The telecom tower and infrastructure providers are bracing up for the impact of cyclone Yaas, which is likely to make landfall on Wednesday, with additional personnel and equipment on standby.

Additional telecom teams have been deployed for restoring the telecom connectivity, in case of impact, with 951 staff for West Bengal and over 500 for Odisha. More than 1,800 spare batteries have also been arranged for West Bengal and close to 700 for Odisha, and ensured adequate stock of diesel and diesel generator (DG) sets, Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) said in release.

“All our members have taken necessary steps like readiness of Cell on Wheels, arrangement of spare batteries, adequate amount of diesel and diesel generator sets (both fixed and mobile), readiness of teams for rectification of the likely damages to telecom installations and accommodation of the telecom personnel at the stations,” T. R. Dua, Director-General, TAIPA said.

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Contingency plans

TAIPA members, including Indus Towers, ATC Towers, Ascend Telecom, Summit Digitel and Tower Vision and all the telecom operators have a presence in these two States. The industry – including the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), TAIPA and its members – assessed the contingency plans at a review meeting held today.

“The movement of telecom personnel will be a big challenge because of the wind speed and heavy rainfall, therefore, we have requested the State officials and DoT for arranging the accommodation of the telecom personnel at the nearby areas of impace,” Dua added.

TAIPA has also written to the chief secretaries of Odisha and West Bengal seeking urgent support and intervention for unrestricted movement of frontline field staff and technicians.

Tata Tele prepared for potential disruptions

Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS) has set up a war-room to respond to potential business operational disruptions due to the impact of cyclone Yaas. On-ground Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have been aligned and mobilised to take swift and informed decisions, it said in a separate statement.

TTBS has taken necessary precautionary measures to ensure network connectivity is not disrupted. These include - critical equipment spares stocked up at the core switching hub, enough fuel reserves maintained to run DG sets in case of power outages, additional mobile DG and vehicles stationed at key locations, safety drills conducted and field staff equipped with safety gear among others.