There are 117 crore subscribers in India and with this India becomes the second largest telecom ecosystem in the world. As India has become the most populous country in the World, the number of mobile phone users is also increasing day by day and their security is one of the biggest concerns for the government.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, IT, and Railways, launched Sanchar Saathi, the AI-powered portal, on May 16, 2023. This portal aims to create awareness and improve the security of mobile subscribers.
This portal will help users to block and trace their phones. CIER and TAFCOP are the two components that makeup Sanchar Saathi. Also with the help of Sanchar Sathi, a user can examine the number of mobile connections made in their name using the TAFCOP module.
Additionally, it will make it easier to report any mobile connections that the subscriber does not need or is not using.
What is Sanchar Saathi Portal?
Sanchar Saathi is a portal which is designed by the Department of Telecommunications of India to improve security and for empowering mobile subscribers. The individuals will be able to track their lost mobile phones, and can also know about connections issued under their name.
This portal will give the authority to the individuals to disconnect any unnecessary connections, trace, and block lost or stolen mobile phones, and verify the authenticity of new or used phones.
How to use Sanchar Sathi Portal
Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted three important improvements that are being implemented as part of the portal’s structure during the portal’s debut. The Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), Know Your Mobile (KYM), and Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition (ASTR) are the three reforms.
Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) will allow users to easily track and block lost or stolen mobile devices anywhere in the nation. The Department of Telecommunications has made another reform ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition Powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification) that uses artificial intelligence and facial recognition to identify fraudulent subscribers.
The last reform of the portal is known as Know Your Mobile (KYM), which allows users to check how many mobile connections have been issued in their name. Any unauthorized or undesired connections can be quickly prevented by credits to the KYM feature.
How to Block Phone on Sanchar Saathi
Users need to follow the below mentioned steps to block a number on Sanchar Sathi:
- Visit the official website of the Sanchar Saathi portal at ceir.sancharsaathi.gov.in
- On the homepage visit the “Citizen Centric Services”section.
- Enter the required details like mobile phones, IMEI, device brand, and purchase invoice.
- Click on ‘lost information.’
- Enter the place and date where you lost your device and police complaint number
- verify the application by entering the OTP
- Then your number will blocked in 24 hours.
Documents required for CEIR Report
To block your phone you will require few documents and these documents are listed below:
- Copy of the registered FIR
- Identity Proof (Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, Pan Card and Driving License)
- Invoice or bill of the device
How to Unblock your phone?
The portal also offers users to unblock their phones if they find them later and users can follow the below mentioned steps to unblock your phone:
- Visit the official website of the Sanchar Saathi portal at ceir.sancharsaathi.gov.in
- Enter the requested ID you received when you blocked the phone.
- Enter your mobile number
- Enter your reason for unblocking.
- Verify using the request and enter the OTP.
- Submit the request and phone will be unblocked.
FAQs related to Sanchar Saathi
A. The aim of Sanchar Saathi portal is to create awareness and improve the security of mobile subscribers.
A. The three reforms are Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), Know Your Mobile (KYM), and Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition (ASTR).
A. Visit the official website of the Sanchar Saathi portal at ceir.sancharsaathi.gov.in to block the phone.
A. An individual in India can obtain a maximum of 9 mobile connections from various Telecom Service Providers (TSPs).