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Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Spike in cyber frauds: Chandigarh police, stakeholders get into huddle
Chandigarh: The Chandigarh police convened a meeting with the RBI , department of telecommunications, telecom service providers, and banks to address the rising threat of financial cyber frauds, at the police headquarters, Sector-9, on Wednesday. The meeting aimed to enhance cooperation between law enforcement agencies (LEAs), financial institutions, and telecom service providers (TSPs) to form a united front against complex and evolving cybercrime threats. During the meeting, investigating officers (IOs) and cyber operators were also present, sharing critical on-ground experiences and investigation challenges. Several key issues were discussed during the meeting, including the rise of AI-enabled scams, phishing attacks, mule account operations, and social engineering-based frauds. Participants highlighted operational challenges such as delays in data sharing, lack of support during weekends, and gaps in KYC compliance. Constructive suggestions were made to overcome these challenges through improved coordination and standardised protocols. TSPs were specifically requested to ensure timely sharing of subscriber information, call detail records, live location data, IP logs, and immediate SIM deactivation upon receipt of fraud complaints. They were also urged to maintain the 24x7 availability of their nodal officers to provide prompt support to law enforcement. Banks were advised to take swift action to freeze suspicious accounts, promptly share transaction histories and account details, and strictly adhere to KYC norms to prevent system misuse by cybercriminals. The nodal officers of both TSPs and banks were commended for their consistent cooperation, timely responses, and professionalism in aiding ongoing investigations. It was resolved that such coordination meetings would be organised quarterly to ensure continuous dialogue and proactive response to emerging threats. Participants also emphasised the importance of public awareness. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious mobile numbers through the Chakshu portal and verify bank account details before making large financial transactions. All stakeholders reiterated their commitment to strictly comply with directions issued by the Department of Telecommunications. The meeting concluded with a collective resolution to strengthen inter-agency coordination, enhance real-time data sharing, and safeguard citizens from the growing menace of financial cyber frauds in the region. Key stakeholders participated in the session, including Gagandeep Kaur, AGM, RBI; Chetan Sharma from the department of telecommunications (DoT/LSA); representatives of leading public and private sector banks; and major telecom service providers. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Time of India
Scindia chairs Sanchar Saathi stakeholders' meet to fortify telecom cyber fraud defences
New Delhi: Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday chaired a stakeholders' meeting under the ' Sanchar Saathi ' initiative to ideate and fortify efforts to fight telecom-related cyber frauds. The citizen-centric digital safety initiative 'Sanchar Saathi' integrates advanced tools such as CEIR ( Central Equipment Identity Register ) to block stolen or lost phones, DIP (Digital Intelligence Platform), AI-based systems like ASTR (to detect connections taken on fake documents), and FRI (Financial Fraud Risk Indicator) to detect and prevent potential frauds. "Chaired a productive stakeholder interaction on Sanchar Saathi with law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, TSPs and citizen contributors. We are resolute in building a stronger, faster and more collaborative response system, safeguarding every mobile user in Bharat," the minister said in a post on X. According to an official release, so far, over 82 lakh fake mobile connections have been disconnected, and more than 35 lakh lost or stolen phones have been blocked. "The initiative has also successfully prevented 1.35 crore spoofed international calls within just 24 hours of launching this system," it said. The Sanchar Saathi portal has seen strong public engagement, with 16 crore visits and an average of 2 lakh users every day. "Through the AI-powered ASTR tool, citizen reports, and stakeholder inputs, over 4.7 crore mobile connections have been disconnected. The initiative has also led to the blocking of 5.1 lakh mobile handsets, disengagement of 24.46 lakh WhatsApp accounts, and blacklisting of 20,000 bulk SMS senders involved in fraudulent activities," it said. Under the CEIR system of Sanchar Saathi, 35.49 lakh lost or stolen devices have been blocked, 21.57 lakh traced, and 5.19 lakh recovered. Sanchar Saathi has onboarded 620 organisations, including central agencies, state police forces, telecom service providers (TSPs), and GSTN, forming a strong collaborative network to counter telecom fraud and cyber threats across the country, the official release said. Scindia also launched the 'Sanchar Saathi' mobile application in Hindi and 21 regional languages, to drive its reach across diverse regions. "Originally introduced in January 2025, the app allows users to report suspicious communications, block or trace lost/stolen phones, and check for unauthorised mobile connections," the release said. Tuesday's interaction was attended by key stakeholders from law enforcement, telecom service providers, financial institutions, and civil society. Citizens from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also shared their experiences with the Sanchar Saathi initiatives, recounting how they were able to retrieve their stolen handsets swiftly using the platform, the release added.
The Print
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
Telcos roll out suffix on SMS headers to identify spam, share concern over gaps in OTTs
'All telecom service providers (TSPs) have implemented the promotional ('P'), service-related ('S'), transactional ('T') and government ('G') communications suffix system on SMS headers, as mandated by the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) vide its Amendment to the TCCCP Regulation dated 12th February 2025,' COAI Director General, SP Kochhar said in a statement. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents telecom operators like Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea, expressed concern over spammers taking the route of over-the-top or internet messaging apps which defeats the purpose of enforcing stringent measures to check spam and fraud messages. New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) Mobile users will now be able to differentiate between genuine and spam SMS as telecom operators have rolled out suffixes that will appear before the sender's name or header, industry body COAI said on Tuesday. He said that the implementation has enhanced transparency and consumer protection as such categorization enables subscribers to easily identify the nature of incoming messages, reducing spam, strengthening compliance and improving overall trust and convenience for users. 'Users can easily identify and differentiate promotional, service-related, transactional and government messages at a glance. Clearly marking promotional messages ('P') and thus, helping subscribers avoid unwanted marketing communication, effectively reducing spam. Customers can readily identify genuine transactional ('T') and service-related ('S') messages, reducing the likelihood of fraud or scams,' Kochhar said. He, however, expressed concern as spammers and scamsters continue to take the route of messaging apps which remains unregulated. 'The concerns persist regarding the use of OTT Communication services for increasing spam and fraud messages, as the success of any consent framework or spam mitigation measure is incomplete if large parts of the communication ecosystem remain unregulated. 'This regulatory gap is increasingly being exploited, with a growing share of scams and unsolicited promotions now originating on OTT apps, adding to customer woes,' Kochhar said. He said that the non-regulation of OTTs apps creates an uneven playing field between the TSPs and the OTT Communication Services, raising privacy, traceability and national security concerns. 'COAI maintains that bridging this loophole through a unified consent management framework that brings all platforms, including OTTs, under its purview is critical to protect consumers and ensure consistency across the ecosystem,' Kochhar said. PTI PRS DRR This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Telcos roll out suffix on SMS headers to identify spam, share concern over gaps in OTTs
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Mobile users will now be able to differentiate between genuine and spam SMS as telecom operators have rolled out suffixes that will appear before the sender's name or header, industry body COAI said on Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents telecom operators like Reliance Jio, Airtel Vodafone Idea , expressed concern over spammers taking the route of over-the-top or internet messaging apps which defeats the purpose of enforcing stringent measures to check spam and fraud messages."All telecom service providers (TSPs) have implemented the promotional ('P'), service-related ('S'), transactional ('T') and government ('G') communications suffix system on SMS headers , as mandated by the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) vide its Amendment to the TCCCP Regulation dated 12th February 2025," COAI Director General, SP Kochhar said in a said that the implementation has enhanced transparency and consumer protection as such categorization enables subscribers to easily identify the nature of incoming messages, reducing spam, strengthening compliance and improving overall trust and convenience for users."Users can easily identify and differentiate promotional, service-related, transactional and government messages at a glance. Clearly marking promotional messages ('P') and thus, helping subscribers avoid unwanted marketing communication, effectively reducing spam. Customers can readily identify genuine transactional ('T') and service-related ('S') messages, reducing the likelihood of fraud or scams," Kochhar however, expressed concern as spammers and scamsters continue to take the route of messaging apps which remains unregulated."The concerns persist regarding the use of OTT Communication services for increasing spam and fraud messages, as the success of any consent framework or spam mitigation measure is incomplete if large parts of the communication ecosystem remain unregulated."This regulatory gap is increasingly being exploited, with a growing share of scams and unsolicited promotions now originating on OTT apps, adding to customer woes," Kochhar said that the non-regulation of OTTs apps creates an uneven playing field between the TSPs and the OTT Communication Services, raising privacy, traceability and national security concerns."COAI maintains that bridging this loophole through a unified consent management framework that brings all platforms, including OTTs, under its purview is critical to protect consumers and ensure consistency across the ecosystem," Kochhar said.
Mint
04-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Backhaul spectrum clash: Telcos face off against tech giants over India's internet backbone
Every time we make a video call, stream a movie, or send a message, there's a lot happening behind the scenes to keep us connected. One important part of this process is something most people don't hear much about—backhaul spectrum, the new battleground between telecom operators and technology companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon. A rift is also brewing among telcos on India's spectrum allocation method for backhaul services. Backhaul is the link that connects mobile towers and Wi-Fi points to the main internet network, helping data travel between devices and the wider web. As the government looks to decide how the backhaul spectrum should be allocated, telcos and tech firms have presented sharply different views. Telecom operators want all such spectrum to be reserved for them owing to growing data traffic on their networks. Technology companies, represented by the Broadband India Forum, are calling for allocation of spectrum to other entities as well, and in some cases, for licence-free use of certain bands to support wider internet access and innovation. 'We are of the view that the demand for these traditional microwave bands will persist due to rapid urbanization and densification requirements (and) increased cellular traffic from 5G and future network technologies. Therefore, the existing spectrum in traditional microwave backhaul bands should be made fully available to TSPs (telecom service providers)," said S.P. Kochhar, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India, in a submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on 2 July. The issue of backhaul spectrum is important for India, where patchy fiber connectivity makes wireless backhaul crucial for expanding 5G, rural broadband, and public Wi-Fi networks. However, a lack of clear policy on how backhaul spectrum will be allocated— whether through auction, administrative assignment, or delicensing—has created uncertainty for both telecom operators and tech companies. Tech companies for a non-auction route For backhaul purposes, the telecom operators have been assigned provisional spectrum in bands such as 6 GHz and 21 GHz, as well as in E (71-76 GHz, and 81-86 GHz) and V bands (57-64/ 66 GHz). In areas where laying fiber is difficult or delayed, backhaul using E and V bands is critical for supporting 5G and high-speed internet as these bands can wirelessly carry large volumes of data between towers. According to the department of telecommunications, only 46.09% of the towers in Indiawere connected to the core network using optical fibre cables(called tower fiberization), as of March, underscoring the need for backhaul spectrum to meet higher traffic demand on telecom networks. 'Some of these traditional/legacy spectrum bands are now being used and some more are likely to be used for other mobile/Wi-Fi/satellite services. Hence it may be required not only by TSPs but also for other entities, viz. Satcom Service Providers, Wi-Fi service providers, research institutions and academia for fuelling innovation," the Broadband India Forum told Trai in a recent communication, advocating for a non-auction route for allocating spectrum. The technology companies forum's and the cellular operators association's submissions to Trai were in response toa consultation on the assignment of the microwave spectrum. The forum also argued for licence-free use of 9 GHz spectrum in the lower V band (57-66GHz) to support contactless ports, device-to-device data transfer, and motion-sensing. 'V-band is already allowed on license-exempt basis world-wide except for a few countries. If V-band continues to be restricted and licensed, innovative new technologies and products would be unable to see the light of the day and consumers in the Indian market would be deprived of the latest and innovative solutions," it said. The technology forum added that new technology such as WiGig, which allows wireless data transfer at multi-gigabit speeds, faster than regular Wi-Fi, requires such a band. Airtel vs Jio on spectrum allocation Although telecom operators are on the same page on backhaul spectrum, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are at loggerheads over the method for allocation of spectrum. Jio is against allocating backhaul spectrum without holding an auction, citing national security concerns from non-telco entities. Airtel, echoing the views of other technology companies, has called for a non-auction method for spectrum allocation. As per Schedule 1 of the Telecommunications Act 2023, backhaul spectrum is among items for which spectrum is to be assigned administratively (the non-auction route). 'The current administrative assignment methodology of temporary assignments at a high percentage of AGR (adjusted gross revenue) as spectrum charge has not worked and a large amount of spectrum remains idle with the government, while the TSPs have shortage of backhaul capacities," Jio told Trai in a submissionon 2 July. 'Unlicensed access to spectrum usable for IMT (international mobile telecommunication) services distorts the level playing field and impacts the investments in the sector, besides being technically ineffective," Jio added. Airtel said subjecting these bands to auction-based allocation would not jeopardize service continuity due to non-availability of required backhaul spectrum and could create an artificial scarcity by provisioning more spectrum towards access services. 'It is pertinent to note that the operators with limited fiber infrastructure are especially dependent on wireless backhaul, and exposing these critical resources to auction dynamics for varied purposes would create severe competitive imbalances," Airtel told Trai on2 July. A call for pricing reforms Both Jio and Airtel, as well as tech companies, however, have called for a reduction in the pricing of backhaul spectrum. Currently, telecom operators pay the government 0.15% of their adjusted gross revenue for a single E-band carrier—or about ₹96 crore. That's about 3,000 times what telecom service providers in Iraq pay and nearly 1,400 times what TSPs in Saudi Arabia pay, the Broadband India Forum said. A carrier refers to a block or channel of spectrum that an operator uses to transmit wireless signals; more carriers mean more capacity, but also higher costs. India follows an escalating payment mechanism that involves charging 0.35% of a company's adjusted gross revenue for two carriers to as high as 1.45% and 2.30% for six and eight carriers, respectively. 'A rational SUC (spectrum usage charge) model which is flat, low, and predictable must be adopted for backhaul spectrum," Airtel said in its submission to Trai. 'Delinking SUC from number of carriers would not only promote efficient deployment but also help optimize access spectrum utilization and improve consumer experience." Jio has pitched a lower reserve price for spectrum based on the auction method and for easier spectrum payment terms. Satellite interference In another potential rift, satellite companies including Eutelsat Group, Amazon Kuiper and Inmarsat, represented by the Global Satellite Operators' Association, have urged Trai to move with caution as it looks to expand backhaul services in the 18 GHz band for telecom networks. The association said backhaul bands are critical to supporting mobile and fixed wireless infrastructure, particularly in regions where fiber deployment is not feasible. 'However, increased use of these bands must not come at the expense of satellite services that share co-primary status, particularly in the 13 GHz and 15 GHz bands," it said. The satellite operators association called for a balanced approach to ensure reliable operation of fixed satellite services, especially in frequency ranges that support essential services such as disaster recovery, remote education, and broadband access in underserved regions. 'As the Trai evaluates the potential expansion of spectrum assignment for terrestrial use in the 18 GHz band, Amazon encourages it to take a cautious approach," Amazon Kuiper told Trai on2 July. 'This band—which has historically been 'much less utilized" by terrestrial services to provide radio backhaul service in India—is critical to the Kuiper System's ability deliver reliable, affordable, and widely-accessible wireless broadband access to Indian consumers," the company said. In May, the department of telecommunications issued guidelines requiring satellite operators to submit a yearly plan to the government showing how they will gradually increase local manufacturing of ground segments of their satellite network in India. India has so far approved the applications of Bharti Enterprises-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Jio, and Elon Musk-owned Starlink to launch satellite internet services in India, whereas Amazon Kuiper and Globalstar are waiting regulatory clearances.
