Cyclone Fani Affected Mobile Networks In Six Districts: Opensignal

According to a new report by Opensignal, Cyclone Fani affected mobile networks in six districts, while the users in the rest of the state experienced unchanged levels of mobile network availability.

" We measured the proportion of time our users could connect to either the 3G or 4G networks of any mobile operator - 3G/4G Availability - for all districts in the state of Odisha, which was the worst-affected region. Our data suggest that Cyclone Fani affected mobile networks in six districts, while our users in the rest of the state experienced unchanged levels of mobile network availability," the report said.

Landfall In Puri, Cuttack, And Khorda

The firm said that it measured the largest impact on mobile networks in these three districts where the cyclone unleashed powerful winds, while there was a limited impact on the next three districts in the storms' path - Dhenkanal, Jajpur, and Bhadrak - likely because the cyclone weakened as it moved further inland.

Out of the six districts where the firm measured an impact on 3G/4G Availability, it was not the coastal district of Puri that suffered the biggest disruption but rather the neighboring district of Khorda.

Availability Of 3G/4G

As per the firm smartphone users in Khorda experienced the largest service drop due to the storm, with 3G/4G Availability decreasing from a previous two weeks' average of 92.8 percent to 63.6 percent on 4 May.

In addition users in Khorda also experienced the longest recovery period, with mobile services affected for 20 days after the storm hit.

Furthermore, users in Cuttack were also heavily affected: they saw their 3G/4G Availability decrease to 69.5 percent a day after the cyclone made landfall and saw an impact on mobile services for 18 days.

Although Opensignal measured a considerable impact in Puri as well, with 3G/4G Availability dropping to 71.8 percent on the worst day, mobile connectivity levels were back to normal after just 13 days - much more quickly than in the next two inland districts.

Communication Play Important Role During Natural Disaster

During and in the aftermath of a natural disaster, reliable communications play a vital role in ensuring an efficient first response and provide critical information to people in the impacted areas. Restoring power and other essential services can be particularly daunting, taking up to several weeks. Cyclone Fani highlighted how mobile operators face the same challenges to restore normal mobile connectivity in the wake of a natural disaster.

However, in the case of India, smartphone users in the affected districts could still access mobile data services most of the time throughout the aftermath of the storm, suggesting that disruptions were likely localized and that mobile services remained available to most of our users.