Trai examining telcos' pricing issue in Navi Mumbai airport row over network deployment

New Delhi: Regulator Trai is examining the pricing issue that telecom operators are facing for deploying network in and around Adani Group-backed Navi Mumbai International Airport, a top official said on Wednesday.

Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said industry body COAI has approached it for intervention, and the regulator has sought more details around the price that telecom operators have paid in the past for setting up networks.

"The letter that COAI has written has raised four issues. Three of those pertain to right-of-way. There is one issue regarding the pricing. We have asked for certain details from COAI regarding how they have entered into agreements in the past. We will study those, and then we will take further action," Lahoti said.

He said that the Telecom Regulator Authority of India will not require any specific reference from the government, and it can suo-moto proceed on the matter based on reference received from the Cellular Operators Association of India.

Right-of-way (RoW) refers to the rules and rights with regard to the deployment and operation of telecom infrastructure by service providers on public and private property.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has also reached out to the telecom department for intervention, stating that its member telecom service providers (TSPs), including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vodafone Idea, had approached Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) to seek requisite approvals to deploy their telecom networks, like In-Building Solutions (IBS) infrastructure, to provide seamless 4G and 5G connectivity within the airport premises.

"However, contrary to the statutory framework under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the RoW Rules 2024, NMIAL has declined to grant the necessary permissions," COAI had alleged.

In a strongly-worded statement, NMIAL said the IBS infrastructure for mobile network was procured and installed after multiple discussions with individual TSPs, and in fact, government-owned BSNL is already in the advanced phase of testing for the use of IBS at the airport.

"We are rigorously following up with TSPs to conclude the discussions. We welcome individual TSPs to discuss and mutually agree on rates. However, we will not give in to any cartelisation in this regard," NMIAL had said in the statement.

Further, NMIAL said that contrary to the COAI allegations, RoW has never been denied to any TSP at the airport, and that it has regularly communicated and discussed with TSPs and already offered the IBS services at charges in line with the existing industry standards, to which the TSPs are yet to revert.