A dedicated broadband public-safety network is a force multiplier for both internal security and disaster response. Discuss the challenges in building such a network in India.

A Broadband Public Protection and Disaster Relief (BB-PPDR) network is a dedicated, pan-India system. It carries Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), data and video for the police, CAPFs, NDRF, fire and medical services. MHA opened public consultation on its architecture in October 2026 [1]. The network is clearly worth building, but India's POLNET record shows that putting it into practice is the hard part.

Why a force multiplier

• Internal security: CAPFs and State police can share live video and data, so they all see the same operational picture [1].
• Disaster response: a dedicated network keeps working when commercial networks are congested or damaged [1].

Challenges in building it

• Spectrum: DoT, not MHA, controls spectrum. The Telecommunications Act, 2023 allows administrative assignment for security and disaster management, but the band and amount have not been decided [5]. CAG (2022) urged MHA to frame a spectrum policy for CAPFs [2].
• Institutional capacity: POLNET, DCPW's satellite network, was never fully commissioned because of problems at its central hub [2]. Any centralised core carries the same risk.
• Lifecycle maintenance: in Uttar Pradesh, POLNET did not work in 18 of 56 districts because annual maintenance contracts were not renewed [3].
• Federal fault-lines: police is a State subject (List II), so States must buy devices and train staff. Yet UP used only 41% of its communication-equipment funds because purchase orders stalled [3]. Manipur left ₹41.09 crore unspent while 11 of 84 police stations had no wireless [4].
• Cost versus dependence: a dedicated network costs a lot to build. Commercial networks are cheaper, but the government's emergency takeover powers give first responders no everyday priority for MCPTT [5].
• Governance: surveillance-grade video and data need safeguards under the DPDP Act, 2023. A 13-day consultation window is also short for a pan-India design [1].

The network's value therefore depends less on technology than on spectrum, steady funding and Centre–State coordination. A hybrid model would work best: a dedicated core and spectrum for mission-critical services, commercial networks for wider coverage, and POLNET 2.0 as a satellite backup, as an MHA disaster-management conference document advised [6]. With contracts that pay for maintenance and central bulk buying of handsets, BB-PPDR can become a real force multiplier, in line with cooperative federalism and the Sendai Framework.