The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday night restored high-speed mobile Internet services on a trial basis in Ganderbal and Udhampur districts-one each in Kashmir Valley and the Jammu province.
“The high-speed mobile data services in the districts of Udhampur and Ganderbal shall be restored forthwith, on a trial basis, while in the rest of the districts, Internet speed shall continue to be restricted to 2G only,” Union Territory`s Principal Secretary, (Home) Shaleen Kabra, said in an order.
“While postpaid SIM card holders shall be provided access to the Internet, these services shall not be made available on prepaid SIM cards unless verified as per norms applicable for post-paid connections,” the order said.
Kabra said the directions would be effective from August 16 -9 pm and will remain in force till September 8, unless modified earlier.
The order said on fixed landline connections, Internet connectivity, without any restrictions, shall continue to be made available with Mac-binding.
“Whereas, in context of the conclusions drawn and the parameters laid down by the special committee for considering calibrated easing of restrictions in limited and comparatively less sensitive geographical areas, the law enforcement agencies, while furnishing fresh inputs relating to the present security scenario in the UT of JK, have identified the districts of Ganderbal and Udhampur for lifting restrictions on high-speed mobile Internet connectivity on trial basis and these recommendations are found to be in conformity with the law laid down as also the conditions set by the special committee,” it said.
Internet services were snapped in Jammu and Kashmir hours before the Centre abrogated its special status and bifurcated the erstwhile state into union territories — Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir — on August 5 last year.
The 2G internet facility on mobile phones was restored in January. The Supreme Court had recently asked Jammu and Kashmir administration to explore the possibility of restoring 4G connectivity in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
