India Disconnects Over One Crore Fraudulent Mobile Connections with Sanchar Saathi
The Ministry of Communications in India has announced that more than one crore fraudulent mobile connections have been disconnected with the help of the Sanchar Saathi platform. This initiative aims to curb spam calls and improve telecom services.
Actions Taken
TRAI has directed telecom operators to disconnect and blacklist entities using bulk connections for spam calls, including robocalls and pre-recorded calls. In the last fortnight, over 3.5 lakh such numbers have been disconnected, and 50 entities have been blacklisted. Additionally, around 3.5 lakh unused or unverified SMS headers and 12 lakh content templates have been blocked.
Sanchar Saathi Platform
The Sanchar Saathi platform (https://sancharsaathi.gov.in) was launched to fight cyber fraud, enabling citizens to report suspicious calls and messages. So far, it has helped disconnect more than one crore fraudulent mobile connections and block 2.27 lakh mobile handsets involved in cybercrime and financial frauds.
Improving Network Performance
To improve network performance, TRAI has released revised regulations, which will come into effect from October 1, 2024. These regulations include tighter benchmarks for key network parameters like network availability, call drop rates, and packet drop rates. From April 1, 2025, monthly monitoring of QoS performance of mobile services will begin instead of quarterly monitoring.
Future Measures
TRAI has also issued consultation papers on the immediate suspension of services of unregistered telemarketers upon receiving complaints beyond a pre-defined threshold and the implementation of proactive detection and action on suspected spammers. The DoT and TRAI continue to work towards enhancing telecom services and security in India through various policies and infrastructure development.
Doubts Revealed
One Crore -: One Crore is a way to say 10 million in India. It’s a large number used to count things like money or people.
Fraudulent Mobile Connections -: Fraudulent mobile connections are fake or illegal phone connections. People use them to do bad things like making spam calls.
Sanchar Saathi -: Sanchar Saathi is a platform used by the Indian government to manage and monitor mobile connections. It helps find and stop fake or illegal phone connections.
Ministry of Communications -: The Ministry of Communications is a part of the Indian government. It takes care of things related to communication, like phones and the internet.
TRAI -: TRAI stands for Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. It makes rules and guidelines for telecom companies to follow.
Telecom Operators -: Telecom operators are companies that provide phone and internet services. Examples in India include Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone.
Spam Calls -: Spam calls are unwanted phone calls that often try to sell something or trick people. They can be very annoying.
SMS Headers -: SMS headers are the names or numbers that show up when you get a text message. Blocking unused ones helps stop spam messages.
Content Templates -: Content templates are pre-written messages used for sending texts. Blocking unused ones helps reduce spam.
Regulations -: Regulations are rules made by the government. They help make sure things are done properly and safely.
