DoT Urges Telecom Operators to Boost Network at Maha Kumbh Mela

The Department of Telecommunications has instructed all telecom service providers to advance their technologies and optimize networks in the run-up to the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 so that they can ensure connectivity in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

This plan was made to cope with the rush of people expected to enter the largest religious congregation on Earth. Among the telecom operators, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea have already installed 575 new Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) and upgraded 1,462 base stations. In addition to that, 126 kilometers of optical fiber has been laid across Prayagraj city and established with 328 new towers and masts to have coverage throughout the city.

This is not only to help devotees and the visitors, for advertisers it is a Goldmine. Such gatherings at this mela could reach crores of people, says Rajesh Radhakrishnan, CMO Mindwave Media, one of the official advertising facilitators at Mela. Recently, he said, The Kumbh Mela poses its own problem in terms of weak mobile network connections, as millions of people can put such connections under stress and become unable to combine technology into the whole experience. We have set up exclusive Wi-Fi zones to mitigate the situation.

Telecom services improvement at all these public locations included major transport hubs and facilities such as railway stations, bus terminals, and airports, as well as designated holding areas, parking zones, and highways linking to Prayagraj. Networks are being specially ensured on the Green Corridor. The entry of this corridor into cities is vital to traffic flow, making the efforts even more difficult in terms of network quality during high traffic times.

The festival that occurs once in 12 years would kick off on 13th January 2025 and last for 45 days, according to the estimates made by the government. During this period, the Kumbh Mela would be expected to see about 40-45 crores of people.