Greater Investment Needed in Resilient Telecom Infra, Says Expert

With the northeast monsoon approaching, CDRI has called for greater investment in resilient telecom infrastructure, network redundancy and coordination among telecom operators, power utilities and disaster-management agencies.

In an interaction, Amit Prothi, director general, CDRI, explained the major risks identified in Tamil Nadu and the measures needed to protect telecom networks and ensure connectivity during disasters.

The assessment says 33 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s telecom towers are located in flood-prone areas. Which districts or specific types of locations have emerged as the most vulnerable, and what are the biggest risks to network continuity during extreme rainfall and flooding?

The assessment mapped 48,416 telecom towers across Tamil Nadu and found that 33 per cent (16,113) are exposed to flooding. Chennai, Chengalpet and Kanchipuram have the highest concentration of towers facing very high flood risk.

Telecom resilience is a system-level challenge. Apart from tower exposure, networks can suffer severe outages without direct tower damage when flooding disrupts power, fibre and backhaul connectivity, road access and generator fuel supplies.

Surges in emergency calls and network congestion during disasters can also disrupt service continuity and delay restoration.

Cyclonic Storm Fengal, which affected Tamil Nadu and Puducherry from November 29 to December 3, 2024, highlighted these interdependencies. Heavy rainfall and flooding disrupted roads and power supplies, while the storm caused waterlogging and infrastructure damage. Telecom services were affected by power failures, submerged cables and impaired emergency communications.

Given Tamil Nadu’s long coastline, how significant is the threat from cyclones, storm surges and coastal erosion to telecom infrastructure, particularly submarine cables and coastal network facilities?

CDRI’s research found that 57 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s telecom towers (27,690) face high or very high cyclonic wind risk, with major concentrations in Chennai, Chengalpet and Tiruvallur. Another 14 per cent, or 6,796 towers, are exposed to storm surges exceeding six metres, particularly in Kanchipuram, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli.

Submarine cables and landing stations face elevated risks of cuts and damage from coastal erosion and severe marine hazards.

To reduce this risk, CDRI recommends geographically distributed landing zones and dedicated Indian cable-repair vessels to speed up the restoration of critical infrastructure.

What are the most urgent measures telecom operators and the Tamil Nadu government should implement before the monsoon to prevent prolonged network outages?

The priority is to strengthen resilience before disasters strike.

CDRI’s modelling shows that investing 5-15 per cent upfront in resilient infrastructure can generate a 7-12 times resilience dividend over an asset’s lifecycle, delivering long-term economic, social and environmental benefits.

Operators can elevate generators and other critical equipment, strengthen battery backup, protect cable entry points against water ingress and maintain effective site drainage. Towers and antennas should also be assessed and reinforced against local hazards, including maximum expected wind loads.

Resilience also includes identifying where temporary networks should be pre-positioned, deploying cells on wheels and other portable systems, restoring landlines where appropriate, and prioritising fuel, power and transport support during emergencies.

Has CDRI estimated the potential economic cost when telecom networks fail during floods / cyclones?

CDRI’s research shows that the broader economic impact of disasters is, on average, 7.4 times greater than the direct physical damage to infrastructure.

When networks fail, the effects can cascade across supply chains, livelihoods, service delivery and emergency response.

What is the role of the community in protecting telecom networks and residents in vulnerable areas during disasters?

Communities are a vital part of the last-mile resilience chain. During disasters, they need timely warnings, evacuation and relief information, as well as updates on service restoration.

They can also provide critical local information on outages, damaged access routes and urgent connectivity needs.

CDRI recommends greater awareness of intra-circle roaming, which, during emergencies, can allow users to maintain connectivity through another operator’s network if their own service is unavailable.

It also recommends stronger dissemination of warnings and restoration updates and equipping Aapda Mitra volunteers and other local responders with alternative communication tools such as shortwave radios.