In order to speed up the deployment of telecom infrastructure for 5G networks, the Department of Telecommunications on Thursday announced additional revisions to the Right of Way (RoW) laws.
Spectrum is the most basic raw material for 5G deployment, according to telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who also noted that the 5G airwave auction was carried out “well in time and properly.” He added that the telecom providers have received their letters of spectrum allocation.
Vaishnaw stated that the cost of applications to request authorization to build telecom infrastructure has been capped in all states when announcing the right of way (RoW) laws revisions.
In essence, a state government may only impose fees that are lower than the maximum sealing amount. For example, the cost to install a tiny cell on a pole has been restricted to Rs 300 per year, while the cost to install the cable on street furniture has been capped at Rs 100 per year for each piece of street furniture, according to Vaishnaw.
He praised the state governments for harmonising their right-of-way regulations with those of the federal government.
Vaishnaw stated that in order to hasten the deployment of infrastructure, 17 states have endorsed the considered approval method.
He emphasised that as of present, all states and UTs have joined the GatiShakti Sanchar portal, which serves as the primary right-of-way portal and the Right of Way (RoW) Rules Amendment and 5G RoW Application Form Uploaded and Launched on Portal will streamline RoW-related permissions processes for building out and expanding the nation’s digital communications infrastructure.
Prior to this, it used to take 343 days on average to approve applications for telecom towers and RoW, but as of July, that time was substantially decreased to just 16 days.
It was also noted that the government will start 5G by October, after which it will quickly expand up to suburban and rural areas.