Mobile towers News

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for hiving off mobile tower assets of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) into a separate company, fully owned by BSNL.

Cellular association COAI on Wednesday sought to play down health concerns related to mobile towers, saying they emit a low level of radiation within the prescribed norms and are "completely safe".

The source said that RJIL informed minister that it has already invested Rs 1.6 lakh crore in the networks and installed 2.82 lakh base stations across the country covering 18,000 cities and 2 lakh villages.

The concept of a 'zero site' is that it can be used as a wi-fi hotspot, street light and camera and the radio units can be hidden inside the pole or underneath.

In a stern warning to telecom operators on the call drop issue, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said it's not his "job to find towers" and the companies must improve their networks, or face serious action.

Trai said it issued the regulations after considering comments of all the stakeholders.

The issue of call drop where phone connection gets break or there is no signal amidst an ongoing call has doubled in the last year, according to TRAI.

Telecom operator Aircel on Wednesday said expansion of its towers network would address the issue of call drops and it will roll-out 13,000 such sites by the end of this year.

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With telecom operators blaming lack of mobile towers for the call drop menace, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has approached the Delhi government and the municipal bodies of the National Capital to allow towers.

"Our ministry has written to all chief ministers to allow mobile towers on state government buildings. It will boost the coverage and capacity of service providers and help counter call drop problem," Prasad told reporters here.

In a bid to revive the flagging fortunes of BSNL, the government Wednesday approved hiving off the state-owned firm's tower business into a new company as well as compensating it and MTNL Rs 627.20 crore for 800 MHz CDMA spectrum that they surrendered.

On a directive from the PMO, local authorities in the national capital have been asked to help telecom operators set up necessary infrastructure like mobile towers, to overcome the menace of call-drops.

Call drops will continue to happen unless new mobile towers are allowed to come up, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said.

ATC in a statement said: "The total consideration is expected to be approximately USD 1.05 billion, subject to customary adjustments."

He has shared his displeasure with senior officials over delay in installation of mobile towers, he added.