As the nation-wide lockdown persists, there has been a significant spike in data traffic, urging the need for an immediate rise in the telecom network capacity. The Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) recently highlighted this necessity to cope with the escalating data demands.
A Brief Overview of TAIPA
Established in 2011, the Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association serves as an industry representative body registered under the Indian Society registration act, 1860. The association ropes in all leading independent telecom infrastructure providers, including Bharti Infratel, Indus Towers, ATC India Tower Corp., GTL Infrastructure, Tower Vision, and Reliance Infrastructure. TAIPA aims to foster healthy growth in telecom services by interacting, discussing, and deliberating with various stakeholders such as ministries, policy makers, regulators, financial institutions, and technical bodies.
Reason for Rising Data Consumption
The unexpected prompt to ‘work from home’ for both public and private employees in light of the ongoing lockdown has led to an unprecedented 30% rise in data consumption. Certain metropolitan cities such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru have witnessed an even steeper increase, posting a 70% rise in cellular network data. These figures highlight the central role of telecom services, which are considered as essential services and are hence exempted from the lockdown restrictions.
Critical Need for Robust Infrastructure
To maintain constant data usage and ensure seamless functioning of telecom services, the telecom sector requires robust, critical infrastructure. The state policies need to align with the Centre’s Right of Way (RoW) 2016 norms to meet these growing data needs. However, after over three years, only 16 States out of 36 States/Union Territories have broadly aligned their policy with the RoW Policy 2016.
Understanding RoW 2016 Norms
In an attempt to streamline the rollout of communication networks, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued the Right of Way (RoW) rules. These rules aim to facilitate the time-bound installation of mobile towers, optic fibre and copper cables in a non-discretionary manner. The norms strive to cap administrative expenses across the nation to a maximum of Rs 1000 per km for fibre, and a maximum of Rs 10,000 per application for overhead towers. One of the key features of the RoW rules is the provision for fast-tracking decisions on RoW permits within 60 days post-application.
Current Scenario and Future Outlook
Given the current situation, it is imperative for all states and union territories to align their policies with the RoW 2016 norms. This alignment will ensure a robust infrastructure which is essential for smooth functioning of telecom services while meeting the rising data demands amid the lockdown. With the continuing remote work culture, the role of telecom services has become more critical than ever, thus highlighting the immediate need for building a strong, reliable telecom network capacity across the country.
