By Times Now Digital

Copyright timesnownews

Speaking at an event recently, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi shared details on the role played by Army’s homegrown secure mobile ecosystem, SAMBHAV (Secure Army Mobile Bharat Version), during India’s strikes on Pakistan- codenamed: ‘Operation Sindoor’. India launched Operation Sindoor early on May 7, under which the armed forces decimated multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam attack on April 22. “We are embracing continuous development in our systems. During Operation Sindoor, we relied on SAMBHAV for command-level communication instead of commercial apps like WhatsApp. We’re now working on its next-level upgrade,” he said. Developed under the Make in India initiative, SAMBHAV was used for secure communication and coordination during the high-profile mission. Launched in 2023, SAMBHAV is built to function independently of network infrastructure vulnerabilities. Designed to support real-time connectivity on the move, SAMBHAV runs on 5G-enabled devices and is layered with advanced multi-tier encryption. The system features proprietary military applications such as M-Sigma — an encrypted alternative to WhatsApp — that enable personnel to securely share files, images, and videos without the risk of data breaches. According to defence officials, conventional mobile networks remain vulnerable to surveillance, making secure communication a critical requirement. SAMBHAV addresses this challenge by providing a fully encrypted, network-agnostic ecosystem. The platform was developed in collaboration with leading academic institutions and domestic technology firms. By early 2024, around 30,000 SAMBHAV-enabled devices had been distributed to Indian Army officers. The system was also deployed during the most recent round of military-level talks with China in October.