The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has extended the pre-paid mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the Northeast up to March 31, 2015.
The services have been extended following an approval from the Committee of Secretaries as the services were scheduled to be discontinued on March 31, 2013. The pre-paid mobile services have been extended after a thorough review of security conducted by the government in J&K and the Northeast. The government did not find any major misuse of the service in the two areas over the last few years.
Earlier, DoT had directed operators to discontinue pre-paid mobile services in these two regions in 2009 on the rising concerns regarding the security of the communications network. However, in January, 2010, the government lifted the ban on pre-paid mobile services in the two regions. With a view to ensuring security in the region, the government notified strict criteria for re-verification of existing subscribers along with other measures.
