TRAI suggests easing rules for In-building network deployments

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed that property owners be free from the Center's approval process for implementing In-Building Solutions (IBS), which is a further step in the process of setting up network access in public spaces.

In accordance with Section 3(1)(b) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, TRAI suggested that a property owner or manager "should be permitted to establish, operate, maintain, and expand in-building solution (IBS) within the limits of a single building, compound, or estate, managed by it, without the need for any authorisation from the Central Government." 

According to TRAI's "Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity" recommendations, the property manager should grant equitable and nondiscriminatory access to the IBS it has established on the property to eligible service authorised entities and Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Provider (DCIP) authorised entities. Additionally, it demanded that all pertinent service providers be prohibited from signing any exclusive right-of-way contracts with property managers.

The recommendations come in midst of  the ongoing dispute between the telcos and Mumbai Metro and other government agencies, in which the businesses contended that only telecom service providers (TSPs) were authorised to offer IBS services in India.

In addition to the Mumbai Metro, telcos have reportedly sent letters to the airport authorities in Bengaluru, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, and Navi Mumbai to inform them that only TSPs with valid Universal Access Service Licenses (UASL) and spectrum rights are permitted to use their airports when their current IBS licenses expire on May 31.