No deadline set for data encryption: govt

NEW DELHI, INDIA: India's telecoms secretary on Tuesday rebuffed reports that the government had set a deadline for telecoms operators to provide access to encrypted services.

"No specific deadline has been fixed," R. Chandrashekhar told reporters, in response to a question about the BlackBerry smartphone and other secure communication services.

Local Indian media reported on Tuesday that the government has set a deadline of March 31 for telecoms operators to provide a solution to monitor the encrypted enterprise services, including the BlackBerry smartphone. A senior home ministry official earlier declined to confirm the reports.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion gave India access to its consumer services in January but said it could not allow monitoring of its enterprise email.