Telecom users may reportedly experience service quality issues as operators face challenges in expanding their networks, with around 13 states yet to adopt the Centre’s updated Right of Way (RoW) rules for telecom infrastructure deployment.
The DoT had notified the RoW rules in September last year, mandating states to implement them from January 2025. These regulations govern the installation of telecom infrastructure, including mobile towers, poles, common ducts, small cells, and street furniture, on both public and private property.
The delays stem from the reluctance of certain state governments and the complexity of their approval processes, preventing the uniform implementation of RoW regulations. According to telecom operators, the absence of a standardised approach across states is creating major obstacles in the timely installation of infrastructure such as towers and fiber optic cables.
As per the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), states and union territories that have yet to implement the updated RoW rules include Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Mizoram, Nagaland, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry, Tripura, and Lakshadweep.
Operators have raised concerns with DoT over various challenges, including excessive fees imposed by some states for infrastructure deployment approvals, multiple layers of bureaucracy involving different departments, high municipal rental charges for towers, coercive actions against operators, and delays in obtaining clearances.
Additionally, telecom operators have urged the government to expedite the rollout of a new RoW portal, as they are encountering difficulties in submitting applications. DoT is expected to launch a centralised RoW portal soon, allowing operators to submit applications for different states through a unified platform. Until now, applications have been processed via the GatiShakti Sanchar Portal. However, procedural delays from states in formatting and sharing data of their respective authorities have slowed the onboarding process.
