Hyderabad: Hyderabad is one of the 13 cities where 5G services will be launched in the first phase by October 12. Even as the operators are busy with 5G readiness, the Department of Telecommunication has issued a notification amending the previous right of way rules. The new rules are called the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2022 and replace the earlier Indian Telegraphy Right of Way Rules, 2016.
Under the new rules, there is no need for telecom companies to take approvals from local authorities for laying cables, installing mobile towers or poles over private properties.
“Not needing to take approvals will quicken the deployment of infrastructure,” said an official of a telecom operator. However, the companies will be required to intimate the authorities in writing the details about the mobile tower or pole prior to their commencement. A structural engineer should certify the building or the structure. In case of private properties, the telecom operators will have to enter into a lease/ rent agreement. These and ownership details are to be provided to the authorities, the official said.
No clarity
The telecom companies now pay a one-time fee of about Rs one lakh for setting up a mobile tower in the GHMC limits. It is Rs 75,000 for municipal areas. However, the revised notification does not particularly mention these charges. If they are not supposed to be paid, it will lower the cost of installation for the companies. It will also mean a loss of revenue for civic bodies, the official said, adding that it will take a month or so to understand the implementation of the new rules at the ground-level.
The government also notified rules for using electric poles, foot over bridges, etc for installation of small mobile radio antennas or laying overhead telecom cables along with charges to ease roll out of telecom networks specially 5G services.
What is 5G?
Fifth-generation wireless (5G) is the latest cellular technology. It will increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. Latency, the delay users experience in the network, will be low. If latency is high, the network will be less responsive and slower. There will be a sharp increase in the amount of data transmitted over wireless systems due to more available bandwidth and advanced antenna technology. 5G is expected to generate new applications, uses and business cases.
A JM Financial report said that Jio, which acquired the 700MHz spectrum, is planning to create a standalone (SA) 5G architecture. In the long-term, it will be able to offer ultra-low latency 5G experience and differentiated and a wider range of applications, particularly for the enterprise segment. Bharti plans to launch 5G services based on non-standalone (NSA) architecture, using the same infrastructure used in 4G and adding a 5G layer on top of it. This arrangement will reduce investment in hardware upgrades for standalone architecture and enable faster 5G deployments. However, in the long run, more capabilities can be developed on a standalone architecture, it said.
Bharti is targeting 5G roll-outs and plans to cover 5,000 towns with 5G by Mar 2024. Reliance India Limited’s annual report said Jio completed 5G coverage planning across 1,000 Indian cities based on targeted customer consumption and revenue potential. The 45th Annual General Meeting of RIL on August 29 is expected to give a roadmap for 5G rollout. Vodafone Idea announced plans for rollout in the Delhi circle.
5G coverage in phase-I
Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.
