Airtel, Jio, Vi Urge Direct IBS Deployment at Noida Airport, Oppose Third-Party Involvement: Report

India’s private telecom operators — Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea — have jointly approached the Noida International Airport authorities, seeking permission to deploy a common in-building solution (IBS) network without involving a third-party infrastructure provider.

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Also Read: COAI Slams MMRC’s Telecom Infrastructure Model for Metro Line 3, Citing Telecom Act Violations

Legal Grounds Under UASL and Spectrum Rights

In a letter dated April 24 to the airport chairman, the telcos have sought approval to conduct a joint survey of the premises to facilitate seamless mobile connectivity. The operators cited their legal authority under the Universal Access Service Licences (UASL) and spectrum rights to install and operate active telecom infrastructure.

“It is pertinent to highlight that third-party vendors are not permitted to deploy active telecom infrastructure. As per current regulations, only TSPs (telecom service providers) holding valid Universal Access Service Licenses (UASL) and spectrum rights are authorised to install and operate active IBS networks,” the telcos said, according to an ETTelecom report.

“Hence, deployment of active IBS by a third-party vendor would not be legally tenable,” they added, as per the report.

Also Read: Airtel, Jio, Vi Decline Unviable IBS Rates for Mumbai Metro, Propose Interim Connectivity Solution: Report

Previous Mumbai Metro Dispute

This move follows a similar plea by the operators to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, where they opposed the appointment of a third-party IBS provider due to what they termed “unviable” rental demands.

The letter emphasised that the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecommunications Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2024, mandate public authorities to provide licensed telecom service providers access to public spaces, without imposing charges beyond the stipulated RoW fees.