Telcos warn of network rollout delays as states lag on infra rules

Users could face service quality issues as telecom operators struggle to expand networks, with about 13 states yet to align with the Centre’s updated Right of Way (RoW) rules to deploy telecom infrastructure, three executives aware of the matter said.

The department of telecommunications (DoT) notified the RoW rules in September last year and mandated states to implement them starting January, 2025. The rules govern how telecom infrastructure, which includes mobile towers, poles, common ducts, small cells and street furniture, can be installed over public and private property.

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The delays are primarily due to the reluctance and complex processes of some state governments over the implementation of uniform RoW regulations. The lack of a standardized approach across states is causing significant hurdles in the timely installation of telecom infrastructure, such as towers and fiber optic cables, according to telecom operators.

“As a result, telecom companies are increasingly concerned about potential delays in the rollout of 4G, 5G services, and fiber-based broadband, which could impact both consumers and the broader digital ecosystem amid increase in data consumption,” an executive at a telecom operator said.

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States and union territories that are yet to implement RoW rules include Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Mizoram, Nagaland, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry, Tripura, and Lakshadweep, according to data shared by telecom operators and infrastructure providers with the DoT last week.

Challenges the operators flagged to DoT include exorbitant rates charged by some of the states for giving approvals to deploy infrastructure, multiple levels of approvals involving different departments, high rental charges for towers by municipal corporations, coercive actions on operators and untimely clearances.

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“Even those states/UTs, which have issued notification on implementation of RoW norms have some of the provisions, which is making it difficult for us to lay the infrastructure. For example, in Delhi, DDA (Delhi Development Authority) allots tower locations through auctions, DISCOMs (power distribution companies) charge very high pole rates to lay infra such as fiber,” an executive at a tower company said.

The executive added that the government also needs to expedite on rollout of the new RoW portal as they are facing issues in submitting applications.

"It is essential for all states and agencies to align with the Act’s provisions and implement the RoW Rules 2024, in true letter and spirit, to enable swift approvals and cost-effective infrastructure deployment which would further pave the way for seamless 5G expansion and enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) for the customers," said S.P. Kochhar, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

"We are hopeful that with the right efforts from the Centre and the States/UTs, in collaboration with the industry, the RoW norms across India can be regularized, to bring in progressive changes for the essential telecom infrastructure," Kochhar added. COAI represents major telecom operators such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio.

A government official said, “Such uniform rules are crucial as earlier the states had their own charges, which were significantly higher, and there were inconsistent timelines for permissions. The rules will help ease 4G/5G rollout, simplify approval processes, uniform charges, and enable digital management of applications.” The department, he added, was constantly following up with states for alignment with RoW rules.

Notably, to streamline the process, DoT is expected to soon launch a centralized RoW portal, where different states will be listed, and operators can submit the applications to them via the portal. Till now, the applications were managed via the GatiShakti Sanchar Portal.

“Currently, out of 36 states/UTs, atleast 21 have aligned. There are 11 states that are already live on the Central portal, which is capable of handling as many levels of permissions required from authorities of the respective states. For example, Maharashtra wants a seven-level approval layer,” another official said, adding that states have been asked to create awareness among local bodies on RoW rules so that there are no permission delays and charges are aligned.

The official added there are certain procedural delays from states on sharing of data of their respective authorities in a specific format, which is key to their onboarding and smooth management of applications.

As per the rules, the facility provider has to pay ₹300 per year to deploy small cells on each street furniture, such as lamp posts and benches, in urban areas and ₹150 per year in rural areas. For telecom lines, the fee will be ₹100 per year per street furniture. There will be no charge for placing small cells on buildings or structures owned by the public entity.

Small cells are compact, low-power wireless base stations used to improve network coverage, crucial for 5G deployment and for minimizing network rollout costs.

For tower installation application, a company will have to pay ₹10,000 per tower and for overground telecom lines the application fee has been kept at ₹1,000 per km.