Telecom Services Restored in Flood-Hit Tripura with 94% Network Recovery

Agartala, August 26, 2024 — The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has successfully restored over 94% of the telecom network in Tripura following widespread disruption caused by severe flooding from August 19 to 23. The floods, triggered by relentless rainfall, had heavily damaged the telecom infrastructure across the state, leaving many areas without connectivity.

The restoration effort was spearheaded by the DoT’s North East Licence Service Area (NE-LSA) unit in Tripura, in close coordination with the state administration and disaster management teams. Leading telecom service providers (TSPs) such as BSNL, Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone played a critical role in the recovery process.

To ensure continuous connectivity during the restoration period, the DoT implemented Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) from August 22 to 27. This allowed customers to access any available network, irrespective of their service provider, significantly mitigating the impact of the disruption.

In a statement, the DoT praised the swift and coordinated response of the NE-LSA unit and the TSPs, emphasizing the importance of their efforts in quickly restoring telecom services to the flood-affected regions.

In addition to the network restoration, telecom providers extended support to affected customers. Reliance Jio offered a four-day extension on prepaid plan validity in the flood-hit areas. Airtel provided 1.5 GB of free mobile data per day and unlimited calling for four days to those unable to recharge, along with a 30-day extension on bill payments for postpaid customers.

These measures have been crucial in helping the residents of Tripura regain essential communication services as they recover from the flooding.