A leading group of mobile operators today unveiled a new initiative to create a blueprint and roadmap for opening up mobile functionality to encourage the development of exciting mobile applications without compromising customer security. The new initiative will be known as BONDI.

Russian telecom giant Sistema, which recently acquired a controlling stake in India's Shyam Telelink, on Sunday announced launching its nation-wide mobile services by April 2009. It also said that a capital investment of Rs 4,000 crore will be made during the current fiscal on rolling out the network.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and CEO of Bharti Enterprises, has been inducted into the International Telecommunication Union Telecom Board. Mittal would serve the Board for next two years. ITU is the United Nations agency for information and communications technology that helps government and private sector to co-ordinate on global ICT networks and services.

Having come under scanner for security lapses in the use of Blackberry services, the government has issued a stern warning to telecom companies to put the required security system in place within 15 days or stop the services.

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Nokia, the world's largest maker of mobile handsets blamed fake batteries and tampered cell phones for explosion in its mobiles, while advising that customers must always use original components.