Govt orders telcos to provide uninterrupted services in border areas amid Indo-Pak tension

The government of India has directed telcos to maintain seamless communication for national security amid India-Pakistan tension.

According to a report by CNBC-TV18, all telcos, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL, have been asked to maintain a list of critical infrastructure, particularly in border areas.

All telcos have also conveyed readiness to deploy emergency measures.

The government has emphasized uninterrupted tower operations, transceiver stations within 100 kms of the international border.

Further, on request from the defence ministry, communication facilities should be provided urgently.

The Centre has also asked telcos to ensure sufficient fuel, availability of DG sets to guarantee power to the tower and infrastructure.

Telcos should have war rooms to plan for contingencies, and preparedness details should be shared with the government, the order stated

In another news, platform X has blocked more than 8,000 accounts within India in response to executive directives from the Indian government.

In a public statement, X acknowledged its compliance with the government's demands, citing potential penalties that include substantial fines and the risk of imprisonment for employees based in India. Nevertheless, the company said it "disagrees with the Indian government’s demands," asserting that the blocking of entire accounts suppresses free expression and undermines the right to access information.

“Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content,” the company said. “This is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech.”