The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has been making concerted efforts to restore telecom services in flood-affected Tripura. According to the Ministry of Communication, despite numerous challenges, the combined efforts of telecom service providers (TSPs) such as BSNL, Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone have successfully restored over 94 percent of the telecom network in the impacted areas. This restoration has been crucial for maintaining vital communication channels for rescue teams, government officials, and the general public.
Tripura has experienced severe disruptions following unprecedented heavy rainfall from August 19 to August 23, which led to intense flooding. The floods caused extensive damage to the telecom infrastructure, resulting in widespread service interruptions.
To support the affected communities and improve telecom connectivity, significant measures have been implemented by the DoT and TSPs to ensure continuous coverage. The DoT has been consistently monitoring the situation with its field unit, the North East Licence Service Area (NE-LSA), and TSPs. The DoT LSA unit in Tripura responded swiftly, working closely with the State Administration, State Disaster Management Unit, and Telecom Service Providers to rapidly restore the telecom network in a short period.
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The DoT enforced Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) in Tripura from August 22 to August 27, 2024, based on field reports. All TSPs quickly implemented ICR, allowing customers to access any available TSP’s network, regardless of their subscription.
In response to requests from state disaster management authorities, TSPs promptly replaced damaged telecom equipment in the affected areas, aiding both distressed residents and rescue and disaster management teams on the ground.
Additionally, TSPs have taken various other measures to ensure that people remain connected during these critical times. Jio extended the validity of its prepaid plans by four days for all customers in these areas whose plans had recently expired or were set to expire within the next two days. Airtel offered 1.5 GB of free mobile data per day and unlimited calling with a four-day validity to prepaid customers whose plans had expired and were unable to recharge. Furthermore, bill payment dates for all post-paid customers have been extended by 30 days.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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