9:55 AM -- India's newest mobile operator S Tel Pvt. Ltd. , which launched its services in December 2009, is currently defying an order from the Department of Telecommunications to suspend its services, The Hindu Business Line reports.

The DoT has reportedly cited (unspecified) security concerns as the reason for its order.

But S Tel, which had just 506,179 customers in three circles (service areas) –- Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, and Orissa -- at the end of January, wants full details of these security concerns, and a chance to address them, before it takes any action. (See S Tel Launches in India, Batelco Ups Stake in India's S Tel, and A Guide to India's Telecom Market.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading