on Internet Service. Fortunately, this service problem was only for Chennai, Tamil Nadu area. I just became a victim of it, since it pushed a scheduled demo with one of my overseas client.

http://beta.thehindu.com/business/article391966.ece
http://www.fonearena.com/blog/2010/04/08/airtel-broadband-internet-down.html

Telephony/Internet Services Provider market in INDIA is very lucrative and has attracted too many players (literally creating a dump of foreign direct investment to secure INDIA business). Business Continuity is a key for sustenance, with Number Portability in the radar, glitches like these would define customer loyalty.

The “GSM: SRSLY” topic is very hot and practically pulled me into one of the black-hole topics. Yes, even discussing wiretapping tools can be illegal in few countries (especially the “so-called” developed ones). Success in a distributed code break effort on GSM technology is not surprising. This vulnerability is very much exploited by government and private intelligence work (may be both legal and illegal). Things we see in the movies on cellular wiretapping aren’t really fictional…they are a reality.

Source of this vulnerability resides in a 64-bit encryption algorithm we have deployed in about 80% of GSM cellular networks around the world. So, technically speaking, if you aren’t a customer of the off-the-shelf intelligence products (like Semi-Active GSM Monitoring System), don’t feel left out. At the demonstration held in 26C3, we have got some interesting findings that show that with few advanced systems engineering effort, one can build something like that from ground-up, with just 3 months of data mining.

There has always been a need for looking at security and privacy a little bit more closely. Makes me also recollect what happened recently, when enterprises opted for a 512-bit encryption setup using BlackBerry infrastructure in INDIA. When we know that 64-bit encryption can be broken in real-time, we must accept that organized outfits (like government agencies) can/already do real-time hacking of 512-bit encryption with distributed hacking techniques.

I think that privacy and safety of individuals are governed and not provided/available as a choice (a.k.a. freedom). I know that I have no privacy when using my cell phone. I still use it, because it doesn’t pose any risk to my personal life or business. I would rather use a cell phone to talk than get stuck to phone booth every time (we know what privacy we have on wire-line phones ). May be that’s the choice I have and have chosen to go mobile.

“Opting-out for privacy” also sounds freedom to me. But there has to be a situation where I “Opt-in for privacy” and there exist a legal infrastructure to make me feel safe in doing business communications. Hope GSM Alliance can do something about it…or else we will have to have Telcos provide just the pipe and let us go the IP way at some-point (VOIP calls anybody?).

Mobile Number Portability regulation has been approved. It will be in effect from 31st December 2009 (31/12/2009).

Now, moving from one Telecom Operator to the other would cost only INR 19.00. The only constraint in this regulation is that the mobile user (the consumer) has to use services from the Telecom Operator for ninety (90) days.

Pros

With MNP scheduled:

• Telecom Operators would be forced to think different to retain customers.
• Some of the unreasonable charges that are forced on us today must be reduced, if not removed completely.
• Telecom Operators are already looking for some other ways to get some out of our wallet. I am sure one of you reading this already would have Ringtones set, for your mobile phone number, and pay them some money, as if they are a music store.
• New service providers in the mobile area are coming-up to bust the mythical situation of “Telecom Operator should get paid for this”

Cons

We have already opened-up our country for OUTSIDERS TO RUN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF OUR COUNTRY. Added to that regulations allow Overseas Corporate Bodies and Elements to own up to 72% of an INDIAN Telecom Company. Being a PRO-INDIAN paranoid of new “East India Companies” getting created, I am very much concerned.

In USA, it became a diplomatic issue some time back and due to the nature of the ownership take over transaction, National Security related agencies forced the government to get control over the situation. At last an USA based organization AIG made the real transaction, for an undisclosed amount (Ref.: Dubai Ports World controversy).

Our INDIAN Government has already allowed/floated way too many Foreign elements into the country in the name of Telecommunication Infrastructure Support. In one way, this law has given all the capabilities to Foreign elements to lure the current Mobile using citizens into their network.

Its only a matter of  time when we all get to a situation, where all the money collected in the name of Infrastructure goes as a profit for someone PAYING TAXES to an FOREIGN Government.

Finally

Some food for thought:

• Are you ready for the changing your operator (Backup your contacts, messages, photos, music, etc.,)?
• In case you have subscribed for Value Added Services (VAS) with your current operator, will the next operator give you the same/something similar ?
• As a patriotic Citizen sitting in INDIA, do you like the basic utility payments get outside of INDIA to enrich some other FOREIGN Government?
• Shouldn’t the repatriation clauses, for these non-INDIAN share holders, be revisited?
• Do you think External Affairs wing of our country has to do a little more to secure our national interests?
• Do you think someone outside the country could be watching us, because of the nature of FOREIGN stakes in these Telecom Operators?
• We have operators and other entities all over the world trying to take a piece of INDIA (business). Do you think we are seeing some more East India Company scenarios?

I have been working on this “INDIAN Telecom Infrastructure and East India Company” analogy for a while. I think I will post article on the same next month.