MANGALURU: A Department of Telecommunications (DoT) report has confirmed that cellphone jammers installed inside the Mangaluru District Prison are emitting signals far beyond their permitted range, causing widespread mobile network disruptions in the surrounding localities and prompting urgent intervention from central and state authorities.
According to a communication issued by the Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO), Department of Telecommunications, a joint monitoring exercise was conducted on 28 and 29 October by the Wireless Monitoring Station in Mangaluru, along with telecom service providers, TCIL, and prison authorities. The inspection aimed to assess complaints of interference caused by the prison’s cellphone jammers.
The WMO report states that all IMT and Wi-Fi bands inside the prison were being suppressed with a jammer signal strength of around “–70 dBm”, while suppression of IMT bands (700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz) and the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band was detected from the prison entrance up to almost 900 metres, with some signals extending up to 2.5 km, though weaker.
The report concludes that the jammer signals were “extending significantly beyond the intended coverage area,” potentially disrupting telecom services available to the public in nearby residential and commercial zones.
In response, the WMO has requested that the technical parameters of the jammers be reassessed and optimised, including output power, antenna height, and orientation, to ensure that the jamming effect remains confined strictly within the prison premises.
Acting on the central directive, the Deputy Inspector General (Prisons), Southern Range, Bengaluru, issued a “Most Urgent” letter to TCIL, directing immediate action to rectify the connectivity problems faced by the general public around the District Prison and the mobile network issues within the prison itself.
TCIL has been asked to undertake corrective measures and submit a compliance report to the Superintendent of the District Prison, Mangaluru, at the earliest.
Residents living near the prison have reportedly been experiencing prolonged disruptions in mobile voice and data services, particularly during peak hours. The latest official communications confirm that the issue stems from the prison’s security jammers rather than operator faults.
Sources said the authorities are expected to recalibrate the jammer systems in the coming days to ensure a balance between prison security requirements and public access to uninterrupted mobile services.