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In a significant move towards telecom security and fraud prevention, the Indian government has ordered all new mobile handsets manufactured or imported for sale in India to have the Sanchar Saathi app pre-installed.

The Department of Telecommunications, in an order dated November 28, 2025, instructed phone manufacturers, including top brands like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Google, to ensure the app is pre-installed, conspicuously visible, and fully functional on devices at the time of first use.

For devices already in the sales channels, the DoT has directed manufacturers and importers to push the app via software updates. The timeline provided gives companies 90 days to implement the mandate and 120 days to submit compliance reports to the DoT.

The move underlines the government’s determination to make telecom fraud reporting more accessible and enhance citizen protection in the rapidly growing mobile ecosystem.

What is Sanchar Saathi?

Launched in 2023, the Sanchar Saathi portal and mobile application provide a comprehensive solution for mobile security and fraud prevention. One can do the following on it:

Report and block lost or stolen phones with ease.

Monitor suspicious calls, SMS, or WhatsApp messages to cyber-enabled scams and KYC-updating frauds.

Check for mobile connections in their name and confirm that no person has misused their personal information.

Verify the genuineness of handsets by IMEI number and thereby avoid buying counterfeit devices.

Get accurate contact information of various banks and financial institutions to ensure secure communication.

Report international calls made with Indian numbers without OTP verification.

The portal has, without a doubt, already achieved some fantastic results. According to the Sanchar Saathi website itself, more than 42.14 lakh mobiles have been blocked, and 26.11 lakh lost or stolen handsets have been traced.

Users have submitted more than 288 lakh requests for information about mobile connections in their name, and over 254 lakh requests have been resolved. As of now, the app has 1.14 crore registrations, over 1 crore downloads on Google Playstore, and more than 9.5 lakh downloads on the Apple App Store.

Why the Government Wants Sanchar Saathi on Every Smartphone

DoT explains that the initiative is meant to protect the citizens from purchasing non-genuine handsets, and for reporting suspected misuse of telecom resources easily. In addition, because it will be pre-installed on the devices, users can report fraud, lost devices, or suspicious communications without needing to navigate separate websites or remember complex details like IMEI numbers.

The app also empowers law enforcement by allowing the authorities to trace stolen and lost phones more easily and block attempts at device cloning. The government also sees it as a crucial step in combating increasing identity theft and telecom fraud, which have become big challenges in India’s growing digital economy.

What is Industry Reaction?

Yet, despite the benefits, the mandate has met resistance from smartphone manufacturers. Industry representatives say that pre-installing a government-backed app places one more compliance burden on companies already struggling to handle rising component costs, supply chain issues, and regulatory pressures.

Some executives also believe consumer trust in the app would grow more organically through awareness campaigns rather than compulsory pre-installation.

Handset manufacturers have underlined the need to protect consumer choice and argued that they should not be transformed into “enforcement agents” for various governmental policy initiatives. However, the DoT has left no choice for manufacturers but to comply.

Legal and Security Implications

Tampering with the 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity number is a non-bailable offence under the Telecommunications Act 2023 and can attract a jail term of up to three years and a ₹50 lakh fine. The Sanchar Saathi app shares inputs with centralised tracking systems on telecom fraud and cyber-enabled scams.

This directive aligns with other recent DoT measures, such as requiring messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal to maintain a continuous link to active SIM cards and re-authenticate users every six hours on their web interfaces. The push for universal adoption of Sanchar Saathi highlights the government’s broader goal of strengthening telecom cybersecurity and consumer protection.

With nearly every major smartphone brand manufacturing devices in India, the Sanchar Saathi mandate will impact millions of users across the nation. By bringing together IMEI verification, fraud reporting, lost phone tracing, and secure banking contact verification into one app, the government seeks to make telecom fraud reporting easy, efficient, and accessible to all.

Though the initiative may see resistance from the industry in some quarters, this is a milestone for India to institute protection for the user and ensure that smartphones remain secure and genuine. For citizens, Sanchar Saathi is expected to be an essential tool that will protect them against fraudulent transactions, identity theft, and such other cyber-enabled crimes.

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