Government cautions public about ongoing frauds on mobile tower installation; says DoT/TRAI not involved, doesn’t issue NoC

The government has cautioned the public to be safe from unscrupulous companies, agencies, or individuals who promise hefty monthly rental payments for the installation of the Mobile Tower, an official statement of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said on Saturday.

According to the statement, “The department has informed that neither DoT nor TRAI is involved in leasing or renting the premises for installation of mobile towers. Also, DoT/TRAI or its officers do not issue any “No Objection Certificate” for the installation of mobile towers.”

The department has issued a Public Notice in this regard to curb such fraudulent activities and also to ensure the public doesn’t fall prey to such offers.

The public is cautioned to be extra careful and verify the credentials of the company, agency or individual, asking for advance or an application fee or for money before the actual installation of tower, the statement also read

It advised the public to verify the authenticity of TSP/IP-1 from DoT website (https://dot.gov.in/access-services/list-access-service-licences-issued  or https://dot.gov.in/infrastructure-provider) before entertaining any offer for installation.

A mobile tower may be installed by either Telecom Service Provider (TSP) or Infrastructure Provider (IP-1) as per their licensing/registration conditions, the DoT statement said.

“Any person or entity found fraudulently involved in such activity like (i) taking advance etc. in the name of installation of mobile towers (ii) using DoT/TRAI name/logo/recommendations or national emblem is liable to be prosecuted under applicable laws,” the department said in its release.

If any person comes across any such fraudulent activity, then he/she may report the incident to local police authorities, the department added.