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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on February 20, 2025

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On building resilient telecom infrastructure

For Preliminary Examination:  Current events of national and international importance

For Mains Examination: GS III - Disaster Management

Context:

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), a multilateral organisation launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, put out a report earlier this month studying Indian telecom networks’ preparedness in the event of disasters. The report suggests ways in which State governments can better prepare for calamities that may impact telecom networks

Read about:

 International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI)

What is the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?

Key takeaways:

• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), a multilateral organization established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, recently released a report assessing the preparedness of India’s telecom networks in disaster scenarios.
• The report outlines strategies for State governments to strengthen their response to calamities that could impact telecom infrastructure.
• Telecom networks play a vital role in disaster management by enabling swift communication between the State and National Disaster Management Authorities, local municipalities, and different levels of government—an essential factor in protecting lives and property.
• However, these networks are particularly vulnerable due to above-ground cabling, towers that may not withstand extreme wind speeds, and their dependence on an uninterrupted power supply, which is often disrupted by disasters like cyclones and earthquakes.
• Coastal regions face additional risks, as they serve as landing points for undersea cables connecting India to the global internet. If these landing stations are damaged, major network disruptions can occur as telecom operators struggle to reroute traffic.
• Repairing undersea cables is a time-intensive process, requiring specialized vessels to reach the affected areas and reconnect the severed cables. However, since power failures are a primary cause of disruptions, maintaining or restoring electricity to telecom towers and network operating centers can significantly enhance resilience.
• Most telecom operators do not assume round-the-clock power availability—except potentially in Mumbai—and instead rely on battery and fuel backups.
• To build a more resilient telecom network, the CDRI report suggests several measures, including improved data collection, better coordination among officials, and the strengthening of power infrastructure—an area of significant focus for CDRI.
• It also recommends designing telecom towers to withstand stronger winds, particularly in coastal areas prone to hurricanes.
• Additionally, the report advocates for a "dig-once" policy, which encourages the simultaneous construction of underground utilities such as water and gas pipelines, drainage systems, and fiber optic cables to minimize the risk of damage during future infrastructure projects. Pre-existing damage to underground cables can further exacerbate network failures when other components of the system collapse.
• Enhancing telecom resilience requires both large-s