SRINAGAR: The Jammu & Kashmir administration on Saturday ordered the restoration of the prepaid mobile service in the Valley after over five months of suspension.
The administration also restored 2G mobile data service on postpaid connections for accessing “whitelisted” sites across Jammu division. The administration has also ordered fixed-line internet connectivity with precautions to the companies engaged in software services in the Valley.
“Telecom service providers are being issued instructions to operationalise the directions immediately after providing all the safeguards detailed in the order issued today (Saturday) by the competent authority,” Principal Secretary to J&K government Rohit Kansal said.
He said, “After a careful review, the competent authority has ordered that voice and SMS facility shall be restored on all local prepaid SIM cards across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Further in order to consider, provision of mobile internet connectivity on such SIM cards, the telecom service providers shall initiate the process of verification of credentials for these subscribers as per available norms for postpaid subscribers,” Kansal said.
The latest development comes a week after the Supreme Court, in a significant ruling on January 10, asked the J&K administration ‘to review within a week’ all orders imposing curbs in the Union Territory.