Coronavirus impact: As data usage jumps, telcos ask govt for more spectrum
25/03/2020
NEW DELHI: Telecom operators have demanded additional spectrum urgently on a temporary basis in order to cope with the unprecedented spurt in data usage as a result of “work from home” and “self-quarantine” at homes across the country due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
In a letter to the department of telecommunications (DoT), the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has demanded additional spectrum both for “access and backhaul microwave” for a short term and temporarily as they need to augment their capacity to meet the growing demand. COAI director general Rajan Matthew however says they are still waiting for a response from the government.
The telecom association has also asked DoT for expedited permission for tower enhancement from states (as thy ramp up capacity), extension in minimum roll out timelines by six months and permission for go for digital acquisition of new customers instead of physical documentation, especially as there has been a sharp rise in acquisition of new customers. This will reduce the time to on-board new subscribers. According to BofA Global Research India’s fixed broadband penetration is only 6 per cent so the bulk of the pressure of the work for home traffic (which is around 70 per cent of the total traffic) is expected to be on the cellular network. India has only 19 million fixed broadband users compared to 630 million (3g and 4G) users. Analysts say that many operators like Airtel are not charging for installation or security for new customers of fixed broadband, while ACT has upgraded speed to 300 Mbps at no extra cost and even BSNL is offering free of charge broadband for one month for those who have a landline of their company already. However, the demand from COAI is valid considering the fact that the Federal Communications Commission in the US has granted AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and US Cellular temporary access to more spectrum so that they can increase their wireless capacity for around 60 days.
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