Airtel, the telecom company, issued an apology after the Manipur government sent them a notice for providing internet services to unapproved mobile numbers.
In their apology letter, Airtel expressed regret for the incident and assured that they would take measures to prevent it from happening again. They mentioned that they have already taken steps to address the issue, including testing all affected sites before making them operational again.
It further said, “Field Engineers to report to subject matter expert while/during putting such site live back in the network. Thorough daily monitoring of all sites of Manipur to ensure any data leakage, and immediate corrective actions”.
Airtel stated that they have thoroughly checked and verified all settings on their sites in the state and found no discrepancies. They also requested the government to refrain from taking any coercive actions against them, as they are committed to following all directives from the Manipur government.
After the data leakage incident, Airtel has suspended two of its field engineers. In a letter of suspension addressed to the engineers, Samar Paul and Rakibul Islam, it was stated that an investigation revealed that the equipment used to restore the site TORBG1, which had been impacted by riots, had outdated settings. These settings, dating back to May 3rd, 2023, resulted in data leakage on the site on September 20.
The letter to the duo further added”We understand that the action was done to restore the site, however a proper audit and subject matter expertise hand holding was missing. The purpose of this Suspension is to allow us to thoroughly investigate the situation and determine the appropriate course of action. The suspension is issued for the following reasons, and effective from today till the next 6 month”.
Airtel emphasized that it takes matters of employee conduct seriously and hopes that this suspension period will encourage resolution and improvement. The engineers were encouraged to reflect on the situation and consider ways to prevent similar issues in the future.