The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently announced the launch of its Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) facility that uses Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) funded 4G mobile sites. The ICR facility was inaugurated alongside the Sanchar Saathi App by Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia. The ICR initiative brings together three major telecommunications service providers in the country, including BSNL, Airtel, and Reliance Jio, to “leverage each other’s infrastructure at all DBN-funded sites.” This is said to help bridge the telecom gap across rural and remote areas.
Intra Circle Roaming for Reliance Jio, BSNL, and Airtel Users in India
Reliance Jio, BSNL, and Airtel users in India can make calls and access other 4G services with the help of DBN-funded mobile towers even if their particular telecom service provider does not have a tower in the vicinity. The ICR initiative allows the three telecom operators to use each other’s infrastructure at DBN-funded sites. Previously, only subscribers of a specific network could benefit from a tower run by that operator, in their vicinity.
Notably, the DBN is a fund established by the Indian government as part of the Telecommunications Act of 2023. The fund aims to improve telecommunications connection and affordability. It is said to make telecom services more accessible in remote parts of the country.
This move is expected to help bridge “the telecom gap” in India, according to the official press release. It is claimed to offer seamless 4G connectivity to 35,400 rural and remote villages that are served by about 27,000 towers. It is also expected to benefit users with a “lower capex (Capital Expenditures) investment of the operators and Government.”
The Department of Telecommunications also launched the Sanchar Saathi App in India. The app is available for both iOS and Android smartphones, and it is said to provide users with important tools to secure their telecom resources and combat telecom fraud. It introduced the National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0 vision document as well. It reveals the primary objective to connect 1.7 lakh villages across the country.
