More than 15 lakh mobile numbers have been discontinued by the Department of Telecommunications.
These numbers were reportedly issued using fraudulent credentials.
More Than 15 Lakh Mobile Numbers Discontinued By Department of Telecommunications
On Wednesday, the Parliament was informed that the Department of Telecommunications had disconnected over 15 lakh mobile numbers that had been provided with false identification.
Devusinh Chauhan, a minister of state for telecom, stated in a written response to the Lok Sabha that the government has taken numerous actions to strengthen the system for dealing with cybercrimes in a thorough and coordinated manner.
A toll-free helpline with the number “1930” has been operationalized, according to him, to allow people file online cyber complaints.
As per the minister, “Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has issued directions to TSPs (Telecom Service Providers) on February 16, 2023 to prevent the misuse of headers and message templates for cybercrime/fraud.”
According to him, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) was created to give law enforcement agencies (LEAs) a framework and eco-system to deal with cybercrimes in a thorough and coordinated manner.
Whatsapp, Telegram To Pay IUC To Telecom Operators
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is developing a plan to regulate communication-based apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Facetime, and others by requiring them to pay interconnect usage charges (IUCs) to telecom operators in exchange for using their networks.
Such operators may also be charged a nominal, one-time licence or registration fee. However, it’s unclear at this time if these apps would be required to pay a licence fee on a recurring basis as a portion of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR).
According to official sources, the proposal is still in its early stages and discussions are still ongoing. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which is also working on this issue concurrently, will soon release a consultation paper.
The final version of the telecom Bill, which will be introduced during the monsoon session of Parliament, may indicate the intention to enact some sort of regulation; the specific regulations in this regard may be announced at a later time.
