‘Robust telecom infra must for buildings, residential complexes’

Amendments should be made in guidelines to provide telecom connections to new buildings , similar to providing water and electricity connections. This was the view of different departments and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Speaking at a workshop organised by Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Friday, Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), said all stakeholders should come together to provide better connectivity solutions to households.

“The legacy is already there, we have to build from there...this is a consensus we have to make and with the support from the government, we can have a common guideline. We already have some building by-laws in our Ministry, in what needs to be done in new buildings, and we can further add to them,” Mishra said.

The industry leaders spoke on the need for a robust digital infrastructure in all commercial, residential and government buildings/complexes in line with the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018. Mishra said some of the smart cities project have already taken care of such connectivity, including smart roads.

SK Gupta, Secretary, TRAI, said the underlying ‘critical infrastructure’, is closely linked to growth of every sector and the economy as a whole.

Minimum standards need to be developed for providing telecom services within buildings and residential complexes and the “wrong” mindset that telcos should pay to get access for providing infrastructure in housing complexes must change, he said.

While paying for electricity connection and water, people don't ask for any charges and they pay in advance themselves. But, when it comes to telecom connectivity or infrastructure, they ask money from the telcos.

Experts need to be roped in to suggest ways to ensure good telecom coverage in every portion of a residential unit, he urged.