Closely Monitoring the Cyclone Yaas Situation: COAI

On Monday, the telcos, via COAI, said that they are closely monitoring the Cyclone Yaas situation. At the moment, the tropical cyclone is in the Bay of Bengal, heading Northwest towards the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal.

The telcos are facing the prospect of dealing with a cyclone for the second time within a month. Earlier this month, Cyclone Tauktae ravaged India's west coast.

Cyclone Yaas Presents Yet Another Headache

Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, said, "we are also coordinating with NDMA, state and local authorities. Preventive measures and steps to minimize the impact of Cyclone Yaas on telecom infrastructure in West Bengal and Odisha are being undertaken".

He further said that in the areas affected by the cyclone, the telcos will start intra-circle roaming for better connectivity. As per COAI, this move will ensure that cell phone services always remain active.

Furthermore, just like during Cyclone Tauktae, additional Cell on Wheels (CoWs) will start servicing the areas impacted by Cyclone Yaas. Since the telcos are expecting mobile towers to go defunct, CoWs help retain connectivity. Also, the telcos have shored up their diesel stocks and battery backup at telecom sites should the power grids fail in the area.

Dr. Kochhar further noted that frontline teams identified overhead Optic Fibre Cables (OFC) that need protection. For the same, there are teams on standby to quickly repair and restore any damage to the network.

Dr. Kochhar said, "the priority for COAI and its members is to ensure that the adverse impact of Cyclone Yaas remains minimal and telecom services are resumed at the earliest wherever there’s disruption".