A woman walks past a poster of Reliance Industries installed outside the venue of the company's annual general meeting in Mumbai June 7, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Vivek Prakash
NEW DELHI | Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:55am EST
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will allow wireless broadband airwave holders to provide voice services if they pay an additional $306 million, a senior government official said on Monday, a move likely to boost billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd.
Reliance Industries, controlled by India's richest man, is the only company with nationwide fourth-generation (4G) broadband airwaves. The company re-entered the fiercely competitive sector by buying airwaves in a 2010 auction and has so far invested at least $3.5 billion.
Firms which own the broadband wireless access (BWA) airwaves can provide voice services along with high-speed Internet if they pay a fee of 16.58 billion rupees ($306 million), R. Chandrashekhar, the top bureaucrat at the telecommunications ministry, told reporters.
"There is no restriction on the technology that is being used (to provide voice services)," he said.
A move by Reliance Industries, which is still preparing to launch high-speed 4G Internet services, into the voice market would intensify competition and hurt rivals such as Bharti Airtel Ltd and the Indian unit of Vodafone Group Plc.
Reliance Industries shares extended gains to as much as 1 percent after the news, while shares in Bharti Airtel, the country's top telecommunications carrier, were down nearly 1 percent at 4.20 a.m. ET.
The Telecom Commission, the highest decision-making body within the ministry, approved the move on Monday, but it must to be formally signed off by the Telecommunications Minister, Chandrashekhar said.
Voice accounts for almost 85 percent of Indian carriers' revenues, while data is still at a nascent stage. Data services contribute just about 5-6 percent of the total mobile services revenues as fewer people browse the Internet on phones.
Reliance Industries was not immediately available for a comment.
Separately, the Telecom Commission deferred a plan to bring tower companies under the Unified Licensing regime, which is positive for companies such as Bharti Infratel Ltd.
If brought under the regime, the tower companies would have to pay an annual license fee of 8 percent of their revenue and would be required to cut foreign shareholding to 74 percent.
Currently the companies pay no license fee and a foreign shareholder can own as much as 100 percent of their equity.
($1 = 54.2 Indian rupees)
(Writing by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
1 of 2. A policeman uses a baton to disperse a demonstrator during a protest in front of India Gate in New Delhi December 23, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Ahmad Masood
NEW DELHI | Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:24am EST
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian authorities throttled movement in the heart of the capital on Monday, shutting roads and railway stations in a bid to restore law and order after police fought pitched battles with protesters enraged by the gang rape of a young woman.
In an unusual televised address, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed for calm after the weekend clashes in New Delhi and vowed to punish the rapists for their "monstrous" crime.
Singh's government, often accused by critics of being out of touch with the aspirations of many Indians, has been caught off-guard by the depth of the popular outrage as protests have snowballed and spread to other cities. India is seen as one of the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman.
Instead of channeling the outrage, the government has found itself on the defensive over the use of force against the mostly student protesters in New Delhi and complaints that it has done little to create a safer environment for women.
The protests have been the biggest in the capital since 2011 demonstrations against corruption that rocked the government.
"As in much else, this government is clueless as to what India aspires to and demands," Mint newspaper said in an editorial.
Police barricaded roads leading to India Gate, an imposing Arc de Triomphe-style war memorial in the center of the city, that has become a hub of the protests by mostly college students. Many metro rail stations in fog-shrouded Delhi were also closed, crippling movement around the city of 16 million.
The 23-year-old victim of the December 16 attack, who was beaten, raped for almost an hour and thrown out of a moving bus in New Delhi, was still in a critical condition on respiratory support, doctors said.
In the weekend spasm of violent protests, police use batons, teargas and water cannon against demonstrators around the capital. Protests have also taken place in other Indian cities but they have been more peaceful.
"I appeal to all concerned citizens to maintain peace and calm. I assure you we will make all possible efforts to ensure security and safety of women in this country," Singh said in his televised address to the nation.
Singh has been under fire for remaining largely silent since the rape. He issued a statement for the first time on Sunday, a week after the crime. Sonia Gandhi, chief of the ruling Congress Party, has met some of the protesters to hear their demands.
Comments by political commentators, sociologists and protesters suggest the rape has tapped into a deep well of frustration that many Indians have over what they see as weak governance and poor leadership on social and economic issues.
"There is a huge amount of anger. People are deeply upset that despite so many incidents there has not been much response from the state and the government," said social activist Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research in Delhi.
SOCIAL MEDIA SITES DRIVE PROTESTS
New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to police figures. A global poll by Thomson Reuters Foundation in June found that India was the worst place in the world to be a woman because of high rates of infanticide, child marriage and slavery.
Since last week's rape, the authorities have promised better police patrolling to ensure safety for women returning from work and entertainment districts, the installation of global positioning system devices on public transport vehicles, more buses at night, and fast-track courts for swift verdicts on cases of rape and sexual assaults.
But protesters view those measures as inadequate and are looking for the government to take a firmer stand on sexual assaults, most of which go unreported.
Opposition political parties, normally quick to exploit the government's vulnerabilities, have largely been sidelined in the protests, which have mostly been organized through social media networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
The protesters come from all walks of life but many are young and middle class with growing aspirations after a decade of rapid economic growth.
Noting the youth of the protesters, Mint newspaper said "the protests against the brutal assault is only a metaphor of their general dissatisfaction.
"The new India promises much but delivers little. There are no jobs to absorb the 12 million joining the workforce every year."
The protesters' focus has been on the rape case rather than on other grievances. They are demanding more steps from the authorities to ensure safety for women - particularly better policing - and some want the death penalty for those convicted.
(Additional reporting By Arup Roychoudhury and Satarupa Bhattacharjya, writing by Ross Colvin,; Editing by John Chalmers and Robert Birsel)
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a joint news conference with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (unseen) following a European Union-Russia summit in Brussels December 21, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Francois Lenoir
MOSCOW | Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:05pm EST
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Arms sales will be on the agenda when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India on Monday to court a country that has traditionally been a top client.
Putin's trip, his first to India since he started a new Kremlin six-year term in May, is a chance to reaffirm Russia's interest in India, long a regional ally and now a partner in the BRICS group of emerging market nations.
In an article for publication in the Indian newspaper The Hindu on Monday, Putin stressed that "deepening friendship and cooperation with India is among the top priorities of our foreign policy".
"India and Russia show an example of responsible leadership and collective actions in the international arena," he wrote, a veiled swipe at the West and in particular the United States, whom Putin accuses of seeking to impose its will on the world.
Russian defense industry sources said the visit could produce deals on the sale of fighter jets and aircraft engines worth more than $7.5 billion. One said that could include the sale of 42 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters and a deal on the long-term supply of 970 warplane engines.
The Kremlin said it expected the signing of "a number of large contracts in the area of military-technical cooperation", a term referring to weapons sales, licensing and servicing.
However, warm ties dating back to the Soviet era have been complicated by recent Russian efforts to improve relations with Pakistan, one of Moscow's proxy enemies during the Soviet Union's war of occupation in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Relations between the world's second biggest arms exporter Russia and India, its largest buyer last year, have also run into sporadic problems including delays in the delivery of a reconditioned Soviet-built aircraft carrier, now expected late in 2013.
MILITARY MIGHT
India plans to spend about $100 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade its largely Soviet-era military equipment, as Asia's third largest economy looks to match its economic might with military power and warily eyes assertive Asian rival China.
Moscow has warm political ties with China, another ally in opposing U.S. clout and a key consumer of the oil and gas that drives Russia's economy, but is thought to also be wary of a faster-growing neighbor with nearly 10 times its population.
India relies on Russia for 60 percent of its arms purchases, but has diversified its suppliers in recent years.
Putin announced record arms sales this year but wants to minimize the effect of the loss of deals with Libya and of uncertainty about the future of longtime client Syria on Russia's defense industry, an important source of political support for him.
Putin, whose country took up the presidency of the G20 this month, also hopes for strong growth in overall trade with India.
In his article, he said the volume of bilateral trade with India was expected to reach a record $10 billion this year, after declining due to the global financial crisis, and set a target of doubling that to $20 billion by 2015.
For Putin, who will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pranab Mukherjee and senior lawmakers, India is the most distant destination since rumors of a back problem emerged after he was seen limping in September.
He had originally been expected to travel to India last month but the Kremlin has dismissed suggestions he has serious health problems, and Putin implied last week that such talk was politically motivated.
(Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
1 of 5. Police use water cannons to disperse demonstrators near the presidential palace during a protest rally in New Delhi December 22, 2012. Indian police used batons, tear gas and water cannon to turn back thousands of people marching on the presidential palace on Saturday in intensifying protests against the gang-rape of a woman on the streets and on social media.
Credit: Reuters/Adnan Abidi
NEW DELHI | Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:23am EST
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian police used batons, tear gas and water cannon to turn back thousands of people marching on the presidential palace on Saturday in intensifying protests against the gang-rape of a woman on the streets and on social media.
The 23-year-old victim is battling for her life in hospital after she was beaten, raped for almost an hour and thrown out of a moving bus on a busy New Delhi street last Sunday. Five people have been arrested.
The protesters, largely college students, are demanding the death penalty for the accused and safety assurances for women.
New Delhi, home to about 16 million people, has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities. Police figures show a rape is reported on average every 18 hours and some other form of sexual attack every 14 hours.
Appealing for calm, India's junior minister for home affairs, R.P.N. Singh, said the government had listened to the protesters.
"We have assured on the floor of the house and on every platform possible that strictest action will be taken against the accused. The police have been asked to show restraint but I want to tell boys and girls that breaking barriers will not help," Singh said.
But the protests are growing amid widespread media coverage.
"If Rahul Gandhi claims to be a youth icon then he should have been here, talking to protesters and taking up the issue of women's safety," one protester said.
Gandhi, the 42-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has ruled India for most of its 65 years of independence, is widely seen as a future prime minister.
Marches, demonstrations and candlelight vigils have spread during the week to cities in states from the north of the country to the south.
In the northeastern state of Assam, hundreds of women and girls marched through the city of Guwahati on Friday, carrying placards and shouting "Hang Rapists" and "Stop Violence Against Women".
(Additional reporting by Anuja Jairam; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Author Salman Rushdie gestures during an interview with Reuters in central London, September 28, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Paul Hackett
MUMBAI | Tue Oct 9, 2012 9:55am EDT
MUMBAI (Reuters) - A film based on Salman Rushdie's novel "Midnight's Children" is set to be screened in India, its distributor said, a month after the movie's director said she feared "insecure politicians" could prevent it from being shown.
The film, which chronicles the story of an Indian family living through the tumultuous events from India's recent past including the partition in 1947 and 1970s state of emergency, features a voiceover by Rushdie.
The British author, who won the coveted Booker Prize for Midnight's Children in 1981, was forced to cancel a visit to a literature festival in his native India earlier this year after assassination threats were made against him.
Rushdie's 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses", which many Muslims deemed blasphemous, is banned in India, and his depiction of sensitive issues like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's role during the Emergency in Midnight's Children had thrown the film's screening into doubt.
Director Deepa Mehta chose to film the movie in Sri Lanka instead of India, after her previous production in the country was hit by protests from right-wing Hindu groups.
But PVR Pictures, the distribution company that has acquired the film in India, does not expect any problems.
"We are not (expecting any trouble). We don't think the film is controversial," Kamal Gianchandani, PVR's president, told Reuters, adding that the film was expected to be released in India in December.
He declined to say whether Rushdie, who has promoted the movie at festivals such as Toronto and Telluride, would be in India to launch it there.
"If the censor board has a perspective, it will be respected," Gianchandani added. "Whatever is the law of the land will be followed in (its) entirety."
Last month, Mehta said she feared "insecure politicians" might derail the film's release plans in India.
(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Henry Foy and Paul Casciato)
By David LjunggrenOTTAWA | Sun Oct 7, 2012 8:38am EDT
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Indian companies are lagging behind when it comes to investing in Canada's giant oil sands but could well start making deals within the next five years, Canadian Energy Minister Joe Oliver says.
Oliver, speaking to Reuters before a visit to Delhi and Mumbai, said Canadian energy industry needs C$650 billion ($663 billion) in investment over the next decade. Ottawa concedes much of it will have to come from abroad.
To some political consternation in Canada, China is rapidly buying up assets in the tar sands of northern Alberta, one of the world's biggest crude oil deposits. But India - the world's fourth largest oil importer - has yet to conclude a deal.
"I think they realize ... they are certainly behind others, and they acknowledge that," Oliver said.
"They are looking to Canada now with increasing interest. I can't predict what precisely they'll do, but I'd certainly be surprised that if in five years from now the picture didn't look quite a bit different."
Last month sources said a trio of state-run Indian oil companies had bid $5 billion for stakes in Canadian oil sands holdings owned by ConocoPhillips (COP.N).
The bid from the group, which comprises producers Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS) and Oil India Ltd (OILI.NS) with refiner and retailer Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), is the first by Indian energy companies for assets in Canada.
Canada is now deciding whether to approve a $15.1 billion bid by Chinese state-owned CNOOC Ltd (0883.HK) for oil producer Nexen Inc (NXY.TO), which is active in the oil sands.
Some in Canada's governing Conservative Party are uneasy about allowing a Chinese state-owned enterprise to buy such assets.
Indian state companies are partly owned by an elected government in what is the world's most populous democracy, and this could help reduce Canadian hesitation about future deals.
Oliver said he would try to boost Canadian energy exports to India. The government, keen to reduce its export reliance on the United States, is already trying to boost oil sales to China.
Canada exported C$1.4 billion ($1.43 billion) worth of natural resources to India last year - including just C$4.1 million in energy products - and Oliver said he sees great potential for more trade.
"There is tremendous complimentarity between our two countries. We have these vast resources - oil, gas, minerals, metals and forestry - and India is growing ... there are immense opportunities," he said.
Oliver - noting that Saudi Arabia and Iran together supply 29 percent of India's oil - said major importers of crude generally want to diversify their sources of supply to include what he called reliable and stable countries.
But any talk of boosting Canadian oil exports to India will depend in part on how soon new pipelines are built from the Alberta oil sands to ports on the Pacific Coast.
Opposition to one of the proposed pipelines, Enbridge Inc's (ENB.TO) Northern Gateway project, is steadily growing and there are doubts as to whether it will ever be built.
($1=$0.98 Canadian)
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Galloway)
Tata Megapixel, a new global car concept, displayed at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show
Geneva, March 6, 2012:
Tata Motors today presented at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show the Tata Megapixel, a new four-seater city-smart global range extended electric vehicle (REEV) concept for the performance-seeking and environment-conscious motorist anywhere in the world. Combining a lithium ion phosphate battery and an on-board petrol engine generator for recharging on the move, the Tata Megapixel offers a range of up to 900 km (with a single tank of fuel), path-breaking CO2 emission of just 22 gm / km and fuel economy of 100 km / litre (under battery only power).
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Prakash M. Telang, Managing Director - India Operations, Tata Motors, said, “The Tata Megapixel, developed by our design centres in India, the UK and Italy, is our idea of a city car for discerning motorists in any megacity of the world. It is a result of the progress we have made on the Tata Pixel, displayed last year, and also denotes the company’s future design direction.”
The class-leading ‘Zero Turn’ drive system of the Tata Pixel (shown at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show) has been taken to an even higher level of manoeuvrability in the Tata Megapixel. The car’s electric drive has four independent electric motors, one at each wheel. When parking, the electric hub motors drive the wheels in opposite directions, while the front wheels are turned at an acute angle, enabling an exceptional 2.8 metre turning radius. The at-home charging system is an as innovative induction charging system. The car has simply to be parked over the induction pad for charging to begin.
The Tata Megapixel is as distinctive in elegantly melding Indian uniqueness – in colours, graphic themes or materials – with global styling preferences. The integrated lamp and grille graphics sweep back over the front wheel arches to render a dynamic front end. It is echoed on the panoramic roof, creating a harmony between sun & shade and sense of interior space. The floating C-pillar and wrap-around belt line finisher integrate perfectly with the sculpted body surface, flowing freely to the rear and encapsulating the 5-spoke wheel design.
A double-sliding door system and the car’s B-pillar less design make entry/exit easy, besides superb visibility. The battery layout and hub motors maximize the interior package. So, the Tata Megapixel comfortably accommodates four adults with luggage. The front seats are cantilevered on the central tunnel, releasing floor space for additional storage. Light leather trims and rose metal details accentuate the joyous marriage of richness of tradition and innovativeness of technology.
This fusion is heightened by an advanced human machine interface (HMI). The console docking point can connect a smart phone with the car. The built-in large touchscreen HMI, at the centre of the instrument panel, thus becomes a common access point for the repertoire of the smart device and for controlling the functions of the car, like temperature, ventilation, driving modes and performance.
Tata Motors’ displays also include the new generation Tata Safari Storme SUV, the Tata Aria crossover, the Tata Indigo Manza sedan and the Tata Indica Vista hatchback.
About Tata Motors Tata Motors is India's largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of Rs. 1,23,133 crores ($ 27 billion) in 2010-11. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, Spain and South Africa. Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, the business comprising the two iconic British brands. It also distributes Fiat cars in India, and has an industrial joint venture with Fiat in India. With over 6.5 million Tata vehicles plying in India, Tata Motors is the country’s market leader in commercial vehicles and among the top three in passenger vehicles. It is also the world's fourth largest truck manufacturer and the third largest bus manufacturer. Tata cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and South America. (www.tatamotors.com)
TECHNOLOGY
OVERVIEW
Range Extended Electric Vehicle - enabling a combined range of up to 900 km.
CO2 emissions of just 22 g/km and fuel economy of 100 km/litre under a combined driving mode (as per ECE R101).
‘Zero Turn’drive maximizes manoeuvrability when parking.
The Tata Megapixel, a range extended electric vehicle (REEV), is a new four-seater city-smart global car concept for the performance-seeking and environment-conscious motorist anywhere in the world.
Combining a lithium ion phosphate battery and an on-board petrol engine generator for recharging on the move, the Tata Megapixel offers a range of up to 900 km (with a single tank of fuel), path-breaking CO2 emissions of just 22 g/km and fuel economy of 100 km/litre under a combined driving mode (as per ECE R101). At home charging is via an innovative inductive charging system. The car has simply to be parked over the induction pad for charging to begin.
The class-leading ‘Zero Turn’ drive system of the Tata Pixel (shown at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show) has been taken to an even higher level of manoeuvrability in the Tata Megapixel. The car’s electric drive has four independent electric motors, one at each wheel. When parking, the electric hub motors drive the wheels in opposite directions, while the front wheels are turned at an acute angle, enabling an exceptional 2.8 metre turning radius.
The Tata Megapixel is as distinctive in elegantly melding Indian uniqueness – in colours, graphic themes or materials – with global styling preferences. The integrated lamp and grille graphics sweep back over the front wheel arches to render a dynamic front end. It is echoed on the panoramic roof, creating a harmony between sun & shade and sense of interior space. The floating C-pillar and wrap-around belt line finisher integrate perfectly with the sculpted body surface, flowing freely to the rear and encapsulating the 5-spoke wheel design.
A double-sliding door system and the car’s B-pillar less design make entry/exit easy, besides superb visibility. The battery layout and hub motors maximize the interior package. So, the Tata Megapixel comfortably accommodates four adults with luggage. The front seats are cantilevered on the central tunnel, releasing floor space for additional storage. Light leather trims and rose metal details accentuate the joyous marriage of richness of tradition and innovativeness of technology.
This fusion is heightened by an advanced human machine interface (HMI). The console docking point can connect a smart phone with the car. The built-in large touchscreen HMI, at the centre of the instrument panel, thus becomes a common access point for the repertoire of the smart device and for controlling the functions of the car, like temperature, ventilation, driving modes and performance.
The Tata Megapixel denotes Tata Motors’ progression from the Tata Pixel, based on the Tata Nano and a city car concept for Europe, reflecting the company’s future design direction
KEY FEATURES
Design
Unique ‘India Global’ exterior and interior design language
Panoramic roof
Light and spacious, elegant interior
Cantilevered seating system
Comfortable seating for four adults
Ergonomic ‘all in one,’ touch screen command centre
Drive system and performance
Electric drive through four independent in-wheel motors
On-board recharging from auxiliary power unit
Maximum vehicle range of over 900 km, including battery range of 87 km
Optimised weight distribution and All-Wheel-Drive for agile handling
Low rolling resistance tyres
City wise
‘Hands free’ induction battery charging
Advanced double sliding side door system for easy entry and egress in confined spaces
Compact dimensions and good all round visibility
Zero turn manoeuvrability with park assist system
‘Hands on’ connectivity via in-vehicle display and smart phone
In-car access to your online world
Integrated ‘infotainment plus’ system with control over key vehicle functions and entertainment system
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India plans to send a satellite via an unmanned spacecraft to orbit Mars next year, joining a small group of nations already exploring the red planet, a government scientist said on Friday.
A rocket will blast off from the southeastern coast of India, dropping the satellite into deep space, which will then travel onto Mars to achieve orbit, the senior scientist said, asking not to be named because the project is awaiting final approval.
A spokesman for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) based in the southern city of Bangalore would not confirm the mission, but commented generally on the ambitions of India's space program.
"After the Moon, worldwide attention is now focused on finding out if there (are) habitable spots on Mars," ISRO's Deviprasad Karnik said.
ISRO scientists expect the satellite to orbit at less than 100 km (62 miles) above Mars.
India's federal cabinet is expected soon to clear the mission, according to media reports this week that said the program will cost about $80 million.
The plan has drawn criticism in a country suffering from high levels of malnutrition and power shortages. But India has long argued that technology developed in its space program has practical applications to everyday life.
India's space exploration program began in 1962. Four years ago, its Chandrayaan satellite found evidence of water on the moon. India is now looking at landing a wheeled rover on the Moon in 2014.
Separately, the United States expects to land NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory vehicle at 1:31 a.m. EDT on Monday (0031 EDT) next to a mountain that may harbor life-friendly environments.
Last year, a Chinese Russian probe failed in a bid to send a satellite to Mars.
TORONTO Aug 1 (Reuters) - Research in Motion refuted on Wednesday a new round of Indian media reports, which claim that the BlackBerry maker has granted the Indian government the encryption keys to its secure corporate email and messaging services.
India is one of the Canadian smartphone maker's few growing markets, where it is expanding aggressively. The company is facing falling sales elsewhere as customers abandon the BlackBerry in favour of Apple's iPhone and a slew of devices using Google Inc's Android software, leading to RIM's shares falling by more than 50 percent over the past one year.
RIM, which has been grappling with the Indian government for years, reiterated that it cannot provide access to its enterprise email and messaging services as the company itself does not possess the encryption keys for the same and these remain in the control of its corporate clients.
The Economic Times, in a report on its website that cited a telecom department official and certain documents reviewed, said that RIM had provided the Indian government a solution that gave it access to corporate emails.
RIM categorically denied this claim in a statement. It has more than once refuted similar claims in India over the last two years.
"RIM is providing an appropriate lawful access solution that enables India's telecom operators to be legally compliant with respect to their BlackBerry consumer traffic, to the same degree as other smartphone providers in India, but this does not extend to secure BlackBerry enterprise communications," said Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM in a statement.
RIM gave India access to its consumer services, including its Messenger services, in January last year after authorities raised security concerns, but said it could not allow monitoring of its enterprise email.
The Indian government is fearful that encrypted BlackBerry services could be used to foster unrest or allow militants to organize or carry out attacks.
'SECURE AND ENCRYPTED'
David Paterson, RIM's head of government relations, said he is positive that the Indian government recognizes encryption is fundamental to attracting and maintaining international business in the country and that it would not make any demands that could jeopardize foreign investment in India.
"The fact is that BlackBerry enterprise communications in India remain secure and encrypted. No change has been made or ever can be made in India or anywhere," he said in an interview.
RIM has also faced similar political pressures in the Middle East and elsewhere. It also blocked pornographic sites on its browsers in Indonesia last year following government pressure.
Enterprise clients -- corporations and government agencies signed up to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server -- are assigned encryption keys stored only on individual user accounts. For such users, any data sent from a BlackBerry is scrambled at the source and reconstituted on arrival at the receiving device.
RIM has long maintained that only the sponsoring business or organization has the technical capability to grant access to encrypted enterprise email.
