Current affairs- March 29,2016
Telecom panel clears entry of virtual operators
In
order to allow telecom service providers to improve utilisation of their
networks, the Telecom Commission has cleared a proposal to allow licensing of virtual network operators (VNOs).
These VNOs, after getting a licence for operations, will be able to buy minutes
and bytes to offer voice and data services, respectively.
Who
is a VNO?
A
virtual network operator is akin to a retailer selling products and services of
various companies under one roof, and a customer has to pay a single bill for
all items purchased.
§ Such
an operator will primarily provide various services to end consumers by using
the underlying network of a network service operator.
Key
facts:
§ VNOs do not have spectrum of their own for
access service, but can provide access services to its own
customers through an agreement with the licensed access provider. A VNO leases
bandwidth from various telecom operators to provide voice and data services to
customers.
§ They cannot participate in spectrum auction for
access services in their service areas, as they cannot have their own spectrum.
§ VNO
will be able to invest in setting up mobile towers and other elements in
network required for providing services. However, it will not be able to sign
deal directly to interconnect infrastructure laid by it with other telecom
operator.
§ VNO
will be able to integrate service and offer it to customer as it wants. There
will be no limit on
integration and offering of services from licence or
government that will be available shortly.
§ In
case a VNO has partnered with multiple service providers, then it can offer
voice call service of one and data service of other player.
Significance
of this move:
§ The
VNO, after obtaining licence from the government for its operations, can
function under its own brand offering a plethora of services such as mobile
telephony, broadband, wireless hotspots, etc at the last mile and in areas
where stressed balance sheets of large telecom companies do not allow them to
invest for rolling out infrastructure.
§ This
would also allow telecom companies to leverage network and spectrum investment
made by them, as this move will allow the virtual network operators to invest
in setting up almost 70% to 80% of the equipment required to offer
communication services. And hence, VNOs would contribute to the efficient use
of existing telecommunication infrastructure.
§ VNOs
may also offer some relief to telecom PSUs, BSNL and MTNL, which have already
adopted a revenue-sharing model focusing on reducing capital expenditure.
Indian Air Force facing capacity crisis: U.S. expert
A
U.S. expert, in his report, has said that India’s aerial fighting force is
inadequate on a number of parameters.
§ The
report, titled “Troubles, they come in
Battalions: The Manifest Travails of the Indian Air Force”,
is a sharp analysis of the current state of the IAF’s preparedness to face down
threats from potentially troublesome neighbours.
Highlights
of the report:
§ The
report notes, “Falling end strength and problematic force structure, combined
with its troubled acquisition and development programs, threaten India’s air
superiority over its rapidly modernising rivals, China and Pakistan.”
§ It
also says, “As of early 2016, the IAF was very weak and at nominally 36.5
squadrons, it is well short of its sanctioned strength, and many of its
frontline aircraft are obsolete.”
§ On
the other hand China and Pakistan have apparently fielded close to 750 advanced
air defence or multirole fighters against the IAF’s 450-odd equivalents, and by
2025, China may well be in a position to deploy anywhere between 300 and 400
sophisticated air craft against India, in addition to likely 100 to 200
advanced fighters by Pakistan.
According
to the report, the main barriers to embarking on a successful acquisition and
modernisation drive-
§ Serious
constraints on India’s defence budget.
§ The
impediments imposed by the acquisition process.
§ The
meagre achievements of the country’s domestic development organisations.
§ The
weaknesses of the higher defence management system.
§ India’s
inability to reconcile the need for self-sufficiency in defence production with
the necessity of maintaining technological superiority over rivals.
Recommendations
made by the report:
§ Be
cautious about expanding the Tejas acquisition beyond six squadrons and
consider enlarging the MMRCA component with the cheapest fourth-generation-plus
Western fighter available.
§ Expand
investments in advanced munitions, combat support aircraft, electronic warfare,
physical infrastructure, and pilot proficiency while being realistic about
domestic capacity to produce sophisticated combat aircraft.
Air
dominance is vital for India if it were to have deterrence stability in
southern Asia and for preserving the strategic balance in the wider
Indo-Pacific region.
Government Unveils New Defence Procurement Policy
The
much-awaited new defence procurement policy was recently unveiled by the
government with an aim to ensure transparency, fast track acquisition process
and give a push to ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Key
facts:
§ To
be applicable from April, the procurement policy lays the roadmap on how India,
the world’s largest arms importer, will acquire defence equipment in the
future.
§ The
new DPP has included a new category to acquire weapons–IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured).
The IDDM will be the first preferred category of preference.
§ The
new policy also allows the Defence Acquisition Council to take a “fast-track” route to acquire weapons, something which was limited to only
the armed forces till now.
§ In
a bid to cut down on the time taken for acquisition process, it mandates that
all AONs (Acceptance of Necessity) of a particular platform will be valid for only six months as
against the 12-month deadline now.
§ Also,
no AON will be notified until it is accompanied by a finalised RFP (Request for
Proposal or tender). This means that the time taken for an RFP is cut down
drastically.
§ Defence
export clearances will now be granted online. The policy will also include
‘Start-up India’ initiative.
§ A
review of the new DPP will be undertaken after six months.
Facts
The ninth edition of DefExpo India,
a biennial exhibition of land, naval and
internal homeland security systems, being organised by the
Defence Ministry, kicked off in Goa. More than 1,000 companies from 47
countries are participating in the event.
1.
Indian Naval ship Beas is
on an official visit to Doha, Qatar to participate in the fifth edition of Doha International Maritime Defence
Exhibition (DIMDEX). DIMDEX is held biennially at Doha and
provides an ideal platform for showcasing our indigenous shipbuilding
capability and technological prowess as well as innovation in Naval systems.
INS Beas, an indigenous Brahmaputra Class frigate will represent the Indian
Navy at DIMDEX 16.
2.
India has decided to adopt ‘112’ as the national emergency number,
similar to ‘911’ in the US and ‘999’ in the UK, with the inter-ministerial
telecom commission giving a go-ahead to the move. The roll-out of ‘112’ may see
a gradual phase-out of existing emergency numbers like 100 (for police), 101
(fire), 102 (ambulance) and 108 (disaster management), though they will continue
to be in operation for at least a year. Telecom regulator Trai had suggested
the adoption of 112 as the national emergency number in its recommendations
submitted to the telecom department last year.
3.
Gujarat has been named the most
film-friendly state in the country for its effort to ease the shooting of films. This
was announced at the recently concluded 63rd National Film Awards. The ‘Most
Film-Friendly State’ award was introduced this year.
4.
Haryana
Cabinet approved a bill to provide reservations to Jat community along with
Other 4 communities in government jobs and education.
