The Indian telecom operators are unhappy as incidents of theft of active equipment are at an all-time high. Telecom industry body, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), recently wrote to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to seek help. A letter from COAI, which represents Indian telecom operators, said that from Oct 2023, incidents of telecom equipment theft, especially the RRU (Remote Radio Unit) and BBU ( Baseband Unit) have increased multi-fold.
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50% of the theft is happening in specific geographies including Delhi NCR, Assam, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana. While telcos have tried their best to prevent such instances, it is happening nonetheless. It is the customer that is suffering as theft of equipment can mean disruption in services or in some cases, the services cease to exist in select areas.
COAI has asked the telecom department to intervene and write to all the State Chief Secretaries to prioritise complaints that are around telecom equipment theft and ensure strict action on the same. Further, the request mentions the cooperation of the state police departments to protect the telecom infrastructure, especially in theft-prone areas. Lastly, telcos want some websites to be blocked for selling active telecom equipment that was stolen from the Indian telcos.
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Major platforms including Alibaba.com, ebay.com, and more websites have been called to be put under a ban by the Indian telecom operators. One can easily get access to stolen telecom equipment through these websites. It is not only a loss for the telcos, who have to replenish the infrastructure with new/fresh equipment, it is also a loss for the vendors as their equipment is being resold on online marketplaces at cheaper rates.
