Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has appreciated the notification of Tamil Nadu Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2022 issued by the government of Tamil Nadu. These bye-laws are applicable to all city areas, municipal councils, town municipal councils, town panchayats, etc. and includes telecom towers and OFC (aerial and underground).

As per the policy, one-time fee to meet administrative expenses for the installation of telecom tower deployment is Rs 10,000 per application, whereas for the deployment of optical fibre is Rs 1,000 per kilometre OFC (underground and overground). The policy encourages the deployment of tower, underground OFC, aerial OFC, CoW, micro site, small cell, IBS, etc. that are essential to improve the digital connectivity across Urban Municipal Corporation and other areas of Tamil Nadu. The policy also supports the regularisation of the existing Telecom Infrastructure that will contribute towards the GDP growth of the state.

Further, based on the request of COAI and in alignment to the RoW rules, 2016, it has been prescribed in the policy that no track rent (one time or annually) shall be charged by any district nodal officer or appropriate authority for grant of any permission under any existing government orders issued by revenue and disaster management, rural development and panchayat raj and Municipal Administration and water supply departments.

This RoW policy will help to meet the National Broadband Mission targets, increase the broadband penetration, provide internet and broadband services to the citizens, improve the connectivity and capacity. Hence, this will improve the quality of the mobile services, and develop a robust telecom/digital infrastructure in the state. The policy will also help in the realisation of the ‘Gati Shakti’ mission by the government of India.

The telecom industry has emerged as a saviour for many during the pandemic. With telecom reforms, this announcement will become the base for digital connectivity in the state and will go a long way in building a robust infrastructure. Today, as the country creates pathways for 5G and the following digital revolution, it is important to understand that seamless connectivity is the roadmap to our vision of ‘Digital India.’

Commenting on the initiative, Lt. Gen. Dr. SP Kochhar, director general, COAI, said, “We thank the state government of Tamil Nadu for notification of Tamil Nadu Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2022 for the installation of mobile towers and deployment of OFC across the State. This will facilitate the speedy roll-out of telecom infrastructure. The telecom industry will be working closely with the government of Tamil Nadu to make the state digitally advanced and create a digitally connected ecosystem.”