No mobile signal in border areas: Govt to telcos

The Govt has asked mobile companies to install equipment to neutralise radio signals emanating from mobile phones in these areas.

Stepping up security across the border, the government has asked mobile companies to install equipment to neutralise radio signals emanating from mobile phones in these areas.

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Earlier, the 'No Service Zone' was 500 metres along the border where there would be no wireless service. Now, DoT has asked operators to install suitable technical infrastructure so that radio signals emanating from base stations or cell sites fade out while nearing or about to cross international border.

Government sources said with increasing number of signal breach incidences being reported by the VTM unit, the government has now asked the telcos to ensure that mobile phone services "should be as far from the border as feasible".

The spillover of signals from Indian mobile phones across the international border is facilitating communication between the terrorists. The service providers have failed to ensure that the signal is rendered unusable within 500 metres of the border, feel security agencies.

With this, the situation has gone back to the earlier period when the government had for the first time relaxed security norms to allow provision of mobile phone services on national boundaries.

DoT has also asked for installation of base station, cell sites or radio transmitters in or near the buffer zone of 10 km along the trouble-prone areas, line of control (LOC), line of actual control (LAC), Akhnoor and Pathankot areas in Jammu & Kashmir to be taken up only after prior approval of the local army authorities and intimation to the licensor.