PM Modi calls for creating global framework to prevent fraud, scams

Calls for govts, tech firms, telcos, and financial institutions to work together

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Thursday called on governments, telecommunications (telecom) operators, technology companies, and financial institutions across the world to jointly build a global framework to prevent cyberfraud amid rising challenges from deepfakes.

 

“Cyberfraud and cybercrime also do not respect borders; they have already crossed boundaries. A person sitting in one country can commit a crime in a third country with the help of another country. We are also seeing how big a challenge deepfakes have become. Therefore, it is essential that we work on a global framework for this. Governments, technology companies, telecom operators, and financial institutions must all join this framework,” Modi said while addressing Indian industry leaders at the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC).

 

 

The PM also sought the cooperation of the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) and the world’s telecom operators to create a global mechanism that can stop such fraud before it reaches people. “India has learnt a lot from its experience in this direction, and India is always ready to share its experiences with the world,” he added.

 

The PM observed that it was essential to strengthen the “security framework” associated with telecom and digital technology at a time when phone and network security were priorities for all Indians. “A common citizen does not think in terms of protocols or architecture; trust is very important for him,” he emphasised, adding that a user receiving a call or message should know its origin and genuineness. “When a payment is made, he should be confident that his money is safe. When he gives his data in any form, he should be confident that his data is safe,” he added.

 

Modi also underscored that the government would continue to undertake relevant reforms for the telecom sector, having carried out several over the past few years. These include modernising “decades-old laws” through the Telecommunications Act, creating modern regulatory frameworks, rationalising structural burdens such as adjusted gross revenue and bank guarantees, and using the GatiShakti Sanchar portal, which has digitised and accelerated right-of-way approvals.

 

“India is moving towards a goal where the product and design will be Indian, and its technology and intellectual property will also be Indian. To this end, all necessary incentives are being provided, and all necessary reforms are being implemented. This means that the reform drive is rapidly progressing in the telecom sector as well,” he said.

 

With India’s semiconductor and semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem gaining momentum and commercial production having begun at five locations, the PM said the next phase of the India Semiconductor Mission would focus on the entire supply chain, for which the government would take major steps in “every area related to the telecom sector”.

 

Modi also said that the mobile phone had ensured less travel, less waiting, lower costs, and greater convenience, but had also turned out to be technology’s biggest citizen dividend, with direct monetary benefits from the government being transferred to the right beneficiaries. It had also created new sectors of the economy, including gaming and a new generation of creators, while creating new consumers in the technology, entertainment, and education sectors.

 

Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia also called for India’s ecosystem to be trustworthy, resilient, and secure. Speaking at the IMC, he said India aims to double its 5G user base from 550 million to 1 billion by 2030, adding that the country, which was behind the world in 4G, is resolved to lead the world in 6G.

 

“Today we have 550 million users on 5G... But we will not rest here. By 2030 our target is to take that number from 550 million to a billion customers on 5G,” Scindia said. On 6G, he said the Bharat 6G Alliance, which has 90 institutions involved with it, had established 7,700 patents, of which 4,400 were international. “We were behind the world in 4G. We marched with the world on 5G. But it is our resolve that we will lead the world on 6G,” he added.

 

Scindia advocated ensuring that Indian innovations reach the globe, led by digital public infrastructure, with the Unified Payments Interface accounting for 84 per cent of digital transactions domestically and 49 per cent of global digital transactions being conducted locally.

 

He also said the $15 billion government-funded BharatNet, which will provide middle-mile connectivity to close to 260,000 gram panchayats and, on demand, connectivity to the remaining 380,000 villages across the length and breadth of India. He described it as a “thick pipe” that will provide a 100 megabits per second connection to every home, as demanded by citizens.

 

He also said that India was the world’s second-largest mobile phone producer, with exports from India having reached close to $29 billion. “Production-linked incentive has further strengthened it. ~1.1 trillion of incremental sales, ~25,000 crore of incremental exports. In just 22 months, we entered the club of four, only four countries that have produced telecom stacks,” he said.