DoT withdraws directive on preloading Sanchar Saathi app

The Department of Telecommunications on Wednesday withdrew its directive requiring smartphone manufacturers to preload the Sanchar Saathi application from next year, ending a dispute that began when the order surfaced unexpectedly among industry recipients. The department said the rapid rise in installs of the app, following public criticism of the mandate, showed that compulsory preloading was unnecessary.

“The number of users has been increasing rapidly, and the mandate to install the app was meant to accelerate this process and make the app available to less aware citizens easily,” the DoT said in its statement.

The initial order was one of several issued after the government introduced new powers allowing the department to regulate Telecommunication Identifier User Entities, a category the DoT created to extend regulatory instructions to any organisation using phone numbers, rather than telecom operators alone. The directive, not released publicly, drew swift objections from Internet users, civil society groups and Opposition parties, who questioned the need for a government app to appear on all devices without explicit user consent.

Parliamentary response, political reaction

In Parliament, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia defended the purpose of the platform. Responding to a question from Congress MP Deepinder Singh Hooda, Scindia said, “1.5 crore fraudulent mobile connections were disconnected, 26 lakh lost phones were traced … we have only taken steps to make the app available to everyone”. He added that “this app’s success is premised on public support; if, based on feedback, we have to change the order, we are ready to do that”.

The government maintained that the aim of the initiative was to widen access to tools intended to curb mobile-related fraud, but said the feedback following the leak of the order prompted a reassessment.

Wider set of directives under cyber cybersecurity rules

The withdrawn mandate was the third instruction issued since the DoT notified an amendment to the Telecom Cyber Security Rules last month. A separate directive requires messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to prevent accounts from operating if the handset does not contain the SIM card linked to the registered number. That instruction also states that services accessed through linked devices, including WhatsApp Web, must log users out every six hours instead of maintaining persistent sessions.

Another order, previously unreported, was sent to major messaging and social media companies. It requires integration of the DoT’s Financial Fraud Risk Indicator and a blacklist of suspended numbers into their internal systems, with a requirement to deactivate associated accounts immediately once flagged.

Role of AI, digital intelligence unit

All three directives were issued by the DoT’s AI and Digital Intelligence Unit, a seven-member team that handles matters connected with SIM security, detection of illegal telecom infrastructure and coordination with the Reserve Bank of India on financial fraud investigations. The unit is responsible for analysing patterns linked to high-risk mobile numbers, fraudulent transactions and technology-enabled scams, and provides inputs for orders aimed at reducing misuse of telecom identifiers.

The DoT has said it will continue to monitor public feedback on the recent measures as it evaluates the next steps for enforcement under the amended cybersecurity framework.