Telecom operators, Adani spar over network rollout at Navi Mumbai airport

Mint has reviewed a copy of the letter.Many travellers at the Navi Mumbai airport also took to the social media platform X to complain about the lack of cellular connectivity at the airport over the last few days. The airport, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 October, began operations on 25 December, with the arrival of its first commercial flight.A NMIAL spokesperson, in response to Mint’s queries, said that it has not denied permission to the telecom services providers (TSPs) and is discussing the matter with them.“Owing to the delay by other TSPs, NMIA is providing free, high-speed Wi-Fi services reiterating its commitment to provide high-speed connectivity to all the passengers,” the spokesperson said.Queries emailed to operators’ lobby the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday evening did not elicit any response until press time.S.P.

Kochhar, director general of the COAI, said in the letter, “NMIAL is statutorily obligated to grant Right of Way (RoW) permissions in a non discriminatory and time-bound manner for the installation of telecommunication infrastructure, including in-building solutions (IBS), for the provision of telecom services to users and visitors within the premises under its control.”RoW is the legal permission that telecom operators need to lay optical fibre, erect towers, or deploy other telecom infrastructure along or on government or private property.“Contrary to the statutory framework under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the RoW Rules 2024, NMIAL has declined to grant the necessary permissions,” Kochhar said. “Instead, NMIAL has directed TSPs to mandatorily utilize a network deployed by it, at exorbitant