DoT brings forth "Call before U Dig" app to prevent Telecom Infra damage

The app was published on October 6, 2022 and has only received more thn 100 downloads thus far. The 5G fibre rollout is expected to be further impacted by the app. Diggers can know about subterranean assets like optical fibre cables, water pipelines, gas pipelines and electric cables through communicating on this app.

The Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) National Broadband Mission intends to speed up India's fibre rollout and goive residents of rural areas equal access to the internet.

The administration has been working to improve the nation's digital infrastructure as part of the aim. But there are many obstacles to overcome. Damage to fibre that is installed underground when the ground is dug up is one of the major headaches for infrastructure providers(IPs) and telecoms. This frequently occurs as a result of a breakdown in communication between the digging agencies and the owners of the subsurface assets.

DoT is attempting to address this issue by developing a new mobile application. The DoT's National Broadband Mission has introduced a brand-new application called "Call Before U Dig."

The app was published on October 6, 2022 and has only received more than 100 downloads thus far. The 5G fibre rollout is expected to be further impacted by the app. Diggers can know about subterranean assets like optical fibre cables, water pipelines, gas pipelines and electric cables through communicating on this app.

The owners of the aforementioned assets will be informed of the forthcoming digging activities, and digging agencies would be able to request information about the subterranean utility assets. This would enable both sides to work together to prevent harm to current utility assets.

Only Android users can currently download this mobile app. The government wants to link underground utility asset owners and digging organisations through this application. A key component of the digital India concept is communication between these two sides.

Since there was a lack of cooperation with the digging agency, the IPs and telecom companies were forced to endure significant losses. Underground infrastructure has frequently been damaged around the nation as a result of haphazard digging.