In a bid to put a check on the data and voice traffic on cellular networks from foreign locations across the globe, a telecom department panel has proposed that telecom service providers must install a local remote access server in India.

The panel also wants there operators to store all information related to this facility locally to set up local servers in India. With this, foreign long-distance telephony players, including Verizon, AT&T, BT and Cable & Wireless will have to abide by new norms.

The panel proposed that the operators must maintain an audit trail of remote access activities pertaining to the network operated in India for a period of six months.

"Telecom service provider should ensure the capability to restrict remote access to India network as and when directed by licensor," the panel's recommendations add.

As per existing rules foreign carriers are allowed to transfer user information of their clients to locations outside the country.

The Association of Competitive Telecom Operators (ACTO) is however opposed to the move saying operators would find it difficult to implement the new norms "Global operators may directly fetch the logs from network elements or from central logging servers (located outside) India. In any event, the details of the implementation may vary as long as the desired objected is met," ACTO said in its communication to the DoT.