Govt may refer Blackberry issue to Telecom Commission

New Delhi: The Government is likely to refer the controversial issue of blackberry mobile phones to the Telecom Commission.

The commission will decide whether operators can continue offering this service.

Developed by Canadian firm Research In Motion (RIM), Blackberry allows users to access their e-mails on mobile phones just like an SMS.

Tata Teleservices recently said that they have been denied the permission to offer this value added service by the Ministry of Home Affairs due to security concerns.

Tatas objected that while many other private players are offering the service and have a number of subscribers in their fold and partial treatment could affect Tatas' services.

"We have been told that the Blackberry services do not have (scope for) lawful interception, may be because they do not have a server in India and it may be difficult to monitor the content," TTSL Managing Director Anil Sardana had said.

DoT officials remained tight lipped on whether the existing players have been asked to clarify if they took prior permission of the government or not, but sources said operators may meet Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura on the issue.

Sources, however, said a decision would be taken in consultation with the Home Affairs Ministry after looking into the security aspects of the service.

A number of telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Communications are currently offering Blackberry services to their users.