If the Department of Telecom (DoT) has its way, the country will soon have a nationwide network that will facilitate secured communication for the government use. The project estimated to cost Rs. 4.5 billion aims to provide secured network-based services for the government such as e-mail, Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) and mobile communication. Around Rs. 3 billion has been allocated for setting up fixed and wireless network infrastructure, while Rs. 1 billion has been set aside for operational expenditure for five years. The remaining Rs. 500 million will go toward research and development.
According to the Times of India, DoT’s working group points out that the country presently depends on e-mail and VoIP services that are provided by foreign companies. Though these services may be secure from hackers, the communication can still be accessed by the government of other countries where servers are hosted.
The DoT has suggested that such network will ensure data traffic does not flow outside the country. Also, the traffic should be routed through National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), a government-affiliated organisation that facilitates the exchange of domestic Internet traffic.
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