According to a latest circular issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the government has mandated storage of international calls, satellite phone calls, conference calls and messages made over normal networks as well as on the internet for a period of at least two years.
This move has come in the backdrop of an amendment made in the unified licence (UL) in December 2021 by the DoT which extended storage of call data records as well as internet logs to two years from earlier provision of one year. UL holders are telecom companies that provides all telecom services, except satellite phone services.
The amendment applies to companies who have subscribed to these licences and it includes Tata Communications, Cisco’s Webex, AT&T Global Network, etc.. Lately, the DoT made amendments in ILD licence which besides extending an additional one year for maintaining call detail records includes provision for storing details of international communications made using internet protocol.
Meanwhile, a similar amendment has been issued for licence issued to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for providing satellite phone calls and data services as well as for very small aperture terminal (VSAT) licence holders who provide satellite based services mandating them to maintain call data and internet communications records for at least two years.
