India plans public protection and disaster relief network

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Wireless Networks; 27 October 2026; 955 views

India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced plans to implement a pan-India dedicated broadband public protection and disaster relief (BB-PPDR) network for a number of agencies in the country.

The aim is to provide mission critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission critical data and mission critical video capabilities to state and Union Territory police, central armed police forces, the national disaster relief force, fire service, medical service and other public safety agencies across the country.

MHA says it is asking for input from public opinion and stakeholders on the design of network architecture for the proposed BB-PPDR communication system. The MHA is inviting inputs on design options and the technology to be adopted, along with its merits and demerits, cost efficiency and suitability to Indian conditions.

All stakeholders are invited to send their comments and inputs by 5 November.

According to India’s Economic Times news service, the dedicated nationwide broadband network would give roughly three million police, paramilitary and disaster response personnel push-to-talk, video and data link services.

Thus, the ministry is looking at around three million handsets, of which some 2.1 million will be rugged field handsets for field units, 600,000 will be smartphone-grade devices for senior officers and 300,000 will be fixed or vehicle-mounted units. Body-worn cameras will be involved, but how many has not yet been determined.

The MHA has chosen ten pilot locations around the country for the project

According to the Economic Times the MHA has an in-principle allocation of spectrum in the 814-824 and 859-869 MHz bands, outside the standard mobile broadband range. It is looking at the availability of appropriate radio equipment and commercial devices for those frequencies.

Rollout deadlines and timing do not so far appear to have been revealed.