Northeast Desk, 26th August: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has successfully restored over 94% of the telecom network in Tripura, which was severely disrupted by flooding from August 19 to 23. The floods, caused by unprecedented rainfall, had caused extensive damage to telecom infrastructure across the state.
This major recovery effort was carried out with the assistance of leading telecom service providers (TSPs) such as BSNL, Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone. The DoT’s North East Licence Service Area (NE-LSA) unit in Tripura collaborated with the state administration and disaster management teams to expedite the restoration process.
One of the key strategies employed was the implementation of Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) from August 22 to 27. This measure enabled customers to access any available TSP network, regardless of their service provider, ensuring continued connectivity during the recovery period.
The DoT’s statement highlighted the prompt actions taken by the NE-LSA unit in Tripura, noting their effective collaboration with state authorities and TSPs to restore services swiftly.
In addition to these efforts, TSPs have provided additional support to affected residents. Reliance Jio extended the validity of prepaid plans by four days for customers in the flood-affected areas. Airtel offered 1.5 GB of free mobile data per day and unlimited calling for four days to prepaid customers who could not recharge, while also extending bill payment deadlines for postpaid customers by 30 days.
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