Telcos seek Trai help in NMIAL network dispute

THE CELLULAR OPERATORS Association of India (COAI) has written to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), seeking its intervention on four counts at the newly opened Navi Mumbai International Airport: denial of Right of Way (RoW) permissions to telecom operators, the creation of an exclusive in-building solutions (IBS) arrangement, absence of cost-based pricing for shared infrastructure, and what it describes as misleading public communication on network coverage.

- URVI MALVANIA

In its submission, the industry body which represents private telecom operators—Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, argued that these practices have resulted in a monopolistic bottleneck at a public airport, warranting urgent regulatory scrutiny and corrective directions.

COAI maintained that NMIAL qualifies as a public entity under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and is therefore obligated to grant RoW permissions for telecom infrastructure in a transparent, nondiscriminatory and time-bound manner. Airports, it argued, are required to facilitate the deployment of telecom networks, including IBS, to ensure uninterrupted connectivity for passengers, visitors and airport staff.