Fiberisation of towers will be very important for the telcos to deliver a good 5G experience to the customers. For a long time now, the industry people have been talking about the Right of Way (RoW) rules of all states to be kept in line with the Indian Telegraphy RoW Rules 2016. At present, these rules differ from state to state, and it is something that needs to be corrected to ensure that a timely rollout of network services is possible. Not just that, but the cost to do so will also become almost similar in all of the states.
Fiberisation to Help With Capacity
Right now, only 35% of the mobile towers in India are fiberised. To ensure that 5G sees success in the country, the telecom operators, as well as the industry body, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), is asking to fiberise more towers aggressively in the coming years.
A battery capacity backhaul will be required with 5G. Fiberisation could help the telecom operators with that. COAI had also asked for the densification of towers in the country for a successful 5G rollout. It makes sense since 5G frequencies will be much higher than 4G and thus will get much more interference.
COAI had pushed for the use of street furniture for 5G. Street furniture means the already developed infrastructure owned by the government, such as traffic light poles, office buildings, and more. Small cells can be deployed on the street furniture, which will ensure that proper coverage of 5G networks is there in cities.
All of this will come down to how many states are willing to work with the telecom operators and align their RoW rules with that of the Indian Telegraphy RoW Rules 2016.
P Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea, had also said during the India Mobile Congress 2021 that fiberisation of towers is required for the industry to move forward with the successful rollout of 5G in India.
