The proposed telecom policy addresses issues of all players, but only its effective implementation will determine the growth of the sector, Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) said, reported PTI.
TAIPA Director General TR Dua told the news agency that the telecom policy is the first right step but the most critical part will be the on-ground implementation and alignment of state governments with central government’s rulings and guidelines.
He said the draft policy addresses issues with regards to all stakeholders, but its implementation will be the most critical part to shape up the sector and prepare the country for the future.
The Indian telecom tower industry has been struggling through number of critical issues such as non-inclusion of IP-1s under RoW rules, November 2016, state tower policies not aligned with RoW rules, Dua said.
He further said state governments and local bodies charge exorbitant and multiple fees and at various occasions the authorities under them take coercive action and often shut down mobile towers.
He said the draft policy seems to be forward looking and reformative as it addresses significant challenges of the tower industry by talking about accelerated RoW permissions with rationalisation of taxes and levies for telecom infrastructure.
“Now, we look forward to enabling rules and directives to reflect the intent of the policy as soon as possible,” Dua said.
