The Union ministry of communications has said that the department of telecommunications’ (DoT) directions for the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app in mobile handsets are aimed at safeguarding citizens from purchasing non-genuine handsets, enabling easy reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources.
“Failure to comply with these directions shall attract action under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024 (as amended), and other applicable laws. These directions shall come into force immediately and shall remain in force until amended or withdrawn by the DoT,” the communique said.
The DoT has issued directions to ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted. For devices that have already been manufactured and are currently in sales channels across the country, manufacturers and importers have been asked to make efforts to push the application via software updates.
According to the ministry, the directions issued on November 28 aim to safeguard citizens from purchasing non-genuine mobile devices, enable easy reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the Sanchar Saathi initiative. The directions mandate that the implementation be completed within 90 days, with manufacturers required to submit a compliance report within 120 days.
The Rules also mandate that such manufacturers or importers shall ensure compliance with the directions as may be issued by the Central Government for the purpose of giving effect to the rules.
Mobile handsets bearing duplicate or spoofed IMEI pose a serious endangerment to telecom cybersecurity.
Spoofed or tampered IMEIs in the telecom network lead to a situation where the same IMEI is working in different devices at different places simultaneously, and pose challenges in action against such IMEIs.
According to the press release, India has a large second-hand mobile device market. Cases have also been observed where stolen or blacklisted devices are being resold.
It makes the purchaser an abettor in crime and causes financial loss to them. The blocked or blacklisted IMEIs can be checked using the Sanchar Saathi app.
