Sanchar Saathi mandate divides handset companies like Apple, Lava and AI+

NEW DELHI: The government’s mandate to preload its Sanchar Saathi cyber safety app has the handset industry divided. While homegrown Indian brands such as Lava and AI+ have welcomed the move and are proactively working to implement the mandate, Apple and the dominant Chinese phone makers are still evaluating the directive and will likely resist pre-loading the app.

Lava and AI+ plus, helmed by former Realme executive Madhav Seth, welcomed the priority being given to cyber security. But the overseas companies will find it difficult to implement the decision as preloading of apps involves commercial arrangements and not government mandates, executives said.