The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules by way of a gazette notification. As part of the amendments, DoT has prescribed various terms and conditions for laying overhead OFC.
Prior to this, the RoW rules had only applied to underground OFC and mobile towers.
As per industry experts, the amended RoW Rules will define a framework for laying overhead optical fibre cables (OFCs). This will lead to development of infrastructure and facilitate 5G rollouts across the country.
Commenting on the development, Lt. General, Dr SP Kochhar, DG, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said, “We applaud the DoT for its progressive approach in amending its Indian Telegraph RoW Rules 2016 to include aerial fibre. As part of the Gati Shakti National Master Plan, this directive stipulates that necessary infrastructure be built at the lowest logistical costs. It is essential that a mechanism is established to uniformly enforce adherence to the ROW regulations throughout the country. This will help connect all the villages of the country with OFC by 2023. For a digitally connected and advanced country, the laying of aerial OFCs will help fast track 5G rollouts.”
