New Delhi: As of June 30, a total of 110 projects related to 5G and 6G, worth ₹304.70 crore, have been approved under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
The TTDF scheme, launched on October 1, 2022, supports R&D and innovation in telecom technologies. It aims to strengthen India’s telecom ecosystem through collaboration among academia, start-ups, MSMEs, research institutions, and industry, said Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
The duration of these approved projects ranges from 1 to 5 years and they are currently in the early development phase. The scheme funds a variety of technological initiatives involving both government and private players.
Separately, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has developed the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), a risk-based tool that classifies mobile numbers into Medium, High, or Very High risk categories for potential financial fraud.
FRI enables stakeholders—such as banks, NBFCs, and UPI service providers—to implement enhanced customer protection measures for high-risk numbers. It is accessible through the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued advisories to banks and Payment Service Operators (PSOs) to integrate FRI into their systems and adopt real-time response protocols, such as alerts, transaction delays, or declines.
Based on Action Taken Reports (ATRs) submitted via DIP, 34 banks, financial institutions, and UPI providers have frozen 10.02 lakh bank accounts and wallets, and imposed debit and credit restrictions on another 3.05 lakh.
Dr. Sekhar also noted that the Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) under DoT includes various initiatives aimed at preventing telecom-related cybercrime and financial fraud.
