Warning that modern technology can be a powerful instrument in the hands of terrorists, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there was a need for cooperation between telecom industry - operators and equipment makers - and security agencies to combat the menace.
"As I have been briefed about the havoc in Mumbai, I also discovered that modern technology and also the way powerful instruments in the hands of anti social elements like terrorists, and how they could make use of this advanced technology like internet.
"So it is very important that there should be effective cooperation and coordination between the agencies whose responsibility is to safeguard security efforts and the producers and all those who are in the industry," Singh said at India Telecom 2008, organised by industry chamber FICCI.
The telecom industry currently provides real-time support through legal intercepts and monitoring mechanism.
Terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks had managed to secure SIM cards and maintain a communication network out of the country - a matter of concern for security agencies which, as a matter of fact, have the power and ability to intercept the data and calls.
Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura said that Department of Telecom (DoT) has a security wing specially to have useful coordination between intelligence agencies, industry and the licensor (DoT) itself.
Speaking on the contribution of telecom sector, Singh said that it was quite clear that communication has been the major propeller of India's economy but it has to be a sustainable communication.
