US security major McAfee with FY 2005 revenues of $987.3 million could possibly enter into a tie up with either Tata Teleservices or Bharti Tele-Ventures, two of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, to provide mobile anti-virus to subscribers on their networks.
Mr Ashley Wearne, vice-president, marketing and integrated solution sales (Asia Pacific), McAfee, said, "Talks are underway with leading telecos in India for anti-virus mobile services on handsets. End point security is very important in the wireless industry. India is a strategic market for McAfee. We may be in talks with Tata or Bharti. McAfee has a relationship of two years with Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc for supplying anti-virus technology to millions of mobile handsets connected to DoCoMo’s networks."
McAfee is already providing their Internet security software services to Sify and Bharti, added Mr Shahani.
Anti-virus companies are also entering into tie ups with handset manufacturers to provide software on the memory card itself and Mr Wearne indicated that the company could also do the same with leading manufacturers. The company announced in Mumbai, the industry’s first security offering that combines and manages all the elements of system security through a single console and agent platform.
Two weeks ago, F-Secure Corp., a leading global provider of data security for consumers, announced a partnership deal with Reliance Communications for broadband customers in India and sources indicated that a mobile anti-virus solution was also in the offing.
Even if one out of 30 million handsets were to report a virus infection, McAfee’s sales director (India) Kartik Shahani implied that the loss in revenue for Indian mobile networks would be immense. McAfee had earlier been reported to profit from the increasing number of mobile phone viruses sent into circulation by malicious code-writers.
Mr Ashley Wearne, vice-president, marketing and integrated solution sales (Asia Pacific), McAfee, said, "Talks are underway with leading telecos in India for anti-virus mobile services on handsets. End point security is very important in the wireless industry. India is a strategic market for McAfee. We may be in talks with Tata or Bharti. McAfee has a relationship of two years with Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc for supplying anti-virus technology to millions of mobile handsets connected to DoCoMo’s networks."
McAfee is already providing their Internet security software services to Sify and Bharti, added Mr Shahani.
Anti-virus companies are also entering into tie ups with handset manufacturers to provide software on the memory card itself and Mr Wearne indicated that the company could also do the same with leading manufacturers. The company announced in Mumbai, the industry’s first security offering that combines and manages all the elements of system security through a single console and agent platform.
Two weeks ago, F-Secure Corp., a leading global provider of data security for consumers, announced a partnership deal with Reliance Communications for broadband customers in India and sources indicated that a mobile anti-virus solution was also in the offing.
Even if one out of 30 million handsets were to report a virus infection, McAfee’s sales director (India) Kartik Shahani implied that the loss in revenue for Indian mobile networks would be immense. McAfee had earlier been reported to profit from the increasing number of mobile phone viruses sent into circulation by malicious code-writers.