Fire at BSNL's Chennai Telecom Exchange Disrupts Services Across Southern India

Fire at BSNL's Chennai Telecom Exchange Disrupts Services Across Southern India

January 2, 2026

A fire at a critical telecommunications exchange in Chennai has highlighted the vulnerability of India's digital infrastructure, causing widespread service disruptions during the peak holiday period. The incident underscores the operational challenges facing state-owned telecom operators and the cascading impact a single facility failure can have on millions of users.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the seven-story Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) Anna Road telephone exchange building at approximately 9:30 AM local time on December 20, 2025. According to India's Press Information Bureau, the blaze, which was brought under control by 12:30 PM, originated in the facility's battery room. No injuries were reported from the incident.

The disruption impacted mobile voice and data services for BSNL customers not only in Chennai but across the broader states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The outage also affected inter-operator calls and access to emergency services, though these critical functions were reportedly restored swiftly. While services in most affected regions were quickly reinstated, the fire caused prolonged issues for some digital payment systems, including Tangedco services.

The incident has sparked internal criticism regarding maintenance standards. A representative from a BSNL employees' union told The Hindu that neglect of facilities is a systemic issue, stating, "Most exchange buildings look like bhoot (ghost) bungalows... The facilities are understaffed, and if maintenance is not taken up, BSNL will only stand to lose more customers." This marks the second fire at the Anna Salai exchange in recent years.

As India's fourth-largest mobile operator, BSNL operates nine core data centers nationwide and is in the midst of a significant 4G network expansion, having deployed 25,000 towers across several regions. This event places a spotlight on the resilience of such legacy infrastructure as the country accelerates its digital transformation. It serves as a stark reminder for the entire telecoms and data center industry on the imperative of rigorous physical maintenance, modern fire suppression systems, and comprehensive disaster recovery planning to prevent localized failures from escalating into regional crises.

Source: datacenterdynamics