'Telecom services in Noida may get disrupted'

The telecom industry on Saturday expressed concern that mobile phone services will be disrupted in Noida area as the landlords or properties where telecom towers are located have announced they will be switching off electricity and denying access to the companies' operation and maintenance staff.

"The telecom tower landlords in Noida have informed the Noida authority that the landlords will be switching off electricity and denying access to the tower company representatives doing operation and maintenance of towers following several show cause notices issued by NOIDA authority to the owners to remove the towers or face cancellation of the land lease of those properties hosting the towers," said a joint statement issued by the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) and Towers and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA).

"The industry is extremely concerned about the situation as landlords are already panicked and removing towers due to the threat of lease cancellation and resumption of their properties, which is resulting in total disruption of mobile telephony services in the Noida area," it said.

"The industry is also concerned that despite agreeing to not undertake any coercive action, the Noida Authority has sent letters cancelling the land lease agreements on Friday, March 20, 2015," it added.

The statement said the industry representatives have met the NOIDA authority officials on Wednesday and reminded them that the department of telecommunications (DoT) has already issued guidelines dated August 1, 2013, followed by a letter from the DoT secretary to chief secretaries of all states, including the Uttar Pradesh, advising them to align their tower policy with DoT guidelines.