Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has lauded the notification of Gujarat’s ‘Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2022’ issued by the government of Gujarat. These bye-laws are applicable to all city areas, municipal councils, town municipal councils, town panchayats, etc. and include telecom towers as well as optical fibre cable (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 OFC it 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. which are essential to improve the digital connectivity across urban municipal corporation and other areas of Gujarat. The policy also supports the regularisation of the existing telecom infrastructure that will contribute to the state’s gross domestic production (GDP) growth.
This RoW policy will help to meet the National Broadband Mission (NBM) targets, increase the broadband penetration, and provide internet and broadband services to the citizens. It will improve the connectivity and capacity of the network which will further improve the quality of the mobile services leading to the development of a robust telecom/digital infrastructure in the state. The policy will also help in the realisation of the ‘GatiShakti’ 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, “COAI thanks Hon’ble chief secretary of Gujarat for the notification of Gujarat’s “Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2022” which will pave the way for creating a robust telecom infrastructure in the state of Gujarat. It will boost government of India initiatives like digital India, smart cities and ‘Broadband to All’. The telecom industry will be working closely with the government of Gujarat to make the state digitally advanced and work towards creating a digitally connected ecosystem.”
