Collective efforts vital to ensure cyber-safe digital ecosystem: DGT R K Goyal

Kochi, Feb 12 (PTI) Director General Telecom R K Goyal on Thursday said collective efforts from all stakeholders are essential to create a cyber-safe and trusted digital ecosystem.

He was addressing a gathering

at the annual South Zone conference on security-related matters, organised by the Kerala Licensed Service Area (LSA) of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, under the Director General of Telecom (DGT), here.

Goyal emphasised the growing importance of securing telecom networks amid rapid digital transformation.

He said telecom security is not only about systems but also about people, awareness and collaboration.

Collective efforts of all stakeholders are essential to creating a cyber-safe and trusted digital ecosystem, he said.

The conference was attended by officers from the four South Zone LSAs of DoT — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka — along with representatives of Central and State/UT Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and Telecom Service Providers.

During the conference, DoT noted that India has made rapid progress in the telecom sector.

The 5G services launched by the Prime Minister in 2022 are now available in 776 of 777 districts, it said.

India has achieved the world’s fastest rollout of 5G services and mobile services in the country are among the cheapest globally, officials said.

DoT officials said the department has developed a secure online Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) to share information on misuse of telecom resources among stakeholders in near real time to prevent financial fraud.

The platform uses Artificial Intelligence and facial recognition technologies to identify and curb fraudulent activities, they said.

Discussions at the conference focused on strengthening cooperation among stakeholders, sharing best practices, and addressing emerging security challenges, such as cyber financial fraud, misuse of telecom resources, and illegal telecom operations.

Participants deliberated on key security-related areas, including lawful interception, telecom data protection, cyber incident response mechanisms and detection of illegal telecom setups.

DoT officials said the Sanchar Saathi portal and mobile app launched by the department enable citizens to report lost or stolen mobile devices, block such devices, check mobile connections issued in their name, verify the genuineness of handsets, report incoming international calls displaying Indian numbers, and lodge complaints regarding suspected cyber and financial frauds or spam calls.

Around 24 crore visitors have accessed the portal, and about 1.9 crore customers have downloaded the Sanchar Saathi app in the last one year, it said.

According to DoT, over the past two years, more than 5 crore suspicious mobile connections have been disconnected, and around 8.5 lakh mobile handsets have been recovered by state police authorities through coordinated efforts using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) platform.

DoT has also introduced Financial Fraud Risk Indicators (FRI) in May 2025, a framework that classifies mobile numbers linked to financial fraud into medium, high, and very high risk categories, officials said.

The system provides real-time intelligence to banks and financial institutions to help prevent fraudulent transactions and alert customers about potential risks, they added.

In a statement, DoT said it has adopted mobile tower radiation limits that are more stringent than the guidelines prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

For enhancing public awareness, the government has launched the Tarang Sanchar portal, which allows citizens to check the radiation compliance status of mobile towers in their area and understand safety standards, it said.

Deb Kumar Chakrabarthy, Member (Services), DoT, Suresh Puri, Additional Director General Telecom, DGT, and Benny Chinnappan, Additional Director General Telecom, Kerala LSA, also spoke. PTI TBA TBA ROH