Telecom services in flood-ravaged Tripura restored to 94 per cent capacity

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has successfully restored over 94% of the telecom network in flood-affected areas of Tripura, according to a recent statement from the Press Information Bureau (PIB). This significant recovery comes after severe flooding caused by unprecedented rainfall from August 19 to 23, which severely damaged telecom infrastructure and disrupted services across the state.

The restoration effort was a collaborative endeavour involving major telecom service providers (TSPs) including BSNL, Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone. The DoT's North East Licence Service Area (NE-LSA) unit in Tripura worked closely with the state administration and disaster management teams to expedite the recovery process.

A key measure implemented by the DoT was the enforcement of Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) in Tripura from August 22 to 27. This allowed customers to access any available TSP network, regardless of their subscription.

"DoT has been regularly reviewing the situation with its field unit i.e., North East Licence Service Area (NE-LSA) and TSPs," the statement noted. "The DoT LSA unit in Tripura acted promptly and collaborated closely with the State Administration, State Disaster Management unit, and Telecom Service Providers to swiftly restore the telecom network in a remarkably brief timeframe."

To further assist affected residents, TSPs have implemented additional measures. Reliance Jio extended prepaid plan validity by four days for customers in the affected areas. Airtel offered 1.5 GB of free mobile data per day and unlimited calling for four days to prepaid customers unable to recharge, while extending bill payment dates for postpaid customers by 30 days.