NHAI Flags Mobile Network Blackspots Across National Highways, Seeks Urgent Fix

India’s national highways may be expanding rapidly but large stretches are still digitally dark. Flagging serious safety and operational risks, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has urged telecom regulators to urgently fix mobile connectivity gaps across key highway corridors, warning that poor network coverage is undermining emergency response and technology-driven road safety systems.

In a communication highlighted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI said it has identified widespread connectivity gaps—especially along greenfield highways and remote stretches—where the absence of mobile coverage poses risks to both road safety and highway operations.  

A detailed assessment by the authority flagged 424 locations spanning nearly 1,750 kilometres where mobile connectivity is either weak or completely unavailable. NHAI has shared granular, location-specific data with DoT and TRAI to enable targeted directions to telecom service providers (TSPs).

“These gaps directly affect emergency response mechanisms and the delivery of technology-enabled public services,” the authority said, underlining that highways are no longer just transport corridors but strategic digital infrastructure that require reliable connectivity for monitoring, enforcement and incident management.

NHAI stressed that resolving the issue would require an expeditious and coordinated approach involving regulators and telecom operators, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas where commercial incentives for network expansion remain limited.

Beyond basic connectivity, the authority has also pushed for proactive safety interventions. It has asked TRAI to instruct telecom operators to roll out SMS and flash SMS alerts at geo-mapped accident-prone zones and stretches frequently affected by hazards such as stray cattle movement. The goal is to warn motorists in advance, enabling timely caution and safer driving behaviour.

To support this initiative, NHAI has already shared a list of high-risk stretches with TRAI. The measures, the authority said, are part of its broader push to ensure that India’s highways are not only physically well-connected but also digitally enabled, safer and more user-centric.