Information security major concern as telecom sector booms

New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) With the stiffening of competition in the telecom sector, value-added services will be a booming market but security of information will play a crucial role as well.

Global leader in information security, SafeNet, today said it was expecting the telecom companies to increase investment in infrastructure, as they provide more value-added services.

''We feel the companies will focus increasingly on providing services, and not curtail themselves to just voice and data services. And a major concern will be security as more and more private data is exchanged,'' said company General Manager Deepak Prasad.

According to a Juniper Networks study, the global revenues from mobile television is expected to touch 2,000 million dollars in 2007, which will grow to 8,000 million dollars by 2010, with about 65 million users worldwide.

The company is working closely with Bharti Airtel, Ericsson and others in the telecom sector towards information protection.

When asked about Bharti, Mr Prasad said it is still premature to point out the areas where it would be involved in with Bharti, but hinted that it would more than just the telecom services.

''I m very bullish on the mobile content changing. This is evident with the fast penetration of Blackberry, which is essentially an enterprise gizmo. There will remain a race between who leads the telecom growth - whether it will be enterprises or the consumer segment,'' said Mr Prasad.

The sector is geared for more competition as more and more people choose banking and payment services over the phone, like they do online, he added.

Talking about internet services and security, he said though the medium had come a long way in terms of speed and cost-efficiency, security of data and rampant piracy remains areas of concern.

''We work closely not just with securing networks but also checking against leaks,'' said Mr Prasad.

UNI