Telecom Emergency: Intra-Circle Roaming Activated in Jammu and Kashmir Amid Flood Chaos

In response to floods and landslides in Jammu and Kashmir, telecom services are now directed to activate intra-circle roaming. The move, mandated by the Department of Telecommunications, aims to ensure connectivity amid network outages caused by continual rainfall, impacting emergency services and creating widespread panic.

The Department of Telecommunications has mandated all telecom service providers in Jammu and Kashmir to activate the intra-circle roaming (ICR) facility until September 2. The directive comes amid widespread network failures due to relentless rainfall and landslides, affecting large regions within the Jammu division.

This order affects major telecom operators like Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Reliance-Jio, and Vodafone-Idea. According to the Department of Telecommunications' disaster management unit, the directive follows Clause 29.6 of the unified licence agreement and provisions outlined in the SOP 2020 for disaster response. This measure is essential for maintaining connectivity in an area heavily impacted by consistent rain and adverse weather conditions.

The severe weather conditions have led to significant damage, particularly to optical fibres, resulting in communication blackouts and hindering emergency responses. While residents face increased anxiety due to these outages, telecom operators have deployed technical teams to expedite the restoration of services.

(With inputs from agencies.)