What are Vigilance Telecom Monitoring cells

Telecommunications is the way forward in this socio-economic environment. And seeing the increasing number of telecom operators in the country, the Government has established multiple regulatory authorities to ensure a robust growth of the sector.

This was especially important at all the License Service Areas and Large Telecom Districts of the country. Its imperative to ensure that all service providers adhere to the license conditions and such a Telegraph Authority is was also needed to take care of network security issues. This is what lead to the creation of four Vigilance Telecom Monitoring cells (VTM) in Nov 2004.

Spread across the country in major metro cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, these cells checked the all illegal telecom activities and monitored the existing operators. As the sector grew, the number of VTM cells also grew by 9 in 2006, 15 in January 2007 and 6 in March 2007. Today, these 34 cells are fulfilling Vigilance, Monitoring and Security functions throughout the country.

As of 5th August 2008, the name of VTM Cells has been changed to Telecom Enforcement, Resource and Monitoring (TERM) but the function remains the same – The smooth implementation of the government's telecom policy. Further details can be seen on - http://www.dot.gov.in/vtm/vtm.htm

As technical support to the TERM, under the Department of Telecom, the Telecommunication Engineering Centre or the TEC was formed. The aim of the TEC is to “Develop world-class standards and testing processes for certification of telecom equipment and networks for conformance to quality requirements”.

It is a technical body that has the clear mission to

1. “Draw specifications for establishing state-of-the-art seamlessly interoperable networks, and certification thereof for conformance to quality requirements;
2. Lay down technical parameters to ensure adherence to defined QoS and SLA;
3. Implement mandatory certification procedure for all telecom products for conformance to technical, interoperability, EMI/EMC, security, safety, health requirements;
4. Carry out testing and certification of equipment and networks;
5. Draw guidelines for disaster resilient network, and for disaster management and recovery;
6. Provide technical support and inputs to DoT and other government departments;
7. Provide technical support to telecom service providers for operation and development of telecom network”

With such specialized authorities in place, there is no way that Cell operators can put their profits ahead of the people it serves. Cell technology and its implementation in India is and always will remain and safe means of communication and a path to a bright future.

Rajasthan High Court Order To Ban Cell Towers Puts Citizens Into a Communication Vaccum

Some people have a need to spread lies and rumors. What they fail to realize is that not only does this induce panic, it can also result in official rulings that make it extremely problematic for large numbers of people to go about their everyday lives. And this is exactly what has happened in the case of The Rajasthan High Court's September 2012 order to bring down 200 cellular phone towers.

While it has been suggested & alleged by a small minority of people that cell phone tower radiation causes health hazards; the overwhelming evidence that is factual, scientific and widely proven, says the exact opposite. From studies such as the CEFALO across Europe to the harmless RF Waves that cell phone towers emit being given a clean chit from leading experts the world over; none of this has been taken into consideration by the courts. And in a very sad turn of events, the judiciary seems to have relied on some malicious peoples' equally malicious and completely made-up rumors.

In an age led by science and technology, the judicial system has relied on the exact opposite. The result, the removal of these cell phone towers has left millions without any cell phone network. And in an era where in our personal and professional lives, communication, largely done via cell phones, is indispensable; cell phone connectivity for the people of Rajasthan is almost non-existent. Its a very sad state of affairs.

Instead of moving forward and advancing, this single decision and ruling has turned back time and sent the people of an entire state back into the dark ages. How are they to communicate now? By using birds as messengers? When every shred of evidence evicts cell phone tower radiation; why the courts have not taken cognizance of this scientific data available from the most reliable experts in the public domain; is beyond any explanation.

The real sufferers, the people. Left high and dry and in a communication vacuum; they have been cut off in one deft stroke, and sent back to a bygone era of no communication. It is injustice, delivered by a sacred place that has taken people, facts, and justice itself, for granted!

Let us examine what this order is based on. It is based on rumors about how Cell Phone Tower Radiation can be harmful to human health. And for the sake of argument, let us now examine some widely proven, accepted, and acknowledged truths.

The ultimate list of cell tower radiation reports from theradiationdoctor

Rajasthan High Court Injustice

Governments and judiciaries are the two bodies that citizens look to, for justice. While the Government ought to bring about legislation and infrastructure that aids citizens, the judicial system hears cases and passes orders that give citizens a fair settlement. But in the case of the Rajasthan High Court's September order; any shred of justice has been lost. How? Because the honorable court's order to private cell phone companies to bring down two hundred cell phone towers is both incorrect & inconvenient, and is based on unscientific and unproven allegations about how cell phone tower radiation causes harm to citizens' health.

From 2004 to 2008, a study called CEFALO administered through various countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland proved that there is absolutely no link between cell phones and brain tumors (one of the few stronger allegations against cell phone radiation). Furthermore, the subjects of the study were young children, often more susceptible than adults. Still, science conclusively ruled out brain risks from cell phone radiation.

Similar studies the world over have entirely ruled out any health hazards from cell phone radiation. And how could there be? After all,  it is a well known and documented fact that radiation from cell phone towers is Radio Frequency (RF); a type of wave that is simply incapable of altering any DNA or human tissue, due to its weak strength. So the question of them causing any harm, let alone serious ailments such as brain damage and/or cancer; does not even come up.

This shortsighted and flawed order has only served to raise anxiety around something that does not even exist. Worse still, it has disrupted the everyday lives of millions of citizens that rely on their cell phones for very important personal and professional work; millions that are now left without any network on their cell phones. Is this a sign of justice? Or is it just pandering to myth and rumor? We need to make important decisions based purely on facts. And the facts in this case only condemn this absurd and outrageous high court order. Cell phones are a convenience, a necessity, and a lifeline; not a fatal aneurism as a small minority would have us believe. And at the very least, governments and judiciaries should not fall prey to this baseless talk.