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Subject: Emerging TechXCommunication

  • DoT panel approves TRAI suggestions on satcom spectrum

    DoT panel approves TRAI suggestions on satcom spectrum

    Why in the News

    • The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) has approved most of TRAI’s recommendations on spectrum allocation for satellite communication.
    • Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications have received permission to provide satellite communication services in India.

    DoT = Department of Telecommunications.

    • It is a department under the Ministry of Communications, Government of India.
    • It is responsible for telecom policy, licensing, spectrum management and regulation-related functions.
    • The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) is the highest decision-making body within DoT.
    • TRAI is the independent statutory regulator that makes recommendations, while DoT/Government takes the final decision on matters such as licensing and spectrum assignment.

    Why Satellite Spectrum is Administratively Assigned

    • The Telecommunications Act, 2023 provides for administrative assignment of spectrum for specified satellite-based services.
    • Satellite spectrum is a shared resource, unlike spectrum used for exclusive terrestrial networks.
    • Frequencies and orbital resources require international coordination through the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
    • Terrestrial telecom operators have raised concerns about competitive parity, since they acquire spectrum through auctions.

    Importance of Satellite Broadband

    • Provides connectivity in remote and difficult terrain where fibre and terrestrial backhaul are not viable.
    • LEO satellites offer lower latency than geostationary satellites.
    • Useful for:
      • Rural and remote connectivity
      • Maritime and aviation communication
      • Disaster-resilient communications
      • Areas where terrestrial networks are damaged or unavailable
    • Satellite networks are expected to complement rather than replace terrestrial networks.

    Key Challenges

    • High cost: Satellite terminals and services can be expensive compared with India’s low-cost terrestrial broadband.
    • Limited capacity: Satellite capacity is shared among users within a footprint.
    • Security requirements: Lawful interception, domestic gateways and data-routing requirements increase compliance complexity.
    • Orbital congestion: Growing satellite constellations increase collision and space-debris risks.
    • Competition concerns: Differences in spectrum assignment methods may create concerns regarding a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial operators.

    Way Forward

    • Target satellite broadband initially towards remote institutions, schools, health centres and government facilities.
    • Link authorisation with coverage obligations for underserved areas.
    • Strengthen space debris mitigation and deorbiting requirements.
    • Maintain a transparent framework for spectrum pricing, assignment and security compliance.
    • Develop a complementary model integrating satellite and terrestrial networks.

    Back to Basics: TRAI

    • TRAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
    • Established in 1997 under the TRAI Act, 1997.
    • Regulates the telecommunications sector.
    • Functions include:
      • Tariff regulation
      • Quality of service standards
      • Telecom regulations
    • Its recommendations on licensing and spectrum assignment are advisory, with the final decision resting with the government.
    • TDSAT handles telecom disputes and appeals against specified regulatory decisions.

    Prelims Pointers

    • DCC → Highest decision-making body within DoT.
    • DCC Chairperson → Telecom Secretary.
    • TRAI → Statutory telecom regulator.
    • Telecommunications Act, 2023 → Provides framework for spectrum assignment.
    • Satellite spectrum → Generally administratively assigned for specified services.
    • ITU → International coordination of radio frequencies and orbital resources.
    • LEO satellites → Lower latency than GEO satellites.
    • IS4OM → Space situational awareness and safe space operations.

    [2011] Satellites used for telecommunication relay are kept in a geostationary orbit. A satellite is said to be in such an orbit when:

    1. The orbit is geosynchronous.
    2. The orbit is circular.
    3. The orbit lies in the plane of the Earth’s equator.
    4. The orbit is at an altitude of 22,236 km.

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below:A

    [a] 1, 2 and 3 only

    [b] 1, 3 and 4 only

    [c] 2 and 4 only

    [d] 1, 2,3 and 4

  • What is ‘One Nation, One Time’?

    Why in the News

    The Centre has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, making Indian Standard Time (IST) the single reference for legal, administrative, commercial and other official purposes across the country. The Rules follow a draft notified by the Department of Consumer Affairs in January 2025, and the work of a high-power inter-ministerial committee constituted to build a policy, regulatory and legislative framework for adopting IST under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. IST already existed and was already maintained by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL). It was not mandatorily adopted, and many telecom and internet service providers continued to take their time from foreign satellite sources such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). The change is about legal compulsion, and about where critical infrastructure gets its time from, not about setting the clock.

    What do the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026 do?

    1. They make one time reference legally binding: IST becomes the single reference for legal, administrative, commercial and other official purposes across the country.
    2. They allow a transition period: The Rules come into force 180 days from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette, so departments, businesses and institutions can change their systems first.
    3. They name the permitted domestic sources: The Rules enable the use of the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), India’s own satellite navigation system, along with other approved Indian timing sources for time dissemination.

    Why does India need a legally fixed time reference?

    1. Digital systems record events by timestamp: Banking and digital payments, telecommunications, railways, power systems, computer networks and government records all depend on accurate time and time stamps.
    2. Divergent sources corrupt sequence: Differences between time sources affect the coordination and the recording of these activities, so two systems can disagree about the order in which events happened.
    3. The listed users are the critical ones: The common reference is meant to support time-stamping of banking and digital payment transactions, coordination among railways, airports and other transport systems, reliable functioning of telecommunication and internet networks, precise time-keeping in power systems, the upkeep of government and legal records, and coordination of emergency services.

    How is IST generated and distributed?

    1. The definition: IST is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the international reference time, with a plus five hours thirty minutes offset, and it is maintained by CSIR-NPL.
    2. The precision claimed: IST is generated using advanced atomic clocks and satellite links to ensure traceability to UTC with an uncertainty of less than 3 nanoseconds.
    3. How users receive it today: It is widely disseminated at millisecond accuracy through Network Time Protocol servers at CSIR-NPL.
    4. The satellite path: ISRO has been given traceability to IST at nanosecond accuracy through satellite links to NavIC.

    How did the push for a common time begin?

    1. The draft stage: The Department of Consumer Affairs notified draft Rules in January 2025 proposing to synchronise time across India, working with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to disseminate IST with millisecond to microsecond accuracy from the five legal metrology laboratories.
    2. The gap it identified: The trademark for IST had been registered in 2024, and the time itself had not been legalised in India.
    3. The committee that framed it: A high-power inter-ministerial committee headed by the Secretary (Consumer Affairs) drew in NPL, ISRO, IIT Kanpur, the National Informatics Centre, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the Securities and Exchange Board of India, and the railways and telecom departments.

    What is the security case for cutting reliance on foreign time sources?

    1. The stated national security ground: The government’s position is that synchronising all networks and systems to IST is essential for national security, for real-time applications and for the smooth operation of critical infrastructure.
    2. The demonstration already built: Under the One Nation, One Time initiative, a White Rabbit Technology-based IST Dissemination Demonstration Network was commissioned in July 2026 at the Regional Reference Standard Laboratory in Bengaluru, using a fibre-based method that distributes time at sub-nanosecond accuracy.
    3. The claim made for it: The network is described as upholding the sovereignty of the nation’s digital infrastructure by eliminating reliance on foreign time sources like GPS, and as giving critical sectors maximum protection against cyber-attacks and data manipulation.

    Challenges to a single legal time reference

    1. One clock across a wide longitudinal span: India stretches across roughly 30 degrees of longitude, so sunrise and sunset in the far east of the country run close to two hours ahead of the far west against the same clock. Eg. Assam has repeatedly pressed for a separate time an hour ahead, and its tea estates already run on such a working clock informally.
      The Fix: Stagger office and school hours administratively in the north-eastern States, which captures the daylight gain without splitting the legal time reference the Rules have just unified.
    2. Compliance across private networks is unaudited: Telecom and internet operators must re-point their time servers, and no published mechanism verifies that they have. Eg. Network equipment commonly synchronises to satellite-derived time by default in its firmware, without the operator making an active choice.
      The Fix: Require licensed operators to file an annual traceability certificate against CSIR-NPL time as a licence condition.
    3. Internet-delivered time is too coarse for the highest-precision users: Time delivered over the public internet is accurate to milliseconds, and grid protection and trade sequencing are specified in microseconds. Eg. Synchrophasor measurement in power systems and order sequencing on securities exchanges both need microsecond-level agreement between distant nodes.
      The Fix: Extend the fibre-based distribution path from the reference laboratories to grid control centres and exchange data centres before the Rules take effect.
    4. A domestic chain still needs local fallback: A node cut off from its time source drifts unless it holds an independent clock of its own. Eg. A ground segment error in the Global Positioning System in 2016 broadcast an offset of about 13 microseconds and disrupted telecom and broadcast equipment across several countries.
      The Fix: Mandate local holdover clocks at critical nodes, rated to hold accuracy for a defined outage duration.

    Conclusion

    Notifying a legal time reference is the easy half of the exercise. The harder half is re-pointing the equipment inside banks, exchanges, grid control centres and telecom networks that currently takes its time from a foreign satellite by default, and none of that follows automatically from a notification. The marker to watch is whether the Department of Consumer Affairs publishes a compliance and audit mechanism, naming who certifies traceability and at what interval, before the transition window closes.

    Back2Basics: Legal Metrology Act, 2009

    1. It is the law governing weights, measures and units of measurement in India, administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
    2. It replaced the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and the Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985.
    3. It establishes the International System of Units as the basis for standard units, and provides for verification and stamping of weights and measuring instruments.
    4. Enforcement rests largely with State legal metrology departments, with the Centre setting the standards and framing the Rules.

    Matching Previous Year Question

    “In which of the following areas can GPS technology be used ? 1. Mobile phone operations 2. Banking operations 3. Controlling the power grids Select the correct answer using the code given below : (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3”

  • Will ‘talking’ cars reduce road accident deaths?

    Why in the News

    The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will mandate Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication, a system through which vehicles exchange movement data wirelessly and warn drivers of an approaching collision risk. The draft Central Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2026 set out that mandate and invited public objections within 30 days of publication.

    How does Vehicle to Vehicle communication work?

    1. An on board unit does the exchanging: An On Board Unit (OBU) fitted in the vehicle sends data to and receives data from other vehicles wirelessly.
    2. The data exchanged is movement data: Vehicles continuously share real time speed, position, direction and acceleration.
    3. The carrier is cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology: The system uses cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X), a mobile network based standard for vehicle communication, in the 5.875 GHz to 5.925 GHz band.
    4. The alert reaches the driver before the hazard is visible: A vehicle braking suddenly triggers a slow down alert in nearby vehicles ahead of any driver seeing the brake lights.

    What do the draft Rules mandate, and by when?

    1. Compliance begins with voluntarily fitted vehicles: Two and three wheelers, cars, buses and goods vehicles manufactured on or after 1 October 2027 must meet Automotive Industry Standard 230 (AIS-230) if they carry a V2V system.
    2. Fitment becomes compulsory a year later: Vehicles manufactured on or after 1 October 2028 must be fitted with a V2V system meeting AIS-230 specifications.
    3. AIS-230 is the technical backbone: The standard lists the requirements a V2V system must satisfy and provides for phased introduction of other safety features.
    4. The spectrum was cleared first: The Centre exempted the 5.875 GHz to 5.925 GHz band from licensing requirements in June 2026, so original equipment manufacturers can use it in new vehicles.
    5. The cost sits on the new vehicle: On Board Units are expected to cost Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 and will be installed in new vehicles first.

    What can V2V do that camera based systems cannot?

    1. Existing systems are bounded by the line of sight: Camera based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which use sensors to warn a driver or intervene in braking and steering, work only as far as the road is visible.
    2. V2V works around obstructions: It establishes contact with other vehicles at blind corners and behind large trucks.
    3. The warnings cover named hazards: Alerts flag sudden braking, black spots, unsafe lane changes, obstacles such as parked vehicles on roadsides, fog and potential collision risk.
    4. The detection range is about 300 metres: V2V systems typically identify vehicles within that distance.
    5. The two systems are complementary: V2V is expected to add forward collision prediction to what camera based systems already do.

    What does the limited deployment record show?

    1. Deployment abroad is narrow: V2V is working in a few countries, including the United States.
    2. Aviation already runs the same idea: Aircraft broadcast their position, speed and altitude, and nearby aircraft and ground stations receive that broadcast.
    3. The road sector is at an earlier stage: The broadcast approach is standard in global aviation and is still evolving on roads.

    Challenges to the Vehicle to Vehicle mandate

    1. The benefit depends on how many vehicles carry the unit: A network that warns only about equipped vehicles is worth little until a large share of the fleet carries the equipment. Eg. A mandate applying to vehicles manufactured from 2028 reaches none of the vehicles already registered, which stay on the road for well over a decade.
      The Fix: Fund retrofitment of On Board Units in commercial goods and public transport fleets first, since those vehicles cover the highest annual mileage.
    2. The allocated band may not carry the traffic load: It is unclear whether the frequency band set aside can support all vehicles broadcasting at once. Eg. A single congested urban intersection can hold several hundred vehicles inside the 300 metre broadcast range.
      The Fix: Fix a tested message capacity per square kilometre inside AIS-230 before the compulsory fitment date arrives.
    3. Continuous broadcasting creates a movement record: The system stores a large volume of data about vehicles, which exposes it to cyber attack and to surveillance use. Eg. FASTag toll crossings already generate a dated record of where a vehicle has been.
      The Fix: Mandate rotating pseudonymous vehicle identifiers and a fixed data retention limit in the final Rules.
    4. A wrong message can cause the crash it exists to prevent: Miscommunication between vehicles can trigger braking or a lane change that was never warranted. Eg. Automatic emergency braking systems have drawn regulatory investigation abroad over unprompted braking on highways.
      The Fix: Require cryptographic message authentication and a fail safe that suppresses alerts when integrity checks fail.
    5. The group most at risk is the hardest to equip: Two wheeler riders account for the largest share of road deaths in India, and the unit price is a significant fraction of an entry level motorcycle’s cost. Eg. Two wheelers account for roughly 44 per cent of road accident fatalities recorded in the Ministry’s annual Road Accidents in India report.
      The Fix: Subsidise On Board Units for two wheelers through the existing vehicle scrappage and safety incentive route rather than loading the cost onto the buyer.

    Conclusion

    V2V communication can make Indian roads significantly safer by enabling vehicles to detect hazards beyond line of sight and warn drivers earlier. With strong cybersecurity, privacy safeguards, affordable adoption, and wider fleet coverage, the mandate can become a major step toward smarter, safer and more connected mobility in India.

    Back2Basics: Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989

    1. Parent statute: They are framed under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which governs registration, licensing, permits, insurance and road safety in India.
    2. What they cover: They set vehicle construction and maintenance standards, driving licence procedure, registration requirements and control of traffic.
    3. How they are changed: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notifies amendments, publishing a draft for public objections before final notification.
    4. Enforcement: Penalties for non-compliance flow from the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, whose 2019 amendment sharply raised fines for traffic offences.

  • Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report (Jan-Mar 2026)

    Why in News?

    TRAI released the Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report for the quarter ending 31 March 2026, highlighting growth in telecom, internet, broadband, DTH, and broadcasting sectors.

    Telecom

    • Total telephone subscribers: 1,330.58 million (↑1.87% QoQ).
    • Tele-density:93.26%: Urban: 151.47% and Rural: 60.46%
    • Private operators’ market share: 92.32%.

    Internet & Broadband

    • Internet subscribers: 1,092.79 million (↑6.24% QoQ).
    • Broadband subscribers: 1,065.88 million.
    • Wireless internet: 1,046.26 million.
    • Wired internet: 46.54 million.
    • Internet penetration: 76.59 per 100 population.

    Wireless Services

    • Wireless (Mobile + FWA) subscribers: 1,282.33 million.
    • Wireless (Mobile) subscribers: 1,265.73 million.
    • 5G FWA subscribers: 16.61 million.
    • Average wireless data usage: 26.70 GB/subscriber/month.

    Revenue & Usage

    • Monthly Wireless ARPU: ₹196.04.
    • Minutes of Usage (MOU): 1,017 minutes/subscriber/month.
    • Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR): ₹86,716 crore.

    Broadcasting

    • Private satellite TV channels: 917
    • Pay TV channels: 342
    • Private FM channels: 390 across 120 cities
    • Pay DTH subscribers: 49.05 million
    • Community Radio Stations: 564.

    Prelims Pointer

    • TRAI is a statutory body established under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
    • It regulates telecom services, ensures consumer protection, promotes competition, and recommends licensing and spectrum policies.
    • Tele-density = Number of telephone connections per 100 population.

    [2019] With reference to communications technologies, what is/are the difference/differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution)?
    1. LTE is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G.
    2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology.
    Select the correct answer using the code given below.

    [A] 1 only

    [B] 2 only

    [C] Both 1 and 2

    [D] Neither 1 nor 2

  • India’s Emerging Technology Ecosystem

    Why in the news?

    The Government highlighted India’s progress in AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, supercomputing, cloud computing, blockchain, and biotechnology as key pillars of Viksit Bharat 2047.

    Digital India

    • Internet connections: 25.15 crore (2014) → 102.86 crore (2026).
    • Broadband: 6.1 crore → 99.56 crore.
    • 5G services cover 99.9% of districts.
    • Data cost reduced from ₹269/GB to ₹8-10/GB.

    Supercomputing

    • National Supercomputing Mission (2015): ₹4,500 crore.
    • 38 supercomputers with 47 petaflops capacity.
    • Indigenous PARAM Rudra series developed.

    Semiconductor Ecosystem

    • Semicon India Programme (2021): ₹76,000 crore.
    • ISM 2.0 (2026-27): ₹1,000 crore.
    • 12 projects worth ₹1.64 lakh crore approved.
    • DLI Scheme: 24 companies supported; 7 chips fabricated.

    National Quantum Mission

    • Approved in 2023 with ₹6,003.65 crore.
    • Focus: Quantum Computing, Communication, Sensing, Materials.
    • 1,000 km secure quantum communication network demonstrated.
    • India’s first Quantum Valley coming up in Amaravati.

    IndiaAI Mission

    • Approved in 2024 with ₹10,300+ crore.
    • 38,000+ GPUs common computing facility.
    • AI Kosh: 12,115 datasets and 306 AI models.
    • Around 89% of new startups use AI.

    Cloud Computing

    • MeghRaj: Government cloud platform.
    • 2,323 government departments using MeghRaj (2026).

    Blockchain

    • National Blockchain Framework (2021).
    • 3 crore+ property documents verified through blockchain.
    • Supports Vishvasya Blockchain Stack and Digital Rupee (e₹) pilots.

    Biotechnology

    • Sector size: USD 190 billion (2026).
    • 94 BioNEST incubators across 25 States/UTs.
    • Key initiatives: National Biopharma Mission, BioE3 Policy.

    Research & Skilling

    • ANRF (2024) operationalized.
    • RDI Scheme (2025): ₹1 lakh crore corpus.
    • FutureSkills PRIME: 27.53 lakh registrations.
    • Chips to Startup (C2S): Targets 85,000 semiconductor professionals.

    Global Technology Indicators

    • Global Innovation Index: Rank 81 (2015) → 38 (2025).
    • 2,100+ Global Capability Centres (GCCs) employing 2.36 million professionals.
    • India AI Impact Summit 2026: Declaration adopted by 92 countries.

    [2022] Which one of the following is the context in which the term “qubit” is mentioned?

    [A] Cloud Services

    [B] Quantum Computing

    [C] Visible Light Communication Technologies

    [D] Wireless Communication Technologies

  • Consider the following

    Consider the following :
    1. Bluetooth device
    2. Cordless phone
    3. Microwave oven
    4. Wi-Fi device
    Which of the above can operate between 2-4 and 2-5 GHz range of radio frequency band ?

  • Consider the following statements

    Consider the following statements:

    I. Indian Railways have prepared a National Rail Plan (NRP) to create a future ready railway system by 2028.
    II. ‘Kavach’ is an Automatic Train Protection system developed in collaboration with Germany.
    III. ‘Kavach’ system consists of RFID tags fitted on track in station section.

    Which of the statements given above are not correct?

  • 12 Years of India’s Scientific Transformation

    Why in the news?

    Union Minister Jitendra Singh highlighted the major achievements of India’s science and technology ecosystem over the last 12 years.

    Bioeconomy Growth

    • India’s bioeconomy expanded from about USD 10 billion (2014) to over USD 190 billion (2026).
    • Target: USD 300 billion by 2030.
    • Growth driven by innovations in Biotechnology, Genomics, Diagnostics, and Biopharmaceuticals.
    • Supported by the BioE3 Policy Framework.

    Space Sector Achievements

    • Space economy grew to around USD 8 billion and is projected to reach USD 45 billion in the next decade.
    • Space startups increased from single digits to over 400.
    • Major milestones: Chandrayaan-3 became the first mission to land near the Moon’s south pole. Gaganyaan preparations underway.
    • Future goals: Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035. Indian Moon landing by 2040.

    Weather and Climate Services

    • Weather radars increased from 17 (2014) to nearly 50 operational radars.
    • Another 50 radars planned under Mission Mausam.
    • Forecast coverage expanded from 300 cities to nearly 1,700 locations.
    • Expansion of Lightning detection systems, Rain-monitoring infrastructure, and Nowcast services for short-term forecasts.
    • Mission Mausam: Initiative aimed at strengthening India’s weather forecasting and disaster resilience capabilities through modern observation and prediction systems.

    Biotechnology and Healthcare

    • India emerged as a global biotechnology hub.
    • Advances include Affordable CAR-T cell therapy, Genomics and precision medicine, Next-generation antibiotics, and Indigenous diagnostics and vaccines.
    • India’s COVID-19 vaccines showcased domestic scientific capability.

    CSIR Innovations

    The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) expanded its outreach through:

    • Aroma Mission promoting high-value aromatic crops.
    • Steel slag road technology converting industrial waste into road-building material.
    • Technologies in healthcare, energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing.

    Deep Ocean Technologies

    • Development of Matsya 6000, India’s manned submersible.
    • Development of Varaha, an indigenous deep-sea mining system.

    Major Scientific Initiatives

    • Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
    • National Quantum Mission
    • National Supercomputing Mission
    • Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund
    • National Geospatial Policy

    Nuclear Energy Reforms

    • Opening of the nuclear energy sector to greater private participation.
    • Expected to boost Investment, Innovation, and Capacity creation.

    [2022] Which one of the following is the context in which the term “qubit” is mentioned?

    [A] Cloud Services

    [B] Quantum Computing

    [C] Visible Light Communication Technologies

    [D] Wireless Communication Technologies

  • WiMAX is related to which one of the following

    WiMAX is related to which one of the following ?

  • Which among the following do/does not belong/belongs to the GSM family of wireless technologies

    Which among the following do/does not belong/belongs to the GSM family of wireless technologies ?