Jio 1n2q1w Airtel and BSNL Subscribers Can Now Use DBN-Funded Mobile Towers to Make Calls With Intra Circle Roaming

The DoT's ICR initiative is designed bridge the telecom gap across rural and remote areas. 3p2m4i

Written by David Delima | Updated: 21 January 2025 17:40 IST

Jio, Airtel and BSNL Subscribers Can Now Use DBN-Funded Mobile Towers to Make Calls With Intra Circle Roaming

Photo Credit: Unsplash/ NordWood Themes 342a3f

The ICR facility is claimed to offer seamless 4G connectivity to 35,400 rural and remote villages

Highlights

DBN is a fund established by the Indian government
The fund aims to improve telecom availability and connectivity
The three telecom operators can now use each other's infrastructure

ment

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently 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 s in India 2s2j2p

Reliance Jio, BSNL, and Airtel s 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.

'Sanchar Saathi' App Launched to Fortify Telecom Security for Citizens

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 s 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 s 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.

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Further reading: Department of Telecommunications

Sucharita Ganguly

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Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More