COAI: MMRCL's third-party vendor model is illegal

THE THREE PRIVATE telecom companies are embroiled in a dispute with the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) over payments to Dubai-based ACES, a third-party vendor providing in-building solutions (IBS) for underground stations and associated tunnels on Mumbai Metro's Line 3.

- URVI MALVANIA

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), representing Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, stated on Monday that the vendor model adopted by MMRCL is illegal and anti-consumer.

"At the core of this issue is MMRCL's decision to award telecom infrastructure deployment to a third-party IP-I vendor, in violation of existing regulations. Under the current telecom licensing framework, IP-I providers are prohibited from deploying active infrastructure," the industry body said.