The Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) has welcomed a policy framework approved at the Uttar Pradesh State Broadband Committee meeting, chaired by S. P. Goyal, aimed at positioning Uttar Pradesh as a 6G-ready digital infrastructure hub. The policy aligns with the national digital agenda under India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state-level execution led by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
A key policy shift is the implementation of the Right of Way Rules 2024, alongside migration from the state RoW portal to the national RoW portal. This ensures uniform processes across industrial regions such as NOIDA, GNIDA and Gorakhpur, while eliminating additional application and licence fees for tower installations. The move is expected to significantly reduce deployment timelines and costs, enabling faster expansion of fiber networks and telecom infrastructure.
The policy also unlocks full entitlement under the SASCI incentive scheme introduced by the Ministry of Finance, creating a strong financial foundation to support large-scale digital infrastructure investments. These reforms directly address long-standing industry concerns around Right of Way approvals and regulatory bottlenecks.
In a major boost to ease of doing business, the state will implement a composite billing system across all DISCOMs and replace conventional meters with smart meters on telecom towers within a three-month timeline. This will improve billing accuracy, reduce disputes, and accelerate payment cycles.
Additionally, the extension of industrial electricity tariffs to the telecom sector aligns Uttar Pradesh with leading states such as Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, lowering operational costs and supporting wider 5G and future 6G rollout.
The policy enables an acknowledgement-based mechanism for private property installations, reducing procedural delays and enhancing deployment efficiency for telecom operators. Support for optical fibre cable expansion is also a key component, strengthening the backbone for high-speed broadband connectivity.
According to DIPA, these measures collectively remove financial, procedural, regulatory and operational barriers that have historically constrained infrastructure deployment in India’s largest state. The reforms are expected to unlock billions in investment, accelerate fiberisation, and strengthen the foundation for next-generation digital services.
Uttar Pradesh’s broadband policy now stands as a scalable model for other states, demonstrating how coordinated action between government and industry can fast-track digital transformation, improve connectivity, and support India’s long-term vision of becoming a digitally empowered economy by 2047.
SHAFANA FAZAL