DoT sets up war room in Ayodhya for Ram Mandir event, to use AI for seamless network

The telecom department is using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to help telecom operators provide seamless connectivity experience during the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya later this month.

Officials told ET that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is carrying out predictive analysis based on the number of people who would come for the consecration ceremony on January 22, to tell telcos how many more mobile sites are needed and which technology–2G, 4G or 5G–should be on offer.

Some 12,000 people are expected to be in the inner periphery of the temple--where the ceremony will take place--and multi-fold outside it. To ensure there is no drop in network connectivity for the visitors, telecom operators are making arrangements to support nearly twice the number.


“Based on the predictive analysis, we have found that around 90-91 mobile towers or cell on wheels (COW) need to be put up,” the official said. “The telcos will be informed about how many 2G, 4G and 5G towers are required and at which locations.”

Since the towers are mobile, their positions will be changed according to the movement of the crowd.

In fact, the DoT has set up a war room, which will act as the control centre to track all telecom activities in and around Ayodhya.

For several days now, DoT officials have been meeting telecom operators daily and carrying out simulations.

“With the help of AI/ML, we have been able to decide which technology tower and what frequency band is best to serve the people,” said one official. “The spectrum bands have been utilised in a manner that will offer great upload speeds along with downloads, as people are expected to upload videos from the venue.”

There will be a mix of 2G, 4G and 5G mobile towers as people from all economic backgrounds are expected to visit the town during the celebrations, which begin with the temple inauguration ceremony on January 16 and culminate on January 22 with the consecration of the idol.

Another official said that crowd management and security parameters will also be taken care of since the DoT will be tracking how many people have assembled. This will help the law enforcement agencies take preventive measures. Apart from that, the telecom networks will be secured to avert cyber-attack.

“We know that network security has to be paramount as the telecom infrastructure may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks,” said the official. “Even routinely, the networks have been witnessing attacks and the temple inauguration is a big-ticket event, but we are prepared.”

Experts say cyber-attacks have been increasing, and that telecom operators see multiple attacks every day. The telecom companies, too, have realised the seriousness of the issue and have been pumping huge investments into infrastructure to secure their networks.