The Corps of Signals is well poised to exploit the state-of-art modern communication techniques for meeting the requirements of the Indian Army of the 21st Century. The ASTROIDS (Army Strategic Operational Information Dissemination System) and the DCN (Defence Communication Network) are other networks which have been visualised to cover communication requirements of all three services at the strategic level. Some of the areas where the Corps is already in the process of exploiting are the cellular radios - in both GSM (Global Satellite for Mobile Communications) & CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) modes, WLL (Wireless Local Loop), OFC (Optical Fibre Cable), mobile trunk radios, mobile satellite systems, etc. Advanced data transmission methods such as SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) and PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) are also being used.
Personnel of the Corps are regularly sent abroad to expand their knowledge in numerous areas of telecommunications, information technology and electronic warfare including attending conferences such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to keep abreast with the latest in communications technology. The Corps also fielded communication task forces for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Sierra Leone. Signals personnel have also attended the Indian Army's training teams at Botswana and Mauritius.
Poineers in computerisation
To start the computerisation process, a middle level officer of the Corps of Signals, Maj OA Pereira was deputed to undergo a one year computer course at the statistical institute, Calcutta. On his return, the nucleus of a computer cell was formed at the AHQ. Around the same time, a training facility was organised by the Government at Delhi based on a Honeywell mainframe computer system. The scope of such training was, however, limited to fundamentals of computer technology and programming in COBOL with an exposure of FORTRAN. Simultaneously, officers were also sent to US Army School at Fort Monmonth, New Jersey for regular computer courses. Notable amongst these trainees were Lt Col MS Sodhi and Lt Col Harbhajan Singh, later both of them rose to the rank of Lt Gen's as SO in C. Prominent amongst the early computer poineers were Lt Col (Maj Gen) BS Paintal and Maj (Brig) VM Sundaram. They played a leading role in educating and spreading compuer awareness. Subsequently Maj Gen Gopal Das and Maj Gen Ganga Prasad made significant contribution for the planning and organisation of computer education and training. Brig SVS Chowdhry was closely associated with the computer education activity, first as a faculty member at MCTE, Mhow and later on in the planning and coordination of computer training during his two tenures at the Army Headquarters.
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