After India’s surgical strike on Pakistan, the telecom unit of the Government of India, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has put all private and government telecom companies on alert mode. DOT has instructed the companies to make emergency level preparations to deal with possible cyber attacks.
Orders to make the network secure
According to media reports, DOT has not only asked big companies like Airtel, Jio, BSNL and Vi to strengthen the network together, but special emphasis has been laid on keeping connectivity strong in the areas adjoining the border. The companies have also been instructed to prepare a list of such places which will be necessary to keep operational at all costs even in an emergency.
Instructions to provide uninterrupted service in areas adjoining the border
In a letter sent by the Disaster Management Wing of DoT, it has been said that the BTS (Base Transceiver Station) located within 100 km of the Indo-Pak border should continue to work without any interruption. Also, special care has been taken to ensure that the network is not disrupted in the state and district level emergency operation centers.
Intra-Circle Roaming preparations also included
In case of disaster, telecom companies activate the Intra-Circle Roaming service. Under this service, if the network of a particular company is down in an area, then the consumers there can connect to the network of other telecom operators and send calls or messages. For example, this service was started during the cyclone in Orissa, due to which people did not face any problem in connectivity even in that difficult time.
Conclusion:
After India’s military action, the government has become completely alert about cyber security and network connectivity. It is clear from these orders of DoT that the government does not want to take any risk regarding the potential threat and wants to keep the telecom infrastructure ready in every situation.
