Latest news with #TRAI
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Retired forest dept employee duped out of 9L
Rajkot: A 63-year-old retired forest department employee in Rajkot was cheated of Rs 9 lakh by cybercriminals who posed as govt officials and threatened him with false criminal charges. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Suryakant Rathod, who retired in 2019 as a forest department head clerk, filed a complaint at the Rajkot Cybercrime police station against the holder of a certain WhatsApp number and the holder of a certain bank account. The case has been registered under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. According to Rathod's complaint, on Nov 28, 2024, he received a call from a woman who said she was "Diya Sharma" from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). She claimed that two Jio sim cards in Rathod's name were being misused and needed immediate deactivation. Shortly after, Rathod was contacted by another person who said he was "Mohit Handa", a cybercrime inspector from BKC in Mumbai. This caller alleged that a bank account was opened using Rathod's Aadhaar and sim card details and was linked to a fraudulent transaction of Rs 68 lakh. He was told the funds belonged to a woman who died by suicide and he would face legal action if he did not cooperate. To "clear his name", Rathod was told to deposit a bond of Rs 2 lakh. He was then sent a WhatsApp link which, when clicked, allowed the scammers remote access to his phone. They then instructed him to make multiple transactions via UPI and RTGS. The scammers claimed another sim card and bank account had been fraudulently activated using his Aadhaar card, convincing him to transfer more money as a so-called "security deposit" to avoid additional charges. Rajkot cybercrime officials have launched an investigation. The phone numbers, bank account details and WhatsApp communications provided by Rathod are being analysed to trace the culprits.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
India adds 2.46 mn wireless subscribers in June 2025, led by urban growth
India's total wireless phone subscriber base, including mobile and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), rose to 1170.88 million at the end of June 2025, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.21 per cent, according to the latest data release by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). This marks an increase of 2.46 million subscribers from 1168.42 million recorded at the end of May 2025. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Product Management Project Management Design Thinking Technology Leadership Healthcare Digital Marketing Others PGDM Cybersecurity Public Policy Degree Artificial Intelligence MCA Finance others Data Science healthcare Data Analytics Management Data Science MBA CXO Operations Management Skills you'll gain: Product Strategy & Roadmapping User-Centric Product Design Agile Product Development Market Analysis & Product Launch Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business Professional Certificate in Product Management Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Product Strategy & Competitive Advantage Tactics Product Development Processes & Market Orientations Product Analytics & Data-Driven Decision Making Agile Development, Design Thinking, & Product Leadership Duration: 40 Weeks IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Product Management Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Creating Effective Product Roadmap User Research & Translating it to Product Design Key Metrics via Product Analytics Hand-On Projects Using Cutting Edge Tools Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Product Management Starts on May 14, 2024 Get Details The overall growth was driven primarily by urban areas, which saw an increase from 634.91 million to 637.87 million wireless subscribers -- a monthly growth rate of 0.47 per cent. In contrast, rural wireless subscriptions declined slightly from 533.51 million to 533.00 million, reflecting a -0.10 per cent drop, the TRAI said. The data shows that the wireless mobile segment alone added 2 million new subscribers during June 2025, rising from 1161.03 million in May to 1163.03 million in June -- a 0.17 per cent monthly growth rate. The TRAI data reveals that the urban mobile subscribers grew from 630.42 million to 633.14 million, a growth rate of 0.43 per cent, while rural mobile subscribers declined from 530.60 million to 529.88 million, marking a -0.14 per cent decline. Live Events India's overall wireless tele-density improved slightly from 82.63 per cent in May to 82.74 per cent in June. The urban wireless tele-density increased from 124.91 per cent to 125.31 per cent, while the rural tele-density fell from 58.90 per cent to 58.82 per cent. In the mobile segment specifically, the national wireless (mobile) tele-density rose from 82.10 per cent to 82.18 per cent. Urban mobile tele-density increased from 124.03 per cent to 124.38 per cent, while rural tele-density saw a drop from 58.58% to 58.48 per cent. As of June 30, 2025, private access service providers held a dominant 92.20 per cent share of the mobile wireless market. The public sector units (PSUs) -- BSNL and MTNL -- accounted for just 7.80 per cent. In terms of regional performance, all service areas except Assam, Mumbai, Punjab, Delhi, and Kolkata showed growth in mobile wireless subscriptions during June 2025. The number of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscribers rose from 7.40 million in May to 7.85 million in June 2025. Of these, 4.73 million were from urban areas and 3.12 million from rural India, reflecting the continued expansion of next-generation wireless internet services. As per the data, as of the end of June 2025, the urban areas accounted for 54.48 per cent of total wireless subscribers while rural areas made up 45.52 per cent. For mobile wireless specifically, as per the data, the urban share stood at 54.44 per cent, and the rural share stood at 45.56 per cent.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
IAFI's Space Policy conference outlines India's satellite roadmap
NEW DELHI, July 25, 2025: The ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ) organised the two-day Indian Space Policy Conference 2025 (ISPC-25) at Hotel Imperial, New Delhi. The event, held from July 24 to July 25, brought together senior government officials, international regulators, industry leaders, and satellite experts to discuss India's emerging space and spectrum ecosystem. It was attended by over 200 delegates. Participants examined regulatory frameworks, global spectrum policy, satellite applications, Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications, and the path toward India's 'Viksit Bharat' vision across six technical sessions and two plenaries. Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in his inaugural address, stated, 'Satellite communication will be pivotal in fulfilling India's digital inclusion goals. With the right spectrum policy and regulatory flexibility—particularly in enabling non-geostationary satellite systems—we can ensure affordable, high-quality connectivity across the most remote corners of the country.' He reaffirmed that TRAI's recent recommendations, including a 4% AGR fee applicable to both GSO and NGSO operators, were designed to create a balanced and innovation-friendly ecosystem. He also emphasised the importance of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) in delivering up to $250 billion in global socio-economic benefits by 2030, supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ' Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to finalize satellite communications rules—streamlining spectrum allocation, simplifying licensing, and promoting ease of doing business,' Lahoti further said. Ms. Isabelle Mauro, Director-General, Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), urged India to embrace a more agile regulatory framework to accelerate deployment, suggesting 'a progressive approach including administrative allocation of satellite spectrum can help ensure digital equity and inclusion'. Mr. Gautam Sharma, Managing Director, Viasat India , raised concerns about global spectrum consolidation and encouraged the Indian government to safeguard its orbital assets. He noted that Viasat was working closely with Indian startups to launch Direct-to-Device (D2D)-enabled satellites by next year. Ms. Revathi Mannepalli, Joint Wireless Advisor and Member of the ITU Radio Regulatory Board, reiterated that the Indian Space Policy 2023 has played a crucial role in enabling private sector participation and supported the establishment of a dedicated space regulator to streamline licensing and enhance transparency. 'India has opened up the space sector to private players, and the way the policy has evolved, it is going to bring in a lot of new jobs and investments,' noted Shri Bharat Bhatia, President of IAFI, commending India's transformative policy shift. Bhatia underlined the organization's commitment to shaping India's telecom and space communication agenda and noted that in recent years, IAFI has emerged as a powerful voice for Indian stakeholders in global telecom and satellite forums. 'With ISPC-25, we are bringing together the right people at the right time to align India's policy and regulatory ecosystem with the massive technological shift being driven by satellite innovation,' he added. Throughout the six technical sessions and two plenaries, delegates explored key aspects of India's space transformation. The first technical session, moderated by Shri Bhatia, focused on India's evolving space policy and regulatory framework. Shri Arun Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Satellite), Department of Telecommunications , provided an overview of policy and licensing structures supporting the satellite sector. Mr. Vinay Paliwal, Deputy Director, Programme Management and Authorization Directorate, IN-SPACe, highlighted efforts to simplify authorizations and catalyze private sector engagement. Lt. Gen. Anil Kumar Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA), spoke about the growing industry-government collaboration and the importance of IN-SPACe as a single-window facilitator. Mr. Tony Azzarelli, Vice President, Eutelsat OneWeb , remarked during the session, 'We've been very busy for the past two years to start providing services in India. We're just waiting for the final touches of the regulations, which are crucial.' He emphasized global coordination for spectrum and orbital resources, particularly for non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite systems. Dr. Laura Roberti, Director for Spectrum and Market Access, Telesat, during the session emphasized the need for internationally harmonized regulations and efficient spectrum access to support sustainable growth in satellite services. The second session addressed spectrum issues in the lead-up to WRC-27, focusing on agenda items 1.1 to 1.6. Shri Amit Gulati, Senior Deputy Wireless Advisor, WPC, Department of Telecommunications, outlined India's preparatory strategy and its alignment with international developments. Participating virtually, Ms. J Sofi, Associate Director (Frequency Management), ISRO Satellite Communication Programme Office, discussed coordination challenges in satellite network deployment and the importance of protecting interference-free operations. Dr. Roberti addressed global regulatory alignment and market access constraints. Ms. Marta Donate Fuente, Spectrum Engineer, Eutelsat OneWeb, joining remotely, offered global insights on fair spectrum sharing and multi-operator coexistence in increasingly congested orbital environments. Session three, chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, explored spectrum requirements for defence, civil aviation, and maritime safety. Mr. Laurent Parente, Director General of the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO), delivered a virtual keynote stressing the preservation of interference-free environments for critical safety systems such as GMDSS. Mr. John Dodd, Director of Safety Services at Inmarsat, presented the modernization of maritime safety services. Brigadier Rahul Anand, Director, Joint Communication Electronics Staff (JCES), Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, underscored the need to safeguard defence spectrum against encroachment. Mr. Vivek Banzal, Director, CFA, BSNL , reflected on operator priorities. Ms. Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Viasat, emphasized the importance of protecting L-band spectrum for emerging services like D2D. Mr. Bashir Patel, Senior Advisor, Policy and Spectrum, concluded with a global view of the future of Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). Mr. Lokesh Kabdal, Co-founder and CEO of AeroDome, also participated. Day 2 Highlights On day two, GSOA's Mauro spoke about D2D potential and hybrid integration. Shri N. K. Bhola, Director, WMO, addressed D2D policy gaps. Shri Anand Khare, Member (Services), DCC, DoT, emphasized convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Session 4 of ISPC-25 examined the future of Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite communications, focusing on spectrum policies, global coordination, and commercial viability. Chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, the session addressed key WRC-27 agenda items related to MSS and non-terrestrial network integration. Ms. Sonali Nanda, Deputy Director, PMAD, IN-SPACe, emphasized the need for regulatory clarity and harmonized licensing to support private D2D deployments. Shri M. P. S. Alawa, Joint Wireless Advisor, DoT, called for alignment with global spectrum frameworks. Mr. Jitendra Singh, Head of Government Affairs, Qualcomm, highlighted 3GPP standards and chipset readiness for global mobile-satellite interoperability. Ms. Mariona Pazos Rovira of Sateliot outlined the growing role of nanosatellite constellations in enabling affordable IoT applications. Mr. Chris Woolford, Director, Ofcom, UK, offered a European perspective on spectrum coordination and advocated international cooperation. In a panel moderated by Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Partner, EY, experts, including Shri T. R. Dua, Chairman, IAFI, and Shri R. S. Singh, DDG (IoT), TEC, discussed India's leadership potential in D2D, stressing the need for flexible regulation, spectrum efficiency, and interoperability. Session 5, chaired by Shri Arun Agrawal, DDG (Satellite), DoT, explored how satellite technologies support India's Viksit Bharat agenda. Mr. Mukesh Kumar, DDG (Radio), TEC, highlighted the role of satellite-terrestrial convergence in universal broadband. Mr. H Rayappa of ISRO outlined satellite capacity for civilian use. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Director, DCPW, discussed satellite applications in disaster response and public safety. Mr. Prabhat Dikshit, DDG (SMC), DoT, emphasized satellite's role in last-mile connectivity. Mr. Utpal Bhowmick, Principal BD India/APAC, Amazon Kuiper, presented low-latency NGSO solutions for rural connectivity. Mr. Alok Shankar Pandey of DFCCIL explained the integration of satellite systems into logistics and railways. The conference concluded with an important session on Space Sustainability, Ms. Bethea-Murphy and Mr. H. C. Soni, Vice President, IAFI, called for global efforts to address orbital debris, and highlighted the growing challenge to sustainability caused by orbital debris. Soni delivered the vote of thanks. Shri Bhatia concluded the event, and thanked GSOA and other partners for making the event a success. About IAFI ITU-APT Foundation of India (ITU-APT) is a non-profit, non-political, non-partisan Industry foundation registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1960. ITU-APT is working for last 22 years with the prime objective of encouraging involvement of professionals, corporate, public/private sector industries, R&D organizations, academic institutions, and such other agencies engaged in development of Indian Telecom sector in the activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT). The Foundation has been recognized as an International/Regional Telecommunications Organization by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). For any further information, please see our website (DISCLAIMER: The article has been published under ETTelecom's Brand Connect Initiative)
India.com
10 hours ago
- India.com
Worried About Aadhaar Misuse? Heres How To Safely Delink It From Mobile Numbers And Wallet Apps To Avoid Scams
photoDetails english 2938653 Aadhaar Card Frauds: Aadhaar has quietly become a part of our everyday digital life — whether it's linking to mobile numbers, wallets, or apps we barely use anymore. But with every new link, there's a hidden risk. Imagine your digital world as a house. Every time you share your Aadhaar, you're leaving a door unlocked. And if one of those doors falls into the wrong hands, it could lead to trouble. Criminals are finding ways to exploit Aadhaar-linked accounts for fraud. That's why it's so important to revisit where your Aadhaar is connected and start locking those unused doors. Delinking is your way of protecting your identity before something goes wrong. Updated:Jul 29, 2025, 06:06 PM IST Audit Your Aadhaar Use Via UIDAI Portal 1 / 8 Visit log in with your Aadhaar number and OTP, then check 'Aadhaar Authentication History'. You'll see every instance your Aadhaar was used—spot and list the services or apps you don't recognize or no longer use. Delink Aadhaar From Telecom Operators 2 / 8 Post-2018, telcos can't mandate Aadhaar for KYC. Visit your mobile operator's nearest store with a PAN card or Voter ID and ask them to delete Aadhaar from their records. They are legally required to comply as per TRAI directives. Clean Up Payment And Wallet Apps 3 / 8 Apps like Paytm, PhonePe, or MobiKwik often store your Aadhaar for eKYC purposes. Go to the app settings, then open the KYC or Personal Information section, and look for the option to remove or change your Aadhaar. If the app does not provide this option, send an email or write to their customer care team to formally request delinking. Replace Aadhaar With Alternative IDs 4 / 8 After Aadhaar removal, apps may ask for re-verification. You can use your passport, driver's license, or voter ID. Some apps might require a selfie or short video to complete verification—do this quickly to avoid disruption. Report If You Can't Delink 5 / 8 If you face issues delinking your Aadhaar from any app or service, start by raising the concern with their grievance redressal team. If your complaint remains unresolved, escalate the matter directly to UIDAI through their official complaint portal. In the case of telecom-related problems, you can file a complaint with TRAI, as they oversee such services. If none of these steps work, consider seeking legal assistance, which has become more accessible and responsive in recent times. Use Masked Aadhaar Or Virtual ID Instead 6 / 8 Need to share Aadhaar but fear misuse? Use a Masked Aadhaar (only last 4 digits visible) or a VID (Virtual ID)—a temporary 16-digit code. Both carry valid QR codes and signatures, making them safe and legally valid in most cases. Avoid Aadhaar For Verification For Every App 7 / 8 Going forward, don't use Aadhaar for verification unless absolutely necessary. Most services accept alternate IDs. Using Aadhaar less means fewer chances of it being misused. Revisit And Repeat Every 6 Months 8 / 8 Digital footprints evolve fast. Set a reminder to revisit UIDAI's authentication history every 6 months. Regular checks help you identify new linkages and stop misuse before it starts.
New Indian Express
12 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Retired forest official from Gujarat's Rajkot duped of Rs 8.93 lakh in digital arrest scam
AHMEDABAD: In a cyber fraud mirroring the recent Rs 19 crore scam in Gandhinagar, a retired forest head clerk from Gujarat's Rajkot, has fallen prey to a 'digital arrest' con and lost Rs 8.93 lakh. Posing as officials from TRAI and Maharashtra Cyber Crime, the scammers extorted money from the elderly man by threatening him with criminal charges and arrest. The victim, a former Forest Head Clerk at Bahumali Bhavan, lives near Patidar Chowk in Rajkot. On November 28, 2024, he received a call from a woman identifying herself as Diya Sharma from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). She claimed that two Jio SIM cards linked to his number were being misused and needed to be deactivated immediately. Minutes later, a second call came, this time from someone posing as Inspector Mohit Handa from the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Cell. The caller alleged that an HDFC Bank account had been opened using the victim's Aadhaar-linked SIM, through which Rs 68 lakh had been fraudulently transacted. The scammer claimed the money belonged to a woman who had since died by suicide and that an arrest warrant had been issued against the retired clerk. As the victim hesitated, the imposter escalated the pressure. Through a video call, he showed a man in police uniform seated at what appeared to be a police station and claimed the only way to avoid arrest was to provide a security bond of Rs 2 lakh. Terrified, the retired official agreed to cooperate.
