So here’s a fun little privacy nightmare brewing in India.

According to Reuters and Economic Times, the telecom lobby **COAI** — basically the policy megaphone for **Jio and Airtel** — has asked the government to force every smartphone to keep **satellite-level A-GPS turned on permanently**.

Not “better accuracy when you open Maps.”  
Not “location when you grant permission.”  
They want **always-on, cannot-turn-it-off, real-time precise coordinates** baked into the system.

The pitch: it helps law enforcement track devices more accurately than tower-based location.  
The reality: it essentially turns your phone into a live beacon with meter-level precision.

The tech companies aren’t having it. Apple, Google, Samsung — all of them are pushing back hard, saying this crosses every privacy and security line imaginable.

And before anyone panics:  
This is **not law**.  
This is **not active on your phone**.  
This is a **proposal** sitting on a government desk, currently “under review.”

Still, it’s one of the clearest signs yet of where the telecom industry wants the future to go — and it isn’t toward user privacy.



Sources for nerds :  
[Reuters Article](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/india-weighs-greater-phone-location-surveillance-apple-google-samsung-protest-2025-12-05/)  
[The Economic Times](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/india-weighs-greater-phone-location-surveillance-apple-google-and-samsung-protest/articleshow/125784776.cms)

India’s telecom giants (Jio + Airtel) are trying to push for 24/7 precise GPS tracking on every smartphone — govt reviewing it 👀