Jammu: In recent times, there has been a rise in the number of telecommunication towers along the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), allegedly with the intention of assisting terrorists and their associates in carrying out infiltration activities, officials said.
Terror groups using YSMS services
Officials, following an examination of infiltration attempts and recent terrorist attacks, particularly in the southern area of the Pir Panjal range in the Jammu region, have indicated that terror groups are employing highly encrypted YSMS services. This technology combines smartphones and radio sets to facilitate covert communication purposes.
Utilizing this technology, a handler from a terror outfit in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) establishes communication with both the infiltrating group and its reception party in the Jammu region via a telecom network utilized across the Line of Control (LoC). This strategy is implemented to evade detection by the Indian Army or the Border Security Force (BSF), which are responsible for guarding the borders with Pakistan.
The project for boosting telecom signals has been completely handed over to the Special Communication Organization (SCO) led by Pakistani army officer Maj Gen Umar Ahmad Shah, believed to be formerly working with Pakistan's spy agency ISI.
Used to help terrorists and their associates
The deliberate placement of telecom towers near the LoC and the international border, primarily intended to assist terrorists and their accomplices in infiltration activities, constitutes a violation of Article 45 of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) constitution. The ITU is a United Nations agency responsible for coordinating international telecommunications.
Article 45 of the ITU's constitution requires all 193-member countries to take the steps required to prevent the transmission or circulation of identification signals, "and to collaborate in locating and identifying stations under their jurisdiction transmitting such signals".
The officials said that the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) under the ITU has reiterated that all stations are "forbidden to carry out unnecessary transmissions, or the transmission of superfluous signals, or the transmission of false or misleading signals, or the transmission of signals without identification".
The matter is being discussed at the ministerial level for taking it up at the international forum concerned, they said.
Telecom towers are operating on CDMA technology
The officials further said the newly installed telecom towers are utilizing Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, and the encryption process has been carried out by a Chinese company, primarily to facilitate YSMS operations.
This rouge telecom infrastructure supports infiltrating terrorists and their contacts in the Jammu and the Kashmir regions.
The deployment of CDMA technology along the LoC has been orchestrated with the intention of complicating monitoring efforts. This technology enables the transmission of multiple signals on a single channel, thereby posing challenges in regulating illicit communications.
Past instances of use of such technology in 2019 and 2020 were thwarted by security agencies by breaking the encryption. The officials said the present attempt of terror groups aided by state actors of Pakistan would meet a similar fate.
'Advantages of telecom towers are minimal in Kashmir Valley'
Despite the extensive presence of the Special Communication Organization (SCO) in PoK, including in Gilgit and Baltistan, the advantages of telecom towers are minimal in the Kashmir Valley due to its rugged terrain. However, their signals reach into the plains of Jammu, with some even reaching sensitive areas like the Kot Balwal jail.
Traditional measures such as jammers and managed access systems have proven ineffective in curbing mobile phone usage. Consequently, there is a push for the development of advanced detection capabilities to locate and neutralize active phones within specific areas.
Security agencies are likely to test this new technology nationwide, especially in prisons, to effectively combat security threats.
The smuggling of cell phones into prisons poses a significant public safety risk, as it enables criminals to orchestrate terror activities from within prison walls, the officials said.
This comes after several security agencies indicated that telecom signals from PoK have been penetrating into Indian territories, affecting regions from Baramulla and Kupwara in Kashmir to Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch Districts in the Jammu division.
Of particular concern is the communication between terrorists on Indian soil and their handlers in Pakistan, facilitated by various technologies like LoRa, YSMS, Baidu, and Thuraya Satellite Communication.
Terror groups and their handlers are utilizing LoRa technology, known for its long-range capabilities, to maintain undetected communication between terrorists and overground workers (OGW).
(With PTI inputs)
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