In a decisive push to secure India’s digital backbone, the Ministry of Communications revealed a landmark crackdown on telecom fraud and unveiled transformative reforms for public sector operators.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced in Parliament that over 13.6 million mobile connections were disconnected following citizen reports of misuse via the Sanchar Saathi portal.
Advanced AI tools like the ASTR system flagged and deactivated millions of fake mobile numbers, while international spoof calls were reduced by 97% thanks to centralized prevention software. Additionally, the Fraud Risk Indicator system helped banks identify and block suspicious activity, freezing 1.55 lakh accounts tied to scams.
On the infrastructure front, BSNL emerged revitalized—its subscriber base rose to 9.1 crore, supported by a ₹3.22 lakh crore revival package and the debut of localized business planning across its 32 circles. Another milestone was achieved with India’s indigenous 4G stack, featuring contributions from C-DoT, Tejas Networks, and TCS. Of the 95,000 approved towers, 75,000 are already operational. BSNL’s 4G rollout is live, with a 5G transition on the horizon.
These efforts signal India’s growing ambition to become a global leader in telecom technology and digital security.
