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Illegal ISP

Dear Editor,

I am the Director of an ISP called Worldwide.com Limited in Hardwar where we have a network operation control center. Our company has been in business for the last 12 months. An organization in our area called M/s India 2 Cable has been providing Internet access through cable for some time. M/s India 2 Cable is not registered as a private limited company, and has acquired a license from another company called Data Access (I) Limited to distribute bandwidth. It has come to our knowledge that M/s India 2 Cable has not taken the necessary clearances and permissions from the DoT for ISP services. I have brought this in notice of the legal authorities, and recently, BSNL, Hardwar has taken positive steps to protect the interests of ISPs like us.

Regards
Vivek Khanna
Director
Worldwide.com Limited

Dear Vivek,

It is sad to hear that another organization has been in the market without the necessary permits. And I am glad that you have brought it to the notice of the legal authorities. Congratulations to BSNL, Hardwar for springing into action. I hope this event will act as a deterrent for organizations trying to provide illegal ISP services in future. I am glad to share your experience with my readers.

Calling cards in India

Dear Editor

I am the International R&D Manager of a Phonecard company based in Australia. I would like some advice from you about the Indian telecom market.

We wish to launch an international prepaid calling card in India, which will enable users to call overseas at competitive rates. Is it possible to do this in India? Also is it possible to operate international toll free numbers in India, where people can call the number from India? If yes, which are the companies providing it.

Regards
Vernon Grigg
International R&D Manager
Mercantile Pacific Private Limited
Melbourne, Australia.

Dear Vernon Grigg,

The telecom market in India is very large and is expanding very fast. This is mostly because the consumer base in India is very large. To get relevant information on which you can depend to start your business in India, I would advise you to get in touch with consultants like IDC, Gartner, McKinsey, and PWC.

Telecom companies like BSNL and MTNL already have pre-paid calling cards in the market. And these companies will also allow you to dial international toll free numbers.

I wish you all the best in your business venture.

Wireless LAN

Dear Soutiman,

I read your article on Wireless LANs, in the November issue of Network Magazine 2001. It is very interesting and informative.

Please let me introduce myself. I am Abu Hurraira Siddiqui, pursuing an MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management, Pune. I am doing a research project on Broadband Wireless. And my topic of interest is Wireless LAN. Your article was of great help to me.

Could you please send me the soft copy of the same along with other relevant articles, information, and sites? It would be invaluable for my research.

Regards
Abu Hurraira Siddiqui
Dear Abu Hurraira Siddiqui,

Thank you for appreciating the article on WLANs. You can download the article text from www.networkmagazineindia.com and use it for your presentation. Please do mention the source along with the text.

For more information on WLANs you can visit www.wlana.com or WLAN vendor Websites.

ISDN connection

Dear Editor,

Thank you for a very interesting article about ISDN. I have been struggling for a month trying to connect to Numeris of France Telecom in the French West Indies. I have an SMC router that will work with my Mac laptop and Airport, but now I apparently need an ISDN digital modem. I am not sure which interface I need. No one here seems to know, perhaps you know the French system. I know you are in India, which is one of my favorite places. However, do suggest me a remedy.

Regards
Elizabeth Noble

Dear Elizabeth Noble,

Thank you for appreciating the article on ISDN technology. I am afraid I shall not be able to help you much on ISDN interface issues in France. If you already haven't got in touch with your ISP, you can perhaps contact your hardware vendor helpdesk for a solution.

VoIP queries

Dear Editor,

I have some queries.

a) Is VoIP allowed on a leased line network?
b) In call centers and telecommuting, is interconnect with PSTN lines allowed for incoming lines?
c) When is Net Telephony going to be legalized?
d) What are the options available to call centers for call routing across India?
e) Can private ISPs provide voice services on its backbones?

Regards
Srinivas Susarla
Operations Manager
Oracle India
Richmond Road
Bangalore

Dear Srinivas Susarla,

I have addressed your queries and have forwarded your queries to other consultants as well. I will get back to you with their responses soon.

a) VoIP is certainly allowed on a leased line network provided the VoIP network is restricted to links and users within the company.
b) Interconnect with PSTN lines are not allowed for incoming calls.
c) VoIP is set to be legalized in April 2002. (My fingers are crossed).
d) Call centers can only use the telecom department's backbone infrastructure for call routing in India.
e) Technologically, its easy for an ISP to provide voice services on its backbone. Its just the question of adding a few functionalities to the routers and switches. But its not legally permissable in India as yet.

DSL

Dear Mahesh,

Your article on DSL in the November issue of Network Magazine was very useful. Can you recommend a book that could give me more information on DSL and its related technologies, fibre connectivity, and wireless connectivity.

Regards
D.Chaudhry

Dear D. Chaudhry,

Thank you for appreciating the article on DSL technology. Several publishers like IDG Books and O'Rielly publish books on the topics you have mentioned. Do go to their websites or look at your nearest bookstore for a catalog of titles.

More on VPNs

Dear Editor,

I have recently started reading Network Magazine. I have found that the magazine provides a lot of knowledge and information to readers. I sincerely thank all of you for that. I would like to know if any of your past issue has covered the topic of VPNs. I will appreciate if you can refer me some books or websites pertaining to information regarding this topic.

Regards.
Shailen Mishra

Dear Shailen Mishra,

Thank you for appreciating my magazine. I sincerely hope that my magazine will continue to provide you with valuable knowledge and information. You can visit www.networkmagazineindia.com and run a search on previous articles regarding VPNs. For more information you can visit vendor VPN websites for white papers and VPN news.

Great work

Dear Editor,

The cover story on wireless LANs was very well done. Will wireless LANs of two different vendors interoperate with each other? Regards

Vikash Sharma

Dear Vikash Sharma,

Thank you for appreciating the WLAN cover story. WLAN equipment should not have interoperability issues because all vendors conform to standards. If both vendors follow the same standard, the equipment should interoperate without issues.

Editor's note:

With regard to the interview with Narendra Bhandari in the Novemebr 2001 issue, I would like to point out that Xeon processor's are suitable for SME's and larger enterprises. Xeon will continue to co-exist with Itanium.