The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed a new framework aimed at strengthening cybersecurity and reducing online fraud. Under the draft amendments to the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024, the DoT will empower telecom operators and other stakeholders, including banks, financial institutions, and e-commerce platforms, to verify users’ mobile numbers and identities through a centralised government-run platform.
To access this verification service, entities would be required to pay a prescribed fee. The initiative is intended to help curb identity theft, spoofing, and digital payment fraud by enabling real-time authentication of mobile numbers used in sensitive transactions.
Additionally, the draft rules allow the government to issue directives to smartphone manufacturers to assist in cases involving tampered or duplicated international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) numbers. Manufacturers may also be restricted from assigning existing IMEIs, already active in India’s telecom networks, to newly manufactured or imported devices.
Further, a central database of tampered or restricted-use IMEIs will be maintained either directly by the government or through an authorised agency. Furthermore, in cases deemed urgent and in the public interest, the government may direct telecom operators to suspend the use of a mobile number without prior notice.
