Telecom Department keeps networks running in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha after Cyclone Arnab

30 October 2026

Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts and left telecom services badly hit. Heavy rain, flash floods, uprooted trees and damaged power lines cut optical fibre cables and knocked mobile sites off the air. The Department of Telecommunications, which comes under the Ministry of Communications, said on 30 October that it is working with telecom service providers to bring the networks back. Intra-Circle Roaming has been kept switched on in the affected districts, so a subscriber whose own operator is down can latch on to any network that is working. Eleven Cells on Wheels, which are mobile towers mounted on vehicles, have been moved into Andhra Pradesh. Network availability in that State stands at 99.18 per cent, with West Godavari at 98.5 per cent and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema at 91.96 per cent. In Odisha the worst affected districts are Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal, where service is improving as the rain eases and repair teams reach the remaining sites.