Yogesh Sarkar
Administrator
With many of us heading to Ladakh this year or having plans to go there in near future, one topic worth discussing is availability of phone services in Ladakh.
While any GSM phone on roaming should work in Keylong, beyond it most mobile phones are as good as paper weights till the outskirts of Ladakh’s capital, Leh.
Leh: Even in Leh most mobile phones are of little use, since only BSNL, Aircel and Airtel have their networks here. Postpaid mobile connections from these operators and postpaid subscribers from operators who have roaming agreements with either BSNL, Aircel or Airtel can hope to use their mobile phones in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
For the rest there are only two options, either buy a prepaid connection from either of the above mentioned telcos or use the crowded phone booths.
Based on the information that I have got, purchasing a prepaid connection in Leh for foreigners is a straight forward affair and they need to submit photocopies of their passport and two passport sized photographs while applying for prepaid connections. While for Indian citizens it might not be an easy task since Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir are considered sensitive zones by the Indian government. Due to this it is best to avoid getting a connection there unless you plan to stay there for a long time.
Coming back to the STD booths, well if you are going to use one especially near the main market or main road then be prepared to stand in line. Since Leh is headquarter for many of the army battalions posted in ladakh, there is always a sizable army presence in Leh. This means on most of the booths you will meet soldiers waiting in line to call home and talk to their loved ones.
Nubra Valley: In Nubra Valley the only place you can hope to find a phone booth is in the town of Diskit. Apart from this the mobile network from BSNL works in Diskit, Hunder, Sumur and Turtuk. There is also an internet cafe in Diskit.
Tso Moriri: Scene beyond Leh is even grimmer with Krozok (Tso Moriri) having absolutely no mobile or landline connections, not even an internet café. Though there is mobile phone network in Chumathang.
Pangong Tso: There is no mobile or land line connection around Pangong Tso. However, mobile phone network does work during the day till Tangste with the tower being at Durbuk. There is also an internet cafe in Tangste.
Changthang: There is BSNL network in Chumathang and Nyoma, however there is none at Hanle. However if you are staying at Hanle Observatory Guest House, then you can use their wifi network to connect to the net or visit STD booth there to make phone calls. STD facility is also available at Chushul and Tsaga villages.
Zanskar: There is good news for those heading to Zanskar Valley, while there in 2006 I witnessed the opening of the first STD booth there; beside this I was told BSNL has plans to introduce mobile phone service soon and add to this there is an internet café as well.
GPRS/Data Connectivity: At least as far as BSNL is concerned, data/gprs connectivity works almost everywhere its network is available. Though at time it can be painfully slow.
Hopefully things will get better during this year and in the coming years; however my suggestion would be to get postpaid connection from MTNL/BSNL if you want to be in touch with your loved ones even in the remotest of regions.
Tangste - BSNL connection there, but network is patchy and not reliable
Pangong Tso - Satellite phone booth towards phobran
Man/Merak - Satellite phone booth
Tangste (15kms towards pangong) - Satellite phone booth
Korzok - Satellite phone booth
Chushul - Satellite phone booth
Hanle - Satellite phone booth
Punguk(1km from Hanle) -Satellite phone booth
Except for Hanle, where costs 5rs/minute, everywhere else its around ~2rs/minute to make a phone call
While any GSM phone on roaming should work in Keylong, beyond it most mobile phones are as good as paper weights till the outskirts of Ladakh’s capital, Leh.
Leh: Even in Leh most mobile phones are of little use, since only BSNL, Aircel and Airtel have their networks here. Postpaid mobile connections from these operators and postpaid subscribers from operators who have roaming agreements with either BSNL, Aircel or Airtel can hope to use their mobile phones in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
For the rest there are only two options, either buy a prepaid connection from either of the above mentioned telcos or use the crowded phone booths.
Based on the information that I have got, purchasing a prepaid connection in Leh for foreigners is a straight forward affair and they need to submit photocopies of their passport and two passport sized photographs while applying for prepaid connections. While for Indian citizens it might not be an easy task since Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir are considered sensitive zones by the Indian government. Due to this it is best to avoid getting a connection there unless you plan to stay there for a long time.
Coming back to the STD booths, well if you are going to use one especially near the main market or main road then be prepared to stand in line. Since Leh is headquarter for many of the army battalions posted in ladakh, there is always a sizable army presence in Leh. This means on most of the booths you will meet soldiers waiting in line to call home and talk to their loved ones.
Nubra Valley: In Nubra Valley the only place you can hope to find a phone booth is in the town of Diskit. Apart from this the mobile network from BSNL works in Diskit, Hunder, Sumur and Turtuk. There is also an internet cafe in Diskit.
Tso Moriri: Scene beyond Leh is even grimmer with Krozok (Tso Moriri) having absolutely no mobile or landline connections, not even an internet café. Though there is mobile phone network in Chumathang.
Pangong Tso: There is no mobile or land line connection around Pangong Tso. However, mobile phone network does work during the day till Tangste with the tower being at Durbuk. There is also an internet cafe in Tangste.
Changthang: There is BSNL network in Chumathang and Nyoma, however there is none at Hanle. However if you are staying at Hanle Observatory Guest House, then you can use their wifi network to connect to the net or visit STD booth there to make phone calls. STD facility is also available at Chushul and Tsaga villages.
Zanskar: There is good news for those heading to Zanskar Valley, while there in 2006 I witnessed the opening of the first STD booth there; beside this I was told BSNL has plans to introduce mobile phone service soon and add to this there is an internet café as well.
GPRS/Data Connectivity: At least as far as BSNL is concerned, data/gprs connectivity works almost everywhere its network is available. Though at time it can be painfully slow.
Hopefully things will get better during this year and in the coming years; however my suggestion would be to get postpaid connection from MTNL/BSNL if you want to be in touch with your loved ones even in the remotest of regions.
Tangste - BSNL connection there, but network is patchy and not reliable
Pangong Tso - Satellite phone booth towards phobran
Man/Merak - Satellite phone booth
Tangste (15kms towards pangong) - Satellite phone booth
Korzok - Satellite phone booth
Chushul - Satellite phone booth
Hanle - Satellite phone booth
Punguk(1km from Hanle) -Satellite phone booth
Except for Hanle, where costs 5rs/minute, everywhere else its around ~2rs/minute to make a phone call
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