B’desh asked to curb mobile signal spillover

SHILLONG: India has requested Bangladesh to take steps to prevent spillover of Bangladesh mobile phone services on Indian soil.
The Indian side expressed concern over rampant use of Bangladesh SIM cards along the Indian border and has asked the visiting Bangladeshi delegation to take steps to check this unhealthy trend.
“We have requested our counterparts in Bangladesh to suggest their telecom operators to redirect their strength or signal to prevent spillage inside the Indian territories,” East Khasi Hill Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said at the conclusion of the two-day bilateral conference of Deputy commissioners/ district magistrates of Meghalaya (India) and Bangladesh which concluded here on Tuesday.
He said that it was a matter of concern for India that most criminals operating along the border were using Bangladesh SIM cards for their nefarious activities.
“We are also aware that militants are using Bangladesh SIM cards. It is extremely difficult to track the movement or calls of people using the mobile network of another country,” Goyal said.
It has been observed that the spillover of Bangladesh cellular phone signals poses a problem for Indian security agencies.
The easy availability of  Bangladeshi cellular phone signals along the Meghalaya border means that agencies are unable to monitor communications by suspected militants.
Goyal also lamented the inefficiency of telecom operators in India to strengthen their network along the border which allowed Bangladesh operators to take advantage of the situation.
Earlier, too, the Ministry of Telecom had expressed concern over the issue of easy availability of Bangladesh SIM cards on the Indian side of the Indo-Bangladesh border.