Trai recommendations on boosting telecom infra in NE progressive: COAI

Industry body COAI on Monday said regulator TRAI's latest recommendations on boosting telecom infrastructure in northeastern states are progressive and will drive socio-economic and digital progress in the region.

TRAI's recommendation on exemption of Right of Way (RoW) charges in the rural, tribal and hilly regions for a five-year period will encourage telecom operators to invest further towards network deployments in lesser populated regions, the association said in a statement.

"The industry is confident that if implemented in letter and spirit, these progressive recommendations will provide further impetus to proliferation of telecom and broadband services in the northeastern region of the country, thus propelling socio-economic and digital progress...," Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) Director General S P Kochhar said.

Telcos, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, are members of COAI.

On provisioning power supply for the telecom sector, TRAI has recommended that electricity be provided to telecom sites as a priority (within 15 days of connections request) and at utility/industrial tariff rates.

"Further, waiving off or subsidising last mile installation charges for extending electricity connection to telecom sites in remote and hilly areas has been recommended. These would serve in faster and more economic operations of the sector, eventually benefitting the consumers," COAI pointed out.

Enabling provisions recommended to be incorporated in the Ministry of Environment and Forests' policy to expedite grant of environmental clearance to telcos for installing mobile towers and DG sets for tower locations, would hasten telecom infrastructure development in the region, according to COAI.

TRAI's earlier recommendations on use of street furniture for small cell and aerial fiber deployment have been advised to be implemented to strengthen 5G deployments.