Service providers oppose MMRC's telecom infrastructure policies for Mumbai Metro Line-3 corridor

The telecom service providers jointly proposed to install a common In-Building Solution (IBS) network across the Mumbai Metro-3 corridor at their own cost. Representational pic

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), representing India's leading telecom service providers - Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea - has strongly opposed Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC)'s policies on telecom infrastructure on Metro Line-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Aarey corridor).

At the core of this issue is MMRC's decision to award the telecom infrastructure deployment to a third-party Infrastructure Provider-Category-I vendor, which the COAI says is in violation of existing regulations.

"Under the current telecom licensing framework, IP-I providers are prohibited from deploying active infrastructure. This move not only breaches the Telecommunication Act, 2023, but also sidelines licensed Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) who are legally authorized and technically equipped to independently deploy mobile networks. Deploying of such network(s) are a norm, even in important places like the PWD tunnel in Pragati Maidan or the Central Vista wherein the TSPs are laying infrastructure without paying any cost to anyone (including any third party)," a press note said.

All the three TSPs had jointly proposed to install a common In-Building Solution (IBS) network across the Mumbai Metro-3 corridor at their own cost, ensuring seamless and uninterrupted connectivity for commuters - without any financial burden on MMRC.

Despite this, MMRC arbitrarily rejected their request for Right of Way (RoW) permissions, citing that the selection of a vendor is done through its internal tender process. This decision prioritises commercial gains over public convenience and stands in blatant violation of the Telecommunication Act, 2023, which guarantees fair, non-discriminatory access to public infrastructure for licensed TSPs.

MMRCL, in a statement, said that with an intent to provide cellular connectivity in the underground metro system to all passengers, MMRC had invited bids to setup neutral/common infrastructure which could be used by any telco. This is in line with the best practices followed by other large-scale infrastructure projects such as airports and metro rails across India.

"MMRCL undertook open tender process to onboard a neutral infrastructure provider. The telcos gave their letters of support to the participating bidders, thereby endorsing the tender process. The selected neutral infra provider has the requisite license to lay and operate the infrastructure, which they have already implemented. As the said provider was onboarded through a competitive, fair and transparent tender process, any allegations on MMRC of illegalities in the process are completely baseless and unfounded," the statement added.