The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) can install jammers on India’s international borders to block cell phone signals from neighboring countries as a counter-terrorism measure. Kolkata: The Ministry of Telecommunications (DoT) can install jammers along India’s international borders to block cell phone signals from neighboring countries as a counter-terrorism measure. ET said in the minutes of an inter-ministerial supervision group meeting that although the Indian State Department is likely to solve the problem of mobile phone signal overflow along the border between India and neighboring countries through diplomatic channels, it still recommends setting up the first jammer device along the India-Pakistan border.
The government is keen to control possible cross-border cell phone signal leakage to prevent unauthorized access to the cellular networks of neighboring countries such as Pakistan, especially because such leakage can facilitate communication between terrorists. The Telecommunications Engineering Center (TEC), the technical department of DoT, is evaluating the feasibility of creating an electronic fence by “installing cell phone jammer to block GSM and CDMA phone signals from foreign operators in neighboring countries.” However, the Department of Defense is not very enthusiastic about the planned use of jammers.
A senior official from the Ministry of Defense who attended the meeting said: “The operation and maintenance of various jammers on the international border will be a major challenge.” They also pointed out that this blocking of cellular signals from neighboring countries will require the installation of a large number of jammers, because such equipment can effectively block 3 to 4 km, which is impossible to achieve. It also instructed DoT to expedite steps to prevent possible leakage of cellular signals from Indian telecom operators across international borders.
This is especially true after Pakistan’s telecommunications regulator urged Pakistan’s leaders to work with India to resolve the issue of dismantling cell phone towers near the border. Allegedly, the tower’s signal has spread to the country’s territory. According to reports, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority claimed that these signals came from mobile phone towers in India near the border between India and Pakistan.