Make digital connectivity infra mandatory in building plans: Trai to Govt

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Monday recommended that the government make digital connectivity infrastructure mandatory under building development plans. The telecom sector regulator suggested creating provisions under the real estate law RERA for mandating digital connectivity infrastructure inside the buildings, its maintenance and timely upgradation.

"DCI (Digital Connectivity Infrastructure) should be made an essential component of the building development plans, on the line of water supply, electrical services, gas supply, fire protection and fire safety requirements, etc," Trai said in its recommendations on 'Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity'.

The recommendations include measures to stop the monopoly of any particular telecom service provider within apartments or real estate projects. Trai said that installing wireless equipment is the responsibility of telecom or internet service licence holders but if the deployment is carried out on behalf of the property management then "the property manager shall be responsible for ensuring that the licensee compulsorily gives access to such active wireless equipment to all service providers on fair, transparent, non-discriminatory, and non-exclusive manner."

The regulator has recommended assigning the task to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to review existing standards and procedures of DCI for Buildings. "The Authority recommends that the National Building Code Sectional Committee? constituted under NBC, also referred to as Guiding Committee should include members from the Department of Telecommunication and Telecom Industry," Trai recommended.