DoT withdraws duplicate notice, confirms amended cyber security rules stand

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The telecom department on Thursday said it has withdrawn the republished rules concerning telecom cyber security, noting that it was inadvertently published in the Gazette in place of another rule intended for consultation.

The department clarified that the Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) Amendment Rules, 2025, notified on October 22, will continue to be in force.

The Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) rules aimed to address critical vulnerabilities that have emerged with the rapid integration of telecom identifiers into digital services across sectors, such as banking, e-commerce, and e-governance.

It also aimed at facilitating the identification of mobile numbers, devices and other telecom resources that have been found involved in fraudulent activities.

A copy of the same notification was republished by mistake on October 29, which the Department of Telecom rescinded through a notification on November 25.

"This error now stands rectified by the Department of Telecommunications through notification GSR 863 (E) dated 25.11.2025, which rescinds the unintended re-publication of TCS amendment Rules and this rescindment in no way invalidates the original amendment to TCS Rule that brought it into effect in the first place," a DoT statement said.

The amendment, it said, reinforces India's commitment to secure, transparent, and responsible telecom operations. The updated rules aim to bridge existing regulatory gaps and strengthen cyber resilience through collaborative mechanisms with entities using telecom identifiers.

The rule provides for setting up the Mobile Number Validation (MNV) platform to curb the surge in mule accounts and identity fraud arising from unverified linkages of mobile numbers with financial and digital services.

The MNV mechanism enables service providers to validate, through a decentralised and privacy-compliant platform, whether a mobile number used for a service genuinely belongs to the person whose credentials are on record, thereby enhancing trust in digital transactions.

The rule addresses concerns around the growing second-hand device market that has become a hotspot for the circulation of blacklisted, stolen, or cloned phones, leaving genuine purchasers vulnerable to legal complications.

The amended rule requires entities dealing in resale or refurbished devices to scrub every device's IMEI number through a centralised database of blacklisted IMEIs before resale, protecting consumers and assisting law enforcement in tracking stolen equipment.

The rule has a provision to mandate telecom identifier user entity (TIUE), like banks, e-commerce firms, etc, to share relevant telecom-identifier data with the government in specific regulated circumstances.

The move is aimed at ensuring greater traceability, accountability, and coordination in tackling telecom-linked cyber frauds while maintaining compliance with data protection norms.

"Collectively, these amendments aim to safeguard India's digital ecosystem against telecom-enabled frauds, strengthen device traceability, and ensure responsible use of telecom identifiers.

"The TCS Amendment Rules, 2025 mark a decisive step toward a resilient, interoperable, and future-ready telecom cyber security framework that balances innovation, privacy, and national security," the statement said.