The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at enhancing the efficient utilization of telecommunication infrastructure and valuable spectrum resources across the country.
The recommendations were issued in response to a request from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to explore ways to enable sharing of network resources among telecom operators.
Acknowledging spectrum as a critical natural resource for achieving socio-economic goals, the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018 aims to liberalize the spectrum sharing, leasing, and trading regime. This is further emphasized in the newly enacted Telecommunications Act, 2023.
After extensive consultations with stakeholders, TRAI has put forth several key recommendations such as allowing telecom service licensees to share passive infrastructure like towers, ducts, and rights of way with all telecom service providers; and permitting telecom service providers to share active network elements like Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) and Home Location Registers (HLRs) across all licensed services.
Furthermore, infrastructure built under USOF projects should be mandated for sharing with at least two other telecom service providers on a non-discriminatory basis. Operators that have built networks with government funding in remote areas should be required to allow roaming to other providers for an initial period of three years. TRAI has recommended permitting inter-band spectrum sharing between access service providers, enabling efficient utilization of spectrum across different frequency bands.
Moreover, the regulator has proposed exploring the implementation of ASA, which would allow access service providers to use spectrum assigned to government agencies or other entities as secondary users. In addition to spectrum trading and intra-band sharing already permitted, TRAI has recommended allowing the leasing of access spectrum among access service providers.
The recommendations aim to facilitate greater cost efficiencies, quicker time-to-market, and improved quality of service for telecom operators. Mandatory sharing of USOF-funded infrastructure and mandatory roaming in remote areas are expected to extend connectivity benefits to more subscribers.
