In a significant push towards strengthening India’s cybersecurity and combating rising telecom-related frauds, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all smartphone manufacturers operating in India to mandatorily preinstall the government-backed Sanchar Saathi application on every new device sold in the country.
Further, the directive states that the app must be non-removable, preventing users from deleting it from their phones.
The order applies to all major smartphone brands — including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and others — and has set a three-month compliance deadline.
Phones already sold must receive the application through an over-the-air (OTA) software update.
Digital security overhaul
A senior government official explained that the decision is part of a wider national cybersecurity strategy that aims to reduce online fraud, financial scams, identity theft, cybercrime, and misuse of mobile devices.
It follows the DoT’s recent directive to messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal to implement SIM-binding, ensuring that these apps must always be used with the same SIM card that was used during registration.
This will also limit misuse of web versions like WhatsApp Web, which will now require periodic reconfirmation of SIM presence, automatically logging users out every six hours.
Sanchar Saathi: A security-first tool
Launched in January 2025, Sanchar Saathi enables users to:
- Report and block lost or stolen mobile devices using their IMEI numbers.
- Trace recovered devices, aiding police investigations.
- Report fraudulent or suspicious calls, SMS messages, and VoIP scams.
- Prevent the circulation of cloned or counterfeit handsets in black markets.
As per government data released in September:
- 37.28 lakh lost or stolen phones have been successfully blocked.
- 22.76 lakh devices have been traced and restored.
- The app has exceeded 50 lakh downloads, reflecting increasing public adoption.
Industry concerns likely
While the directive is positioned as a safety necessity, industry observers suggest strong pushback from manufacturers, particularly on:
- Mandatory, undeletable system installation (which affects privacy norms and device storage).
- Possible conflict with Apple’s system-level security and app control ecosystem.
- Software update challenges are given India’s fragmented smartphone market.
Why the move matters
In recent years, India has seen an exponential rise in:
- SIM swap scams
- UPI and banking frauds via spoofed calls
- Phishing and identity theft using stolen phone credentials
Control and authentication through IMEI (device identity) and IMSI (SIM identity) is expected to help authorities identify perpetrators swiftly and disrupt organised cybercrime modules.
With India being the world’s second-largest smartphone and mobile internet market, the government believes this step is essential to improving national digital safety standards and building citizen confidence in technology platforms.
#DigitalSecurity #SancharSaathi #CyberCrimeControl #DoTIndia #DataProtection #MobileSecurity #AntiFraudMeasures #CyberSafetyIndia #IMEITracking #SIMBinding #TelecomSecurity #SmartphoneRegulation