Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday released recommendations on in-building access by telecom service providers.
Since around 70 percent of mobile calls originate from indoors, there is a need for better in-building coverage for good quality mobile services.
The recommendation is expected to boost the deployment and sharing of in-building solution (IBS) / Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for better in-building coverage, better QoS and reduction in level of radiated power from macro cell sites.
TRAI recommendations
TRAI said Department of Telecommunications (DoT) should take up the matter with the Ministry of Urban Development to ensure that suitable provision for the creation of common telecom infrastructure (CTI) inside the newly constructed public places like airports, commercial complexes and residential complexes, should form part of the Model Building Bye-Laws.
TRAI said the India Government should ensure that the essential requirement for telecom installations and the associated cabling is formed part of National Building Code of India (NBC), being amended by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The telecom ducts to access the buildings from outside should invariably be part of the CTI, which could be used by TSPs/IP-Is for putting cables; which would ensure unhindered access to TSPs/IP-Is.
No building plan should be approved without having a plan for creation of CTI including the duct to reach to the telecom room inside the building.
Completion certificate to a building should be granted only after ensuring that the CTI as per the prescribed standards is in place.
Builder / RWA should be mandated to ensure
Access to building as well as CTI facilities inside the building should be available on a fair, transparent and nondiscriminatory manner and minimum three TSPs/IP-Is should have presence in the building.
BSNL and MTNL should be given access to Government and commercial buildings.
The TSPs/IP-Is should have unrestricted access for maintenance work.
The permission to in-building access and/or use of CTI facilities inside the building should not be seen as a source of revenue generation for builders /RWAs.
Charges (rentals/power rates etc.) levied to the TSPs should be fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.
Background
TRAI felt that it is not practical for each TSP to put its IBS and other telecom infrastructure inside building complexes. TSPs should be mandated to share the in-building infrastructure (IBS, OFC and other cables, ducts etc) with other TSPs, in large public places like airports, hotels, multiplexes, etc., commercial complexes and residential complexes.
TSPs/IP-Is may be categorically disallowed to enter into any kind of agreement or contract, which results in exclusive access or lessening of competition. Indulgence into such a practice, through either formal or informal arrangement, may be treated as violation of the license agreement.
A system may be developed, which may include: a. The TSP, who wish to access the Cables/IBS installed by an existing TSP/IP-I (provider-TSP), should place its requirement in writing to such provider-TSP. The other TSP should respond in writing within 30 days time.
TRAI notes that in-building solutions help in improving coverage and capacity inside the building. By offloading traffic from macro cell networks, in-building solutions ensure a higher quality of service with fewer dropped calls.
Telecom can use small cells or DAS and provide good mobile coverage inside the building. DAS also minimizes the impact and interference from outside the building and helps in allaying the perceived risk from the relatively higher radiated power levels from macro sites.
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