GPS to become mandatory on mobile phones
Posted on: 14/Feb/2018 12:03:46 PM
Official sources have said that the government is likely to make GPS mandatory in feature phones by withdrawing an exemption it granted earlier. The move will enable the government to roll out panic button facility on mobile phones, aimed at helping women in distress.
Speaking about this, a senior official at the Ministry of Women and Child Development, or WCD, said, The telecom ministry has assured us that it will reverse its November order and restore the circular of 2016. We met Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha and mobile manufacturers late last month and there was a heated exchange because of the opposition to the proposal from phone makers. While GPS could raise the cost of a phone by Rs 200, we feel people will be willing to pay extra. It is in the interest of safety of people. We have seat belts and airbags in cars which raise costs but people pay for them as they are an essential safety feature.
GPS is known to be a much better way of tracking a phone user over alternative methods such as triangulation of mobile phone towers.
