COAI objects to BBMP's OFC cutting drive

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Friday said the BBMP's arbitrary OFC cutting practice is hampering telecom operation and revenues generation of both operators and infrastructure service providers.

In an interaction with DH, COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said the BBMP's drive of cutting overhead optical fiber cable (OFC) has been continuing for the past three months.

"We have been witnessing a unique situation in Bengaluru of BBMP officials cutting cables which they got permission from the local authority without prior notice," he said.

The telecom operators association had submitted a memorandum in July to stop this coercive action to both Bengaluru Development and Town Planning Minister G Parameshwara and the BBMP.

"We have not received any response to our memorandum from the authorities. We want the government and civic body to take appropriate action so that the telecom companies, which are in a financial mess, can sustain their business," he said.

Mathews also pointed out that the BBMP is the only corporation local body in the country taking exorbitant money for laying cables.

"This is the highest in the country and many other cities have brought it down realising the importance of telecom infrastructure for the growth and employment generation," he said.

COAI official said Bengaluru is the Silicon Valley of the country and telecom infrastructure is very important for the Fortune 500 companies and many essential services like hospital, banking and data centre business to operate.

"The state government has not signed the Write Away Policy which gives the guidelines where to put the tower and how to lay cables. We have already approached the government to take it up. The BBMP has an OFC cell that is a major revenue generator by giving digging licenses to multiple operators. The city has an estimated 55,000 km of cables and 10,000 towers," the official added.