Govt News: Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL Users to Make Calls from Any Network in Tamil Nadu Until Midnight

ICR activated in Tamil Nadu: Cyclone Fengal has wreaked havoc in the state of Tamil Nadu. Responding to the situation, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has activated Inter Circle Roaming in select areas in the state. This will enable mobile service users in the state to make calls from any mobile service provider irrespective of the network they are using.

The Department of Telecom, in its circular, instructed all telecom service providers (TSPs), including Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL to activate the intra circle roaming (ICR) facility in Cuddalore, Villupuram, Puducherry, Kallakurichi and Thiruvannamalai districts of Tamil Nadu. This facility has been enabled not just for people from the state but also for the people from other states who are trapped in these areas.

That said, the ICR facility has not been activated indefinitely. Instead, DoT has asked the telecom operators to provide this facility until the midnight of December 6, post which regular telecom services will resume.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the government has activated the intra circle roaming facility in India. Prior to this, the DoT had activated the facility in select districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The service had been activated in Krishna and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh and Khammam, Nalgonda and Warangal districts of Telangana in September this year.

Last year, DoT had activated the intra-circle-roaming facility in the Kutchh, Jamnagar and Dwarka districts of Gujarat when cyclone Biparjoy hit the region.

What is Intra Circle Roaming?

For the unversed, Intra Circle Roaming is a facility that enables mobile users to make calls from any available network irrespective of their telecom operator. This not only expands the network coverage but it also enhances network availability.

This facility is particularly useful in case of emergencies as it helps people in affected areas to stay connected with the emergency services and their family members.