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

NEW DELHI: 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, nondiscriminatory, 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 as Guiding Committee should include members from the Department
of Telecommunication and Telecom Industry,” Trai recommended.