NEW DELHI: Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA<\/a>), the apex representative body of Telecom Infrastructure Providers Category – I (IP-1<\/a>), has written to the Department of Telecommunications<\/a> to expedite the process of implementation of TRAI<\/a>’s recommendations on the “Enhancement of Scope of Infrastructure Providers Category-I (IP-1<\/a>) Registration”.
In its recent recommendations issued during March 2020, the TRAI<\/a> recommended in favor of allowing active infrastructure sharing of Telecom Access networks within the scope of the IP-1 category of registration.
The National Digital Communications Policy<\/a> (NDCP) 2018 has also envisaged the expansion of the scope of IP-1s to include active infrastructure sharing as well as passive network sharing.
In its letter addressed to telecom secretary Anshu Prakash, TAIPA<\/a> cited reports by Swedish Ericsson, Booz & Company, Coleago, and McKinsey to highlight that infrastructure sharing can lead to significant cost benefits.
TAIPA said that the enhancement in the scope of IP-1 registration to include active infrastructure sharing would lead to the provision of cost-effective network infrastructure along with faster time-to-market for operators, and it would also invite investments in the sector.
“The steep fall in revenues and ballooning debt is hurting investments in telecommunication infrastructure, networks, and technologies. Telecom infrastructure creation for the rollout of new technologies viz 5G, M2M\/IoT and deployment of Smart Cities, requires a huge amount of investment. Considering the present financial condition of the telecom operators, we feel that the enhanced form of infrastructure sharing i.e. Active Infrastructure Sharing by IP-1 is the only way forward for the industry,” said T.R.Dua, Director-General, Tower & Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA).
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