Department of Telecommunications Activates Intra Circle Roaming in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland amid Heavy Rainfall, Cloudburst and Landslides

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has taken swift measures to ensure continuity of telecom services in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland following severe disruption of communication networks caused by heavy rainfall, cloudburst and landslides.

Recognizing the critical role of telecommunications during disasters, DoT immediately activated its emergency response mechanism and issued directions to all Telecom Service Providers for enabling Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) in the following districts of these 3 States/UT:-

1. Jammu & Kashmir - Poonch and Rajouri
2. Assam - Sibsagar, Charaideo and Jorhat
3. Nagaland - Mon

The activation of ICR will allow mobile subscribers of any telecom service provider to automatically access another available network in locations where their home network is temporarily unavailable. This facility will also be available to subscribers visiting these districts from other parts of the country. The measure is expected to significantly enhance communication availability for affected residents, disaster response teams, healthcare personnel, and government agencies engaged in relief and rescue operations.

The Department of Telecommunications is closely monitoring the situation through its field units and is coordinating with Telecom Service Providers for expeditious restoration of telecom services in the affected areas.

What is ICR & how to use it:

Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) is a telecom arrangement where a mobile subscriber connects to another operator's network within the same telecom circle (region). This allows users to access mobile services even if their own operator has no coverage in that specific area. It plays a critical role during natural disasters when mobile infrastructure is damaged.

During the time of disaster, if mobile infrastructure is damaged in a region, DoT issues instructions to Telecom Service Operators to implement ICR.

To ensure ICR works:

• Keep "Automatic Network Selection" enabled in your phone settings.
• If automatic connection fails;
  • Go to Settings > Mobile Networks > Network Operators
  • Manually select another available network

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NJ/AR