PRIVATE INTERNET GATEWAY NORMS ANNOUNCED

The government earlier this month cleared norms for private companies wanting to set up international Internet gateways. An inter-ministerial group on Internet security said that only licensed ISPs will be allowed to set up international Internet gateways. This means the foreign investment cap in such ventures will be limited to 49% as given in the ISP policy.

Gateway operators will have to connect routers handling bandwidth above 2 Mbps with the monitoring facilities of national security agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau and the Research Analysis Wing. They will have to install the monitoring equipment and bear the expenses associated with monitoring. Gateway providers can lease out capacity to other private ISPs. Currently, VSNL is the only agency permitted to provide international Internet connectivity to ISPs. VSNL has priced its bandwidth at prohibitive rates and it, along with the department of telecommunications, has been trying its best to hold back applications for gateways from private companies.