Mobile networks and telecom services have been adversely affected due to heavy rains, floods and landslides in many states and union territories of the country. In view of the situation, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has immediately started Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) services in the affected areas. Under this system, if a particular company’s network does not work, the mobile phone will automatically connect to another available network. This will help in maintaining communication with the common people as well as relief and rescue teams.
**Where have telecom services been affected?**
Heavy rains, floods and landslides have caused extensive damage to telecom networks in Nagaland, Gujarat and parts of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Main network nodes in Valsad (Gujarat), Silvassa and Daman and Diu have been shut down, affecting services of several operators including Airtel. At the same time, due to breakage of optical fiber cable, mobile and internet services have been disrupted in Som and Longleng districts of Nagaland. Heavy rains and landslides have also damaged fiber infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, affecting calling and internet services.
**What is ICR service and how does it help?**
The Department of Telecom has implemented Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) services under Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 2020 and Unified License Standards to maintain communication system during times of disaster. As per DoT instructions, this facility will remain operational till 11:59 pm on July 27, 2026 or until further orders. Once activated, if the user’s own mobile network is not available, their phone will automatically connect to another company’s network in the same area. This will help local residents as well as NDRF, health workers and disaster management teams to remain in constant touch during relief operations.
**What to do if your phone has no network?**
The Telecom Department has said that to avail the ICR service, ‘Automatic Network Selection’ should be enabled on the mobile phone. If the phone doesn’t automatically connect to another network, go to your phone’s Settings and open the ‘Mobile Networks’ or ‘Connections’ option. Then, go to ‘Network Operators’ and turn on ‘Automatic Network Selection’. If the signal is still not found, you can choose the manual option and connect the phone to any available network in the list. This ensures that mobile service continues to be available even during disasters.
How to turn on ICR?
Open your phone’s Settings.
Go to ‘Mobile Networks’ or ‘Connections’ option.
Tap on ‘Network Operators’.
Turn on ‘Automatic network selection’.
If the network is still not visible, select the manual option.
Now, select any available mobile network shown on the screen.
This will connect the phone to the other company’s network.
