To allay the fears of the general public on mobile tower radiation, the Department of Telecom (DoT) will unveil a portal soon to check radiation compliance status of towers, Union Minister Manoj Sinha said on Saturday.

Speaking at an awareness programme organised here on Electromagnetic Field Emissions and Mobile Towers, the Union Minister of State for Communications told media persons: “The portal — Tarang Sanchar — is expected to be operational by next month.”

With its help, people will be able to check the current status of a mobile tower located anywhere in the country as well as its electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions signal compliance status.

However, it does not come free as a fee would be charged for the test of a particular tower.

“The tests are usually conducted on random basis by us, but if someone wants a particular tower tested, then it can be carried out for a fee,” Telecom Secretary J.S. Deepak said at the event, organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Communications.

According to Deepak, a fee of Rs 5,000 would be charged for conducting an on-demand test of a specific tower.

The awareness programme was part of a nationwide programme to facilitate the Digital India initiative.

In-flight Wi-Fi

In-flight Wi-Fi might be a reality soon in Indian flight carriers, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday at the Dabolim International Airport, the minister also said that the current aviation laws need to be amended by the Parliament to enable Wi-Fi access during flights

Raju also said his ministry was weighing in the pros and cons of enabling Wi-Fi in aeroplanes.

He said there was a demand for the in-flight Wi-Fi service, but refused to give an assurance as to when the service would be enabled.

“There is no need to fix a timeline,” he said

“We are working on amending the particular legislation,” he also said, adding that one of the key reasons why Wi-Fi had not been enabled in-flight in India was because of security concerns.

IANS