Srinagar, Oct 5: Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir are confronting a new communications challenge as Pakistan-based terror groups are reportedly using advanced, off-grid LoRa technology to maintain contact without relying on conventional mobile networks, according to an NDTV report.
The report by NDTV’s Pradeep Dutta said security agencies discovered the shift following the recovery of sophisticated, SIM-less communication devices from slain Pakistani terror commanders during recent encounters in Kashmir.
LoRa, short for Long Range, is a low-power radio communication technology that can operate without cellular towers, SIM cards or Wi-Fi. According to the report, the devices recovered by security forces were encrypted and capable of creating mesh-based communication networks.
The latest discovery was reportedly made on September 29 during an encounter at Gurwatkalan in Budgam, where security forces killed Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa Fauji. A rugged device labelled “LoRa Ultra” was recovered near his body, NDTV reported.
Security officials cited in the report said the devices differ from conventional walkie-talkies as individual handsets can relay signals, effectively creating a private communication network in areas where conventional telecommunications infrastructure is unavailable.
Communication Without Conventional Digital Trails
According to NDTV, LoRa-based devices can potentially transmit text messages, GPS coordinates and SOS alerts across considerable distances, particularly in forested and mountainous terrain.
The report said multiple encrypted LoRa sets and SIM-less phones were also recovered during Operation Mahadev in the high-altitude forests between Dachigam and Pahalgam.
Investigators suspect that the technology was being used by terrorists to communicate with one another as well as with handlers across the Line of Control, thereby bypassing conventional cellular networks and making traditional electronic surveillance more difficult.
The development has prompted security agencies to reassess their technical surveillance capabilities in forest and mountainous areas of Kashmir.
Pakistan-China Technology Link Under Probe
NDTV reported that forensic analysis by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) has pointed towards a possible cross-border technology supply chain.
Sources cited by the news organisation said the recovered devices were not locally assembled and were allegedly supplied in pre-configured and encrypted form.
The report suggested that investigators are examining whether Pakistan-based handlers are facilitating the use of such technology by terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
Security forces are also reportedly recalibrating spectrum-monitoring equipment and jamming capabilities to detect LoRa-based communications in vulnerable forest belts.
The emerging challenge, according to security officials cited by NDTV, represents a shift from conventional communications surveillance towards detecting and disrupting covert radio-based networks operating outside traditional telecom infrastructure.
Source: NDTV, report by Pradeep Dutta, published October 5, 2026.
