DoT Confirms Enforcement Of TCS Amendment Rules, 2024
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has set the record straight: the Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) Rules, 2024, amended on October 22, 2025, are fully in force. Yes, those rules are official, enforceable, and here to stay, despite a little “oops” moment when they were inadvertently republished. The ministry assures everyone that this tiny hiccup doesn’t change a thing. Think of it as accidentally sending the same email twice, only this time, it’s the rules protecting India’s digital space! So, telecom companies, regulators, and cyber enthusiasts, take note: the amendments are live, and compliance is no longer optional.
Objective Of The TCS Amendment Rules, 2025
- The TCS Amendment Rules, 2025, were notified in October to strengthen India’s cyber resilience.
- Aim to enhance security around telecom identifiers amid growing use in banking, e-commerce, and governance platforms.
- Address critical vulnerabilities from rapid integration of mobile numbers, IMEIs, and other telecom identifiers into digital services.
- Focus on improving traceability of telecom identifiers.
- Enhance accountability among service providers and users.
- Strengthen the overall security architecture of digital transactions in India.
Mobile Number Validation To Curb Fraud
One of the key changes is the institutionalisation of a Mobile Number Validation (MNV) platform. This platform is aimed at curbing mule accounts and identity fraud by allowing service providers to verify whether a mobile number genuinely belongs to the individual whose credentials are on record.
Resale Device Scrubbing For Secure Second-Hand Market
To tackle the growing challenge of stolen, cloned, or blacklisted devices circulating in the resale market, the rules now mandate ‘Resale Device Scrubbing’. Entities dealing in second-hand or refurbished phones must check every device’s IMEI number against a centralised blacklist before resale. This measure protects consumers and aids law enforcement agencies in tracking stolen equipment.
Obligations For Telecom Identifier User Entities (TIUEs)
The amendment also defines Telecom Identifier User Entities (TIUEs), which are entities across sectors that rely on telecom identifiers. These entities have regulated obligations to share telecom-identifier data with the government under specific circumstances. This is expected to improve coordination in tackling cyber fraud while ensuring compliance with data protection norms.
Goal Of The Amendments
The DoT stated that these measures collectively aim to safeguard India’s digital ecosystem from telecom-enabled fraud, strengthen device traceability, and ensure responsible use of telecom identifiers.
Clarification On Republishing Error
The ministry further clarified that while the TCS Amendment Rules were inadvertently republished on October 29, 2025, the error has been rectified through a fresh notification dated November 25, 2025. The correction rescinds the unintended re-publication but does not affect the enforceability of the original amendments.
(This News Has Been Syndicated From ANI, Mildly Edited For Clarity)
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