Mandatory Sanchar Saathi App on All New Smartphones

The Indian government is taking decisive action against cyber fraud by requiring all new smartphones entering the market to feature the ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app pre-installed. This directive from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) aims to create a more secure mobile ecosystem for all users. By ensuring this essential app is readily available, the government intends to make it simpler for individuals to identify and report potential misuse of telecom services and to protect themselves from acquiring counterfeit mobile devices. The Sanchar Saathi portal and its associated app are designed to offer several crucial functionalities. These include verifying a handset’s legitimacy using its IMEI number, reporting instances of fraudulent calls or messages, flagging lost or stolen devices, and providing secure contact details for banks and financial services. Companies have a three-month window to integrate the app into their devices and a further month to report their progress. The app’s features must be fully operational from the first use, and efforts will be made to push the application to existing devices in circulation through software updates. This initiative is a critical step in reinforcing national telecom cybersecurity and preventing criminal elements from exploiting communication networks.