NEW DELHI: Indian armed forces posted along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are facing problem in radio communication as China rolls out 5G network along the border areas on its side.
The source said that a strange booming sound is heard in communication equipment due to the 5G waves which China is using on their side of the LAC.
This has left the authorities concerned in India scrambling to find a solution to deal with the pressing problem.
“The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working to find a permanent solution to the emerging problem,” said a source, adding, “Plans are being discussed to launch a new satellite to be used for the Indian armed forces which will help in using the K-band frequency.”
This frequency would not be open to the general public or for commercial use. “It would be kept aside to be used only by the defence forces and for radio astronomy,” said the source.
Taking about the problems in the communication network the Indian troops posted at the northern borders are facing, Ravi Gupta, a former defence scientist, told The New Indian Express, “If at all there is any problem in the communication equipment due to the 5G used by China at northern borders, the DRDO is capable enough to resolve it.”
While China has rolled out 5G across the LAC, there is a lack of mobile network in the border areas on the Indian side. Konchok Stanzin, Councillor of Chushul in Ladakh, has been flagging the poor network in the border areas.
On June 2, he once again raised the issue through twitter.
“Requesting from ground zero for 4G in border villages. Chushul constituency’s villages are still deprived of better communication facilities. Don’t treat us as second class citizens. My villages are not normal; these villages are border villages, treated as a priority,” he tweeted.
He also stated that China, after completing the bridge over the Pangong Lake, has installed three mobile towers near Hot Spring very close to the Indian territory.
“Isn’t it a concern? We don’t even have 4G facilities in human habitation villages; 11 villages in my constituency have no 4G facilities.”
China has recently constructed a bridge at Pangong Lake to which India has objected.
India shares 3,488 kilometers of border with China that runs along the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
As the border is not clearly demarcated, there are disputes over territories in several areas.
Both the countries have been locked in a military standoff since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020 and several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have taken place to resolve the issue.