DoT advisory to telcos on sharing In-building telecom infrastructure

New Delhi (IANS) The Telecom Ministry has asked all operators to share among themselves in-building infrastructure in all government and public buildings airports, railway stations, bus terminals and likewise to boost competition and more importantly giving consumers more choices of broadband service providers alongside also cut costs of setting up infrastructure in those same spaces clogging the area.

The DoT has asked the telcos to share infrastructure like IBS, OFC and other cables, ducts across airports, railway stations, bus terminals, metro lines and hospitals, besides other public sector buildings.

It will save cost, space and spurce up quality of services and provider customers better service, the department says.

DoT has referred to the TRAI recommendations of 2017 and later response of 2018.

An IBS (In-building Solution) is a platform (mini-site) for a wireless system providing mobile coverage inside buildings (offices, malls, hospitals etc), where the coverage, capacity or quality otherwise would not had been satisfactory

"All TSPs are advised to share the in-building infrastructure (systems, optical fibre, other cables, ducts etc) with other TSPs in all government and public buildings as per terms and conditions of their respective licenses," DoT said in advisory to them on November 18.

The directive came after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had recommended to the department last year that all telcos and infrastructure providers must be mandated to share in-building infrastructure in public places, commercial and residential complexes with other providers in a transparent, fair and non-discriminatory manner, with a minimum of three operators having a presence in the building.

"Entering into exclusive contracts prohibiting access to other TSPs may be treated as violation of the licence agreement," the regulator had recommended.

Trai had suggested that suitable provisions for the creation of Common Telecom Infrastructure (CTI) inside the building should form part of model building bye-laws, and that the National Building Code of India (NBC) should be amended to include essential telecom installations and associated cabling. Builders are not required to provide suitable infrastructure such as ducts, rooms and spaces for telecom infrastructure so far.