Airtel dials Jio, BSNL, MTNL for roaming pacts, non-stop coverage

Kolkata: Bharti AirtelNSE -9.26 % has urged Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio Infocomm and state-owned telcos, BSNL and MTNL to collectively combine forces and pave the way for intra-circle roaming (ICR) pacts to ensure uninterrupted mobile and wireless internet services amid an upsurge in data consumption as bulk of India Inc staff works from home to contain Covid-19.

“It is of paramount importance that at this crucial juncture, we come together as an industry to serve the nation and prepare ourselves for any kind of exigency,” Bharti Airtel said in a joint letter to Jio, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and MTNL on Monday.

Bharti Airtel, in its letter, said the company “would like to put in place a protocol amongst the telecom service providers (TSPs) for implementation of various measures, including intra-circle roaming,” in line with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP-17) for telecommunication services for responding to disasters, as issued by Department of Telecommunications (DoT).