Govt may turn Sanchar Saathi order into advisory

Handset majors Apple and Samsung have opened communication channels with the department of telecommunications (DoT) seeking a rollback of the directive that mandates the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi cyber-security app on all new smartphones sold in the country. Industry executives told Fe that the companies have proposed a middle path: instead of forcing installation at the manufacturing stage, the government should convert the order into an advisory under which brands would actively promote voluntary user downloads.