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TABLE-India adds 9.3 mln GSM mobile users in Aug Source Sept 10 (Reuters) - Indian GSM mobile operators added 9.31 million users in August, taking their total subscribers to 335.5 million, data from the Cellular Operators' Association of India showed on Thursday. The monthly data does not include GSM subscribers of Reliance Communications Ltd (RLCM.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) and Tata Teleservices [TATASL.UL], who report figures separately. The majority of customers of the two companies use the rival CDMA platform. Following are the additions by GSM mobile operators in August and their total subscriber base. LEADING COMPANIES: COMPANY ADDITIONS (MLN) TOTAL USERS (MLN) --------------------------------------------------------------- Bharti Airtel - 2.82 - 108.00 Vodafone Essar - 2.19 - 80.87 BSNL - 1.36 - 52.06 Idea Cellular - 1.54 - 50.06 Aircel - 1.31 - 24.42 SMALLER PLAYERS: COMPANY ADDITIONS TOTAL USERS(MLN) -------------------------------------------------------------- MTNL - 20,150 - 4.35 Loop Mobile - 66,909 - 2.42 -------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Eleven operators provide mobile services in India, the world's fastest-growing market for such services. Reliance Communications, which had 82 million subscribers at end-July, is India's second-ranked mobile operator. The company expanded its GSM mobile services across the country this year. No.6 operator Tata Teleservices, in which Japan's NTT DoCoMo owns a 26 percent stake, also recently launched GSM services in some telecoms zones.

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Source NEW DELHI: A large sample test of 35 lakh SIM cards issued over two years until April 2009 has revealed that as many as six lakh SIMs—about one in six—do not have verifiable identities, raising fears that the process of issuing cell connections may be open to manipulation by criminals and terrorists. With almost every major terror investigation revealing the use of SIMs procured on the basis of fake IDs, the number of six lakh dodgy cards is very high, given that the government has been keen to push for a more thorough and fool-proof verification process. Recently, an entire series of 30,000 SIMs was cancelled in Jammu and Kashmir after a racket was busted and 12 people arrested. In the Indian Mujahideen case that rocked the country last year, fake SIMs were issued in Kolkata and sold in J&K to terrorist sympathizers. In the Hyderabad blasts case, a SIM card was issued in the name of a Noida doctor who had nothing to do with the terror attack. Results of the DoT survey has spurred the government to initiate a clean-up operation. While asking operators to cancel all such cards with immediate effect, DoT has imposed a hefty penalty on telecom operators that could amount to Rs 50,000 per fake customer detected. DoT’s monitoring cell has conducted its own verification against customer application forms submitted by operators. All telecom operators have to routinely submit their customer data of active connections which is made available to agencies like the Intelligence Bureau, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Enforcement Directorate, Military Intelligence, Narcotics Control Bureau and DoT’s monitoring cell. Sample data is regularly matched against customer application forms for verification of proof of address and photo of actual users by agencies to keep a check on misuse. Sources said the number of fake IDs had been going up despite the government’s tough talk. Penalties have been graded under five categories ranging from Rs 1,000 to a maximum of Rs 50,000 per unverified or fake customer detected. So far, the penalty was Rs 1,000 per SIM given out on fake identity. This was imposed last year after the IM blasts which were followed by the Mumbai attacks. The enhanced penalty has been made applicable from April 1, 2009. Already DoT has slapped fines on various operators which added up to Rs 58 crore until April. Interestingly, the verification of 35 lakh customer application forms in the last two years have revealed an accuracy rate of 60% to 89% for top six telecom operators. Last year, after a dressing down from the home ministry, all major telecom operators had promised to strictly abide by the procedures. The government is also keen to ensure that all active mobile users are checked and verified as monitoring conversations can be used as forensic evidence. The decision to impose a penalty on telecom operators was taken by the government last year after a TOI series highlighted how thousands of SIM cards were being issued to unverified customers even after instances of terrorists using them to trigger blasts had come to light and how the police were unable to track the culprits due to fake identity details. Reacting to the findings, a Bharti Airtel spokesperson said, “As a responsible company, Bharti Airtel complies with all the regulatory guidelines prescribed by the government. The company deploys world-class systems and processes to monitor subscriber information.’’ A spokesperson for Reliance Communication said since there were different parameters followed by Trai and DoT, there could be a possibility of variations. He, however, said the company had sent its response to the authorities. A senior BSNL official said since data on customer application forms were sent from different circles and at times some forms were not reported, this could have led to inaccuracies. Vodafone refused to comment.

The Hindu Friday, June 19, 2009 : 1100 Hrs Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The population of house sparrow, the small bird that lives in nest colonies close to human habitats, is threatened by proliferation of mobile phone towers, erected without scientific norms or strict regulations, claims a recent study by a conservation group in Kerala. The study in Kollam taluk by environmentalist group Kerala Environmental Researchers Association (KERA) claimed that the population of house sparrow -- Passer domesticus -- is on the decline in spots like railway stations, warehouses and human dwellings normally colonised by them. Since its diet comprises seeds, cereals and insects, factors like harmful insects, introduction of unleaded petrol, combustion of which produces highly toxic compounds like methyl nitrite, use of garden pesticides and destruction of open grasslands and mushrooming of bird unfriendly architecture also harm existence of the sparrow. The study holds that uncontrolled and unscientific proliferation of mobile phone towers is bringing down sparrow population, said Prof Zainudeen Pattazhy, who led the study. "Conservation of house sparrows urgently require enforcement of strict rules and regulation on erection of mobile phone towers by the Centre," he said. The study said mobile towers were found to emit electro magnetic waves of a very low frequency of 900 or 1,800 MHz.But this was enough to harm the thin skull of chicks and their egg shells. Hence it is imperative to include this bird in the endangered list and take steps to protect them from vanishing, it said. According to Pattazhy, there are more than 80 mobile towers in Kollam taluk alone. In many places, three or four towers are erected within half a kilometre radius. A mobile tower can emit microwave radiations in the Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR) part of the spectrum of electro magnetic waves. RFR is a source of thermal energy and in adequate doses, has all known effects of heating on biological systems, including burns and cataracts in the eyes. The heating effect of RFR can become a problem in individuals with metallic implants like rods in bones and electromagnetic interference can interact with cardiac pace makers. Acute high dose exposure to RFR may cause injury to the eyes. The cornea and lens are particularly susceptible to frequency of the 1-300 GHz range and formation of lesions in the retina is also possible.

Mobile threat to honey bees: Researcher get invite from Germany Source THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A researcher from Kerala, who recently concluded that radiation from mobile towers grievously harmed honey bees, has been invited to make the key-note presentation at the scientific meet of World Foundation for Natural Science (WFNS) in Germany. According to Prof Sainuddin Pattazhay, a Reader in Zoology in a college in Kollam district, he has been invited to address the meet focussing on Bees Colony Collapase Disorder (BCCD) reported from different parts of the world. The conference was scheduled to be held in Ulm, Germany, on November 6 and 8, Pattazhy said. The study by Pattazhy suggested that honey bees faced a grim threat of extinction for having exposed to mobile phone towers as their radiation was capable of damaging navigational skills of the worker bees which go out and collect nectar from flowers and plants. The phenomenon could also cause cumulative damage to the environment as a whole since bees help pollination, essential for survival of plants. According to WFNS, it is a 'worldwide organization dedicated to healing and restoring the world through responsibility and commitment in accord with natural and divine law'.

Lodge your Grievances online The Department of Administrative Reforms And Public Grievances is the nodal agency to formulate policy guidelines for citizen-centric governance in the country. Redress of citizens' grievances , being one of the most important initiatives of the department, DAR&PG formulates public grievance redress mechanisms for effective and timely redress / settlement of citizens' grievances. The DAR&PG has been making endeavors to bring excellence in public service delivery and to redress grievances of citizens in a meaningful manner by effectively coordinating with different Ministries and Departments of the Government and trying to eliminate the causes of grievances. This is a Government of India Portal aimed at providing the citizens with a platform for redress of their grievances. If you have any grievance against any Government organization in the country, you may lodge your grievance here which will go to the Ministry/Department/State Government concerned for immediate redress. The grievances arising out of Unsatisfactory response or No response from the Ministry/Department concerned will be taken up by the PG officers of DAR&PG who will take up the matter with the Ministry/Department concerned for close monitoring and expeditious redress.

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High BP linked to memory loss Source Studies done on a small number of people have shown that hypertension (high blood pressure) can cause memory loss in people over a period of time. A large-scale study involving nearly 20,000 people and published today in the journal Neurology has now firmly established this. The study, which involved people of age 45 and older, found that high diastolic blood pressure is more likely to cause cognitive impairment or problems with memory and thinking skills compared with people who have normal blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number of a blood pressure reading. 120/80 is considered normal and a reading of 140/90 and above is considered as high BP. The study found that for every 10 point increase in diastolic blood pressure reading, the chances of a person having cognitive problems were 7 per cent higher. The results were valid after adjusting for factors such as age, smoking, exercise level, diabetes, and high cholesterol. The study was undertaken in people who had participated in the Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study in the U.S. Hypertension can damage the arteries’ inner lining, which in turn leads to a chain of events that make the artery walls thick and stiff. It can also cause a build-up inside the vessels, thus making them narrow. The narrowing of the vessels, in turn, reduces the amount of blood that flows into the brain. According to a paper published in 2005 in Neurology, about one quart (1.1 litres) of blood flows through the brain every minute under normal conditions. Any reduction in this amount will prevent the brain from working efficiently. Unlike the heart, the brain receives blood during both systole and diastole. “The brain is very sensitive to lack of oxygen. So any reduction in blood supply will lead to cognitive problems,” said Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, President of the Delhi based Public Health Foundation of India. “While high systolic pressure [the top number of a blood pressure reading] can cause stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure, high diastolic pressure [bottom number of a blood pressure reading] causes subtle damage like cognitive impairment.” The biggest problem with hypertension is that it is asymptomatic, and many people are just not aware of their problem. According to the author of the paper, Georgios Tsivgoulis of the University of Alabama at Brimingham, cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to dementia, can be easily prevented. Prevalence in India According to Prof. Reddy, the prevalence of high blood pressure in India is 24-30 per cent in urban areas and 12-14 per cent in rural areas. “Many population studies have shown that the awareness [of their status] is only 30 per cent in the urban population,” he said. “Of the 30 per cent [who are aware], only half have their BP adequately controlled.” It is far worse in the case of the rural population. “Awareness is only 10-12 per cent, and only 4-5 per cent of these people have their BP adequately controlled.” The simplest preventive measure is to reduce the salt intake. Sodium in salt increases the contractility of the blood vessels. Increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables is yet another preventive strategy. “Potassium in fruits and vegetables counteracts the effects of sodium,” said Prof. Reddy.

The double-membrane factor in evolution of life on Earth Source A protein’s function remains unchanged over time. Cyanobacteria became the primary oxygen producers By comparing proteins present in more than 3,000 different prokaryotes — single-celled organisms without a nucleus — molecular biologist James A. Lake from the University of California at Los Angeles’ Center for Astrobiology showed that two major classes of relatively simple microbes fused together more than 2.5 billion years ago. The study was partly funded by NASA. Lake’s research reveals a new pathway for the evolution of life on Earth. These insights are published online in the journal Nature. Stable organism This endosymbiosis, or merging of two cells, enabled the evolution of a highly stable and successful organism with the capacity to use energy from sunlight via photosynthesis. Further evolution led to photosynthetic organisms producing oxygen as a byproduct. The resulting oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere profoundly affected the evolution of life, leading to more complex organisms that consumed oxygen, which were the ancestors of modern oxygen-breathing creatures including humans. Why compare proteins of 3,000 different prokaryotes and why proteins? Responding to this query, Mr. James Lake noted in an email to this Correspondent: “we compared the entire protein domains because they have several properties that are useful for deep studies of evolution that are not possessed by DNA or amino acid sequences. “For example, a single protein may be coded for by 3,000 DNA nucleotides. Thus the nucleotides within this protein may undergo thousands or millions of changes over time, but the protein itself still performs the same function. “Since we need to study things that are the most resistant to change to go far back in time, presences/absences of proteins are more useful than the DNA sequences themselves. This allows us to go further back in time. “Most importantly, however, protein presences and absences allow us to determine which evolutionary branchings occurred earliest. This is something that traditional DNA and amino acid analyses cannot do,” he noted. A new class The genetic machinery and structural organization of these two organisms merged to produce a new class of prokaryotes, called double membrane prokaryotes. As they evolved, members of this double-membrane class, called cyanobacteria, became the primary oxygen-producers on the planet. They generated enough oxygen to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere. This set the stage for the evolution of more complex organisms such as animals and plants. The merging of the two cells into a double-membrane cell is a significant development for the evolution of an organism capable of photosynthesis as the membranes enveloping the chloroplasts allow unhindered photosynthesis. Better performance “By creating compartments where some processes can be performed without interference by molecules involved in other processes, endosymbiosis can make the cells perform better,” Mr. Lake noted. The double-membrane envelops each chloroplast. Plants have a third membrane, the cellular membrane. “The photosystem in chloroplasts, and the cyanobacteria from which they are derived, are in the inner membrane of the double-membrane,” he stated.

64. Find the longest English word without a vowel. 65. 1, 2, 6, 42, 1806, _ _ _ _ ? 66. I pass before the sun, yet make no shadow. What am I? 67. Where is the world's longest train running ?

Energy from watermelons Source Juice from rejected watermelons is a potential source of biofuel as it can be fermented into ethanol, says a new study. Wayne Fish worked with researchers at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) lab in Lane, Oklahoma, to evaluate the biofuel potential of juice from ‘cull’ watermelons — those not sold due to cosmetic imperfections. “About 20 per cent of each annual watermelon crop is left in the field because they are misshapen,” said Fish. “We’ve shown that the juice of these melons is a source of readily fermentable sugars, representing a heretofore untapped feedstock for ethanol biofuel production,” said Fish. As well as using the juice for ethanol production, either directly or as a diluent for other biofuel crops, Fish suggests that it can be a source of lycopene and L-citrulline, two ‘nutraeuticals’ for which enough demand currently exists. After these compounds have been removed from the ‘cull’ juice, it can still be fermented into ethanol , according to an USDA release. — IANS

Mobile towers threatening honey bees in Kerala Source Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 31 (PTI) Mobile towers are posing a threat to honey bees in Kerala withe electromagnetic radiation from mobile towers and cell phones having the potential to kill worker bees that go out to collect nectar from flowers, says a study. A plunge in beehive population has been reported from different parts of Kerala and if measures are not taken to check mushrooming of mobile powers, bees could be wiped out from Kerala within a decade, environmentalist and Reader in Zoology, Dr Sainudeen Pattazhy says in his study. In one of his experiments he found that when a mobile phone was kept near a beehive it resulted in collapse of the colony in five to 10 days, with the worker bees failing to return home, leaving the hives with just queens, eggs and hive-bound immature bees.

Source LONDON: The world's first laptop with twin monitors is slated to hit the stores by the end of the year. The dual-screen laptop, entitled Spacebook, was masterminded by Alaska-based technology firm gScreen. The pioneering technology, that will let users to multi-task while on the move, will have two 15.4 in screens, reports the Telegraph. The PC is estimated to cost enthusiasts around $3,000 but not without concerns regarding the weight of the Spacebook and the pressure on the batteries to meet the energy demands of running two screens. Gordon Stewart, the founder of gScreen, told US technology website Gizmodo, that the gadget could be expected to be up for grabs on Amazon by December this year, provided final modifications had been dealt with. He said, "We designed this knowing that many may not need the extra screen at all times." Spacebook is thought to be the first of its kind with twin screens of equal size.

Dear it does not mean tata docomo network is bad because its poor in your area.. also it does not mean tata docomo network is the best because i get good coverage in my area. i am posting my experience, you are posting your experience.. We can rate the network based on everyones experience [which includes different locations].. A funny and strange update happened today evening.. i tried to call a reliance cdma number from my docomo number, when i called first time it said "you have reached the mailbox of 9043xxxxxx" {my own number} when i called second time the same reliance cdma number, it said "the airtel customer is not available" and third time it got connected...

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Source So, this is what we have been hearing about ever since the dawn of 2009. The first news of Nokia's netbook aspirations was reported back in February when non other than the Nokia CEO had admitted that it is "interested" in making netbook like computers. Almost seven months down the lane, the culmination of it is what is known as the Nokia Booklet 3G, Nokia's very own netbook! But wait! Nokia seems to be very careful not to use the "netbook" slang for its latest baby and it has reasons. The announcement of the Booklet 3G can well be termed a considerable "shift" in Nokia's line of business - maybe the biggest ever since the manufacturer of paper and rubber goods decided to concentrate on the telecommunications sector. Additionally, this might just be the first time a mobile phone manufacturer has tried to "swim against the tide" and venture into a PC making domain. Let's now delve in to what the Booklet 3G is all about. Is it just another netbook or does Nokia have something special for us here? First off, it will run Windows. As of now, we are quite unsure if it would be anything other than XP because this is a netbook after all - never mind the branding. Inside, it has an Intel Atom processor and is comparable to the current crop of netbooks with its 10.1-inch display. It has a pretty good battery life we hear. 12 hours! Now, we'd really love to see how true this is in real world conditions (as in when you really use the system). It's an HD display (1366 x 768 pixels) and comes with a HDMI port as well - and tipping the scales at 1.25kgs, this one should be a breeze to carry around. The all-aluminum body (which is just 2 cms thin) makes us smell a MacBook inspired design but yeah, that's OK. Nothing wrong in drawing inspiration. Now, for the part where this one will leverage Nokia's telecom expertise. Did someone say this was NOT a netbook? Yeah Nokia did. Here's why. Unlike other notebooks, this one is a 3G/HSPA ready mobile broadband optimized beast of an Internet device promising anywhere-access on the move. It comes with an onboard GPS chip and Ovi Maps is preinstalled (this sounds like a phone description!). Oh and you can make calls with it, thanks to its SIM card slot which happens to be hot swappable. And before you remind us, yes, there's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth thrown in as well. So, apart from the regular netbook features, Nokia has cleverly integrated other connectivity options and functionalities that would make the Booklet 3G a very nice device to have whilst traveling. There is a front facing webcam and an SD card reader in the spec sheet as well. More on the Booklet 3G will be seen at the Nokia World scheduled on Sept. 2 at Barcelona. That's when we'd be hearing when this one makes its official debut. We would also get to know the price range at which one of this kind can be purchased for!

Source Tata Communications has launched Tata Indicom Extra, which will allow all broadband/Internet users in India to access Tata Communications' value added services like Global Internet Roaming, Net Telephony, Wi-Fi, movies, music and over 150 business and home applications. The company claims that this is the first time in India that VAS offerings of one Internet service provider (ISP) is being made available to all internet users even though they may be subscribers of other ISPs. Tata Indicom Extra is a product with which a user can purchase offline or online. The prepaid cards can be bought in denominations ranging from Rs. 200 to Rs. 6,500, giving complete freedom and ease to customers in selecting a service they wish to use.

ICICI Bank is proud to present iMobile on CDMA network – a first in India. We are launching this BREW version of iMobile specifically for our customers using CDMA handsets*. If you are registered for ICICI Bank's mobile banking services and use CDMA phones*, you can now use iMobile**, our complete mobile banking suite. iMobile** allows you to pay your bills, check your account balance, transfer money, recharge your pre-paid mobile and carry out many more transactions. Now you can bank anytime, anywhere**. *Currently available on the Tata Indicom network for select handsets. **Service provider charges may apply. ICICI Bank Terms and Conditions for mobile banking services apply. More Information here Hope Reliance will also do it soon.. Long time i am waiting to use this application on my 6265 Reliance..

Domestic and international long-distance call charges are set to fall as the government may accept telecom regulator TRAI's recommendation to allow using calling-cards to provide the subscriber the option to choose his or her operator. Introducing calling-cards for making STD and ISD calls is the best alternative to the carrier selection code (choice of operators) as this would save cost, which can be spent on upgrading the networks of existing operators. Using calling-cards will increase competition in the long-distance segment and in turn will benefit over 370 million subscribers, telecom analysts said, adding this may bring down international calling-charges by up to 70 percent. In its recommendations submitted last year, TRAI had said that considering implementation issues like estimating and sharing network setup/upgrade cost by long-distance operators, implementing Carrier Selection may not be justified in the present scenario and consumers will be better served if the cost is spent on developing next-generation telecom infrastructure. The Department of Telecom (DoT) had constituted a committee of senior officials and those from its technical wing Telecom Engineering Consultant (TEC), and has forwarded its report to the Telecom Commission for approval. The Telecom Commission is meeting in New Delhi on Monday to consider the report, sources said, adding the committee has recommended introducing long-distance calling-cards for subscribers to select carriers. Long-distance calls will be allowed from both basic and mobile phones. In India there are 23 domestic long-distance and 18 international long-distance service providers, who will benefit from the move. The DoT committee has recognised that calling-cards issued by the STD/ISD operators offer customers the choice of making calls from any access network and yet have the calls routed through the network of their choice. It also observed that out of three possible modes of carrier selection -- call-by-call section (CS), Carrier Pre-Selection (CPS) and calling-cards -- the first one offers the maximum flexibility and convenience to the consumer. However, as the cost of introducing it is considered unjustified at present vis-a-vis the monetary benefits likely to accrue to the customer, the committee has recommended that the option of introducing the call-by-call carrier selection may considered at an appropriate time in future Source: DDNews

Source Even as the policy for auctioning spectrum for 3G mobile services is yet to be finalised, the Department of Telecom is already thinking about the introduction of fourth generation technologies (4G) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). The DoT has taken a view that each operator offering 4G technologies should be given at least 10 Mhz spectrum compared to just 5 Mhz for 3G services. "4G technology, LTE Advance, may also come in India in 2.1 Ghz band, as 2.5 Ghz is mostly used for satellite-based networks. For this technology, the minimum channel size required is 10 Mhz. We need to cater for the introduction of this technology in the country," the DoT stated in a presentation to the Empowered Group of Ministers. Long Term Evolution is the next step of mobile evolution, designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks. Major mobile carriers in the United States and several carriers worldwide have announced plans to convert their networks to LTE. LTE could allow data transfer rates to and from mobile devices between 15 and 100 times faster than 3G networks. The technology provides downlink peak rates of at least 100Mbps. However, the technology is still being developed globally. Companies including Ericsson and Nokia Siemens are working towards developing standards. Mass deployment of this technology is expected only by 2012. In India most operators are looking to move to this technology by 2011, once they start making money on 3G services. On right track According to industry experts, the DoT is on the right track by identifying at least 10 Mhz for LTE. "LTE is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access (OFDMA) technology which requires higher quantum of bandwidth than CDMA technologies. WiMax is also an OFDMA technology and that is why the DoT has earmarked 20 Mhz bandwidth for it. OFDMA technologies increase efficiencies and offer high data speeds only when there is adequate spectrum," said an industry expert.

How to make hair silky, non-sticky and shining? What to use and what not to use? TFM and Grade - applicable to Shampoo and Conditioners also ?

Come 1st April and you need not have to sweat it out looking for an ATM of your own bank as you can use ATMs of your choice without shelling out any extra money. Thanks to an RBI directive, much to the relief of common man, banks have been prevented from charging any fee for cash withdrawals using ATM and debit cards issued by other banks from 1st April onwards. However, banks can still charge extra for services like cash withdrawal with the use of credit cards and at ATMs located outside India. Last year on 10th March, the RBI had come out with guidelines limiting the fee charged by banks for using their ATMs by clients of other lenders to Rs 20. It had also allowed the use of ATM for purposes like balance enquiry free of any charge. This was to ensure greater transparency and to facilitate usage of any ATM installed within the country by customers without shelling out more, the central bank had said. At present, banks charge Rs 20 per transaction when a customer uses the cash machine of any bank other than the one in which he/she has an account with. At the end of December 2007, there were 32,342 ATMs in the country and various banks have entered into bilateral and multi-lateral arrangements with other banks to have inter-bank ATM networks. (NZ-29/03) Source DD News

Source Faced with the prospect of the 10-digit series of mobile numbers being exhausted soon, owing to the rapid growth in mobile telephony, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a telecom research and development organisation, is studying whether the Unique Identity Number could be converted into mobile numbers. The identity number is part of the government's ambitious Unique Identity (UID) programme to provide all citizens with an identity card in three or four years. The recently constituted UID Authority is headed by by former Infosys Chief Nandan Nilekani. Synchronising mobile numbers with driving licence numbers is another option under consideration. "We are looking at this one-number concept so that a single number can be used for different purposes," C-DOT Executive Director P V Acharya told PTI. The Department of Telecom (DoT) is planning to come up with 11- and 12-digit numbers, but Acharya pointed out that there was no guarantee that these would also not be exhausted. India adds over 10 million subscribers every month. However, Acharya added that the one-number concept may not be usable right away since there are certain issues of protocol and standards. “We are examining whether it is usable and if so, then what modifications are required in the infrastructure,” he added. He said the project is still at a preliminary stage and no funding has been decided yet. C-DOT has started the study project in May and is likely to come up with some conclusion within a year. The government is planning to rework the current numbering plan and is already debating with the telecom regulator on the feasibility of offering 11- and 12-digit numbers can be offered. The present numbering plan was framed in 2003 to serve an estimated 750 million subscribers until 2030. However, the booming Indian telecom sector is likely to reach that figure much before that, since India’s current mobile subscriber base is already 440 million. India is not the only country in which mobile numbers have had to be changed because of rapid growth story and new operators. China and the UK are among others to have had to do the same.