COAI, GSMA Call for 5G Readiness with Small Cell Deployment

Speaking at a media briefing co-hosted by COAI and GSMA, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Dr. Kochhar, DG, COAI, called for a large-scale small cell deployment across the country in light of growing demand.

Small Cell Deployment Essential for 5G

Along with the Director-General of COAI, Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA, also took the center stage. Dr. Kochhar expressed the need for small cell deployment across the country, and more support from the government to facilitate the same. He said that the small cells increase network capacity, and work towards densification. He also added that with the increasing demand and the imminent 5G launch, now is the best time to deploy small cells across networks.

During his welcome address, Dr. Kochhar also lamented the delay that was there in getting permission for the deployment and called for better support from the government, TRAI, and DoT. He further asked for support in terms of power supply and subsidized rates, as once the infrastructure is in place, it can support the next generation of networks, such as 5G, 6G, and beyond.

After the welcome address, Julian Gorman launched the Small Cell Report for India, titled "Paving the way for 5G readiness in India: A guide for effective policymaking on small cell deployment". The report highlighted the importance of small cells in 5G deployment across the country. The GSMA report also noted while 5G over small cells is a recent phenomenon, yet it will play a key role in the countrywide network deployment.

Industry Seeks Changes in RoW for Telecom

In the presentation, COAI and GSMA have called for multiple suggestions to increase the proliferation and access to small cells. The first of these suggestions was to update the Right of Way Rules, 2016, to include the small cell deployment. With this, the telcos will be able to include small cells in their network deployment across the country; the RoW will allow them to install small cells.

Along with this, the industry has also sought easier, streamlined procedures for permits and the exemption of small cells from location registration requirements. The industry also called for the state electricity boards and distributors to ease permits for TSPs. Incidentally, the telcos want to use already-in-place infrastructure such as electricity poles to install 5G small cells.

Finally, the industry has also called for better collaboration between the industries and the governments; for instance, creating a nationwide forum for information exchange. Along with these demands, the industry has also reiterated its demand for cheap backhaul access.