COAI, the representative body of the Indian telecommunications industry, welcomes the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on resolution of various issues – the proposed national RoW portal; exemption of RoW charges for five years for expeditious laying of common ducts; streamliningRoW permission process with more participation of utility departments and central agencies; uniform restoration charges; auction of mid-band spectrum and assignment of backhaul spectrum. These recommendations by TRAI will make the 4G services and infrastructure more robust and accelerate implementation of 5G technology in India.

TRAI’s thrust on resolution of RoW issues is much needed. The Recommendation for exemption of RoW charges for the next five years – from FY 2022-23 to FY 2027-28 – will significantly reduce the overall cost of roll-out for TSPs. Another recommendation on National RoW portal is a big step for the Indian Telecommunication Industry. It will usher transparency in decision making and also boost the roll-out of services.–

Commenting on TRAI’s recommendations Lt. Gen. Dr. SP Kochhar, DG, COAI said, “We welcome the recommendations by TRAI on a National RoW portal, exemption of RoW charges for next five years, auction of mid-band spectrum, allocation of mmWave range, and assigning of backhaul spectrum to TSPs. These steps will go a long way in boosting the India’s 4G services and infrastructure, and in paving the way for the smooth roll out of 5G services in India in the near future. We are confident that the suggestions provided by TRAI will be duly considered and implemented by the Central Government. 5G, through its inherent strengths, will also enable the growth of new-age technologies like IoT, M2M, AI, AR, VR, and blockchains besides fixed wireless high-speed broadband networks. Therefore, we are thankful to TRAI for the recommendation and look forward to working with TRAI in scaling up the Digital Transformation in the country.