The Gujarat government had notified the new Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2022. As per the new Right of Way(RoW) policy, the applicant will have to pay Rs 1,000 per kilometre for OFC (underground and aerial) and Rs 10,000 per application for the telecom tower deployment. This policy supports the regularisation of the existing telecom infrastructure which will contribute to the state’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has applauded Gujarat’s policy. With this RoW policy, the government will be able to achieve the goals under National Broadband Mission faster and allow connectivity to reach every part of the state. The telcos will be able to deploy the networks at a much lower cost which will be essential for the launch of 5G networks.
The Gujarat government will now charge a nominal one-time administrative fee for telecom infrastructure. Gujarat Government in a statement said, “Government has realized the need for creating a robust Information and Communication Technology infrastructure with adequate bandwidth at affordable rates. Data consumption and demand have gone up exponentially as digital penetration has increased; however, the infrastructure and bandwidth are not keeping pace with the demand”.
The Government notified the Right of way rules in 2016, which provides a framework to give approvals for setting up telecom towers and laying fibre cables and settling disputes in a time-bound manner.
Lt. Gen. Dr SP Kocchar, Director General, COAI thanked the Chief Secretary of Gujarat for releasing and implementing the Notification of Gujarat’s “Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2022” which will pave way for creating a robust telecom infrastructure in the state.
Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli including Daman and Diu also notifies “Right of Way Order, 2022” earlier in the day. The Centre’s policy encourages the deployment of towers, OFC, cell on the wheel, microsites, small cells, and in-building solutions that are essential to improve digital connectivity across urban municipal corporations and other areas of states.
