According to industry estimates, around 70 per cent of all mobile calls originate indoors. However, there is appreciable loss in signal strength when it penetrates building walls. This problem is particularly pronounced in the case of high speed data services. Thus, these services require much better signal strength than voice services.

The provisioning of telecom services inside buildings is not confined to the wireless medium, but extends to the wireline medium as well. Wireline services are provided through copper cables, optical fibre cables (OFC), local area network (LAN) cables, etc. and are equally important for uninterrupted connectivity. For services such as cable TV and direct-to-home, suitable cabling inside the building is a prerequisite.

However, telecom service providers (TSPs) and infrastructure providers face several challenges in the laying of cable and installation of telecom infrastructure inside buildings or on premises. In a move to address these issues, the Telecom Regu­­la­tory Authority of India (TRAI) has relea­sed recommendations laying do­wn a framework for TSPs to obtain access to in-building facilities on reasonable terms and conditions.

Challenges to in-building access

For their commercial interests, building/ premises owners often adopt restrictive practices while giving access to TSPs. In many cases, these owners enter into exclusive agreements with one of the TSPs/ internet service providers (ISPs) for providing telecom services to consumers and deny access to the other TSPs, thus creating an entry barrier. Such practices not only limit competition, but also leave no choice for consumers except to avail of services provided by the chosen TSP, thereby taking away flexibility in terms of quality of service (QoS), tariffs, redundancy, etc.

Meanwhile, in some cases, building owners allow TSPs access to their premises at exorbitant rates. For instance, airports and mall owners take a high price from TSPs for granting access to their premises. As TSPs cannot leave out such places from their network coverage, they are compelled to enter into an agreement on the terms and conditions set by such owners.

Further, in the case of leased line connectivity, many organisations take secondary leased lines from other TSPs to have redundancy. However, in residential complexes where the owners allow access to a TSP on an exclusive basis, dwellers do not have this redundancy provision.

Giving TSPs access to building/premises

  • Mandatory sharing of in-building telecom infrastructure: It is important for all TSPs to provide mobile coverage inside large public places, residential buildings and commercial complexes. However, it is not practical for TSPs to install individual in-building infrastructure as this will result in the multiplication of networks, entailing a huge avoidable cost. Further, it is not advisable to lay numerous cables by different TSPs as that may cause inconvenience to the residents, particularly after the completion of the buil­ding construction. It will be desirable if a few TSPs/ISPs put in place the required telecom infrastructure inside the buildings and others share this infrastructure.

Traditionally, 2G mobile services have been provided mainly by installing macro cells on mobile towers. However, owing to the increased usage of voice and data services, such macro cells are no longer adequate to provide seamless and good quality service inside the buildings. According to TRAI, in-building solutions (IBS) such as distributed antenna systems (DAS) and small cells can help in improving coverage and capacity on premises. In DAS, a number of TSPs can utilise the same antenna system, eliminating the need for installing multiple antennas. DAS solutions are transparent from a radio frequency perspective and are radio access network vendor-agnostic. A single passive DAS solution can be shared by multiple TSPs using different technologies and frequency bands. Thus, service providers can simply plug in and make their services available.

In-building solutions such as distributed antenna systems and small cells can help improve QoS and minimise the impact of factors outside the building.

By using small cells or DAS, it will be possible to provide higher QoS with fewer dropped calls and also minimise the impact and interference of factors outside the building. This will also help in allaying the perceived risk from the relatively higher radiation levels from macro sites. Hence, for providing coverage and capacity particularly in large public/commercial places such as malls, airports, hotels, hospitals and enterprise offices, installation of IBS at various locations is desirable.

  • Provisions to be included in the Natio­nal Building Code of India to facilitate the installation of telecom networks inside a building: Local administrations may consider making it mandatory for new multiplexes, malls and hotels to have adequate provision for ducts/optical fibre and IBS while approving/clearing the construction of these facilities. The provisions should be such that they facilitate access to all TSPs. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is in the process of framing the National Buil­ding Code (NBC) of India, under which the provision of common telecom infrastructure (CTI) inside all buildings is being envisaged.

TRAI is of the view that suitable provisions for the creation of CTI inside newly constructed large public places should form a part of the model building by-laws. There should be a provision of telecom ducts to reach the accessible parts of the buildings. No building plan should be approved without it having a plan for the creation of CTI including ducts. The completion certificate should be granted to a building only after ensuring that the CTI has been put in place as per the prescribed standards.

TRAI’s recommendations

Considering the significance of a voice and data network in large commercial/residential complexes as well as in public places, TRAI has made the following recommendations:

  • TSPs/ISPs should be mandated to share the in-building infrastructure (IBS, OFC and other cables, ducts, etc.) with other TSPs, in large public places such as airports, hotels and multiplexes, and commercial and residential complexes considering that it is not practical for each TSP to put its own IBS and other telecom infrastructure inside such complexes.
  • TSPs/ISPs should be categorically disallowed to enter into any kind of agreement or contract that may lead to exclusive access or decrease competition. Such an arrangement, formal or informal, may be treated as a violation of the licence agreement/registration.
  • A time-bound system to process the permissions for using the existing IBS may be developed. Any TSP seeking access to the cables or IBS already installed by an existing TSP (provider-TSP) should place its requirement in writing to the latter. The provider-TSP will respond in writing within 30 days. In case of denial of request to access the infrastructure, the provider-TSP will have to give reasons and justification for the denial.
  • Commercial terms for sharing of the in-building telecom infrastructure system may be decided by the provider-TSP. The same should be done in a transparent, fair and non-discriminatory manner.
  • The Department of Telecommuni­ca­tions should request the Ministry of Urban Development to ensure that a provision for the creation of CTI inside newly constructed public places like airports, commercial complexes and residential complexes forms a part of the model building by-laws.
  • The telecom ducts to access the buildings from outside should invariably be a part of the CTI.
  • No building plan should be approved without having a provision for the creation of CTI including the ducts.
  • A completion certificate should be granted to a building only after ensuring that the CTI is in place as per the prescribed standards.
  • As part of the building by-laws, the builder or residents welfare association (RWA) should be mandated to ensure that access to a building as well as CTI facilities inside the building is provided in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner and a minimum of three TSPs/ISPs have a presence in the building. State-run operators Bharat Sanchar Ni­gam Limited and Mahanagar Tele­phone Nigam Limited should be given access to government and commercial buildings. TSPs/ISPs should have unrestricted access to undertake maintenance work. Further, the permission for in-building access and/or the use of CTI facilities inside the building should not be seen as a source of revenue generation by builders/RWAs. Moreover, the charges (rentals/power rates, etc.) levied on TSPs should be fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.