Cyclone Ditwah: Telecom Network Safeguards

New Delhi, Nov 30 (PTI) The Department of Telecom has set up a round-the-clock control room and taken extensive measures to ensure resilience of communication networks in view of cyclone Ditwah, an official statement said on Sunday.

Cyclone Ditwah has triggered rain in several parts of Tamil Nadu as it is expected to move parallel to the coastline of the northern parts of the state and neighbouring Puducherry in the next 24 hours.

"The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has taken extensive preparedness measures to ensure telecom network resilience in view of Cyclone Ditwah over the Bay of Bengal, likely to impact coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu," the statement said.

As per the Standard Operating Procedure, DoT said that it has ensured completion of Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) and Cell Broadcast (CB) testing across all networks to maintain communication continuity and early warning during exigencies.

"DoT has set up a 24X7 control room to safeguard telecom connectivity amid cyclone Ditwah threat, coordinate with service providers, and facilitate prompt response through district administrations and the State Disaster Management Authority," the statement said.

The department has also instructed all telecom operators to ensure uninterrupted network operations, adequate fuel reserves, readiness of emergency power backups, and deployment of field response teams in vulnerable districts, the statement said.