With a large number of smart phone consumers facing call drops, slow internet speed and poor mobile connectivity, the Union Government has urged the State Government to take up multi pronged approach to solve these problems.
As the Union Government has embarked upon an ambitious programme on Digital India, which is key to deliver good governance to the citizens using the power of Information Technology (IT), above problems are posing a major hurdle in achieving the desired results.
Keeping this in view, Union Minister Telecommunications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad has requested the State Government to take proactive steps in facilitating putting up mobile towers and enabling In Building Solution (IBS) to facilitate smooth mobile service to the consumers.
Prasad has written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in this regard and said that with advancement of technology, quantum surge in data consumption, increasing teledensity and robust growth in number of consumers with smart phones, the need to establish many more mobile towers has become necessary.
Non-availability of towers is affecting quality of service, for which many complaints of call drops and poor internet services are being lodged.
Various State Governments are now allowing setting up of mobile towers on the buildings of the State Government and to facilitate such moves the Governments of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Assam have formulated guidelines sanctioning installation of telecom towers on the Government buildings, informed Prasad.
So he urged upon Patnaik to allow installation of mobile towers on the Government and State owned public sector buildings and prepare guidelines on the lines of other States. He rejected the
apprehension that mobile towers emit radiation, which causes cancer.
Prasad said that the World Health Organization (WHO) and various High Courts have rejected such apprehensions and dismissed the charges.
Apart from this, Prasad has said that a large proportion of mobile traffic is generated indoors and the strength of cellular signals has to be enhanced to enable it to penetrate walls of buildings. He said this is specifically true in case of large public buildings, which are frequented by public where the mobile signals are significantly attenuated due to multiple walls leading to poor connectivity and voice quality.
World over, recourse has been taken to In Building Solutions (IBS)s that aggregate mobile traffic within a building and transmit through a shared, common antenna.
The IBS enables greater coverage and aids better quality service and accordingly, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its recommendations on Telecommunications Infrastructure Policy had recommended IBS in all the State Government buildings, hospitals and closed public places frequented by people, said Prasad. He said that this can be first attempted in the State capital cities and large metros.
Urgent need of simplifying the right of way permissions and provide these through a Single Window Clearance System by the State Government were urged by the Union Government.
Prasad in his letter has requested the Chief Minister also to review the high right of way charges being levied by a few urban local bodies and State Governments.
He said that to give a fillip to digital penetration and ensure high bandwidth to the common man, it is necessary to comply with the provisions of Section 12 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, which lays the principles for such charges. The State Government can work out the modalities on the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, he said.