'Take action against telcos failing to provide location'

Intelligence agencies have asked the Telecom Department to take stern action against service providers which fail to provide location of a user on a real time basis.

Sources in the central security agencies said the matter was raised by intelligence officials at a recent meeting at the Home Ministry where it was conveyed to the Telecom Department to act against service providers who fail to comply with the guidelines in this regard.

They said during the meeting, the agencies expressed displeasure over "no progress made" on providing location of users on a real time basis.

The agencies recommended "stern action against the service providers failing to provide location information despite clear guidelines from DoT", one of the officials privy to the development said.

In 2011, government had made it mandatory for the telecom service providers to introduce location-based services across the country within three years.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) had amended licence conditions of telecom service providers and asked them to provide location details of users as part of call data records.

According to the target set by the DoT, law enforcement agencies should be able to track 30 per cent mobile users in urban areas within 50 metres of the location pointed out by the telecom operator.

Operators were also mandated to provide location details of 50 per cent of subscribers within 300 metres in semi-urban and rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and other northeastern states.