Prasad launches maritime communication services in India

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday launched maritime communication services here.

He also launched a web portal for reporting stolen mobiles to help trace them.

Speaking on the occasion, he said maritime connectivity will enable high-end support to those travelling on sailing vessels, cruise liners and ships in India by use of satellite technology and provide access to voice, data and video services.

An official release said that Nelco, India's leading VSAT solutions provider, will now provide quality broadband services to the maritime sector.

It said that Nelco, through global partnerships, infrastructure including transponder capacity on the satellite of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and a comprehensive service portfolio, will help energy, cargo and cruise vessels by enabling customer services.

The release said that IFMC (in-flight and maritime connectivity) licence has not only enabled connectivity for onboard users on ships but also brings operational efficiency for shipping companies.

The government had in December last year announced licences for IFMC that allows voice and internet services while flying over the Indian skies and sailing in Indian waters, both for international and Indian aircraft and vessels.

P J Nath, MD and CEO of NELCO, said that they will also be offering a bouquet of digital services to cater to the needs of the various types of maritime vessels.

The release also said that a project called Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system has been undertaken by the Department of Telecom for addressing security, theft and other concerns including reprogramming of mobile handsets.

The major objectives of the project include blocking of lost/stolen mobile phones across mobile networks, prevention of mobile devices with duplicate and fake IMEIs and curtail the use of counterfeit mobile devices.