The Minister for Communications, Dayanidhi Maran, has asked cellular operators, both GSM and CDMA, to share infrastructure (cell sites) to improve coverage and quality of service without putting up more towers, as these spoil the city skyline and raise security concerns. The minister has said that he will set up a working group under a joint secretary to deal with the issues involved.
Infrastructure sharing enables two or more competing cellular operators to emit radio signals from the same tower, thereby cutting costs and improving coverage. Although some GSM operators are already sharing infrastructure, there is potential for more. Delhi, for instance, has six cellular operators who have put up about 6,000 towers.
