The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, has activated Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) service in four districts of Arunachal Pradesh following severe disruption of telecom networks caused by heavy rainfall, cloudbursts and landslides. The affected districts are Kayi Panyor, Lower Subansiri, Upper Subansiri and West Siang. ICR was enabled for an initial period of three days, remaining in force until 28 June 2026, with the objective of ensuring uninterrupted telecom connectivity during the disaster.
Recognising the critical role of telecommunications during disasters, DoT activated its emergency response mechanism and directed all telecom service providers to enable ICR. The disasters caused widespread damage to telecom infrastructure. According to field reports, a flash flood entered the NEEPCO exchange at Yazali, halting its functioning. Multiple landslides between Potin and Yazali damaged about 12 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), adversely affecting communication services. Continuous rain, landslides and disruption of commercial power supply further hampered restoration efforts. Damage to OFC infrastructure at Hoj affected connectivity in Sagalee, Lemmi, Kampu and Seppa, while restoration teams have been deployed along the Sopo-Hoj road.
With ICR active, mobile subscribers of any participating telecom service provider can automatically connect to another available network when their home network is temporarily unavailable. The facility is also available to subscribers visiting these districts from other parts of the country. The measure is expected to significantly improve communication availability for affected residents, disaster response teams, health workers and government relief and rescue agencies. DoT is closely monitoring the situation through its field units.