Telecom Commission approves Rs 2,258-crore tender for installing 2,817 mobile towers

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Commission (TC) has approved a tender of Rs 2,258 crore for installing 2,817 mobile towers, covering 4,019 villages in Arunachal Pradesh and two districts of Assam.

The decision making body has also approved a Rs 1,231-crore grant to the Telangana government for roll-out of second phase of Bharat Net project in the state along with its drinking water project Mission Bhagiratha. Setting up of towers in Meghalaya will be re-tendered, a senior telecom department official said.

The inter-ministerial panel also cleared regulator Trai’s recommendation to mandate that every building plan should have duct for telecom cable and the completion certificate to the building should be given only if it has incorporated duct in the building. The recommendations are being pushed to be made part of the National Building Code.

“This move will boost telecom connectivity inside buildings. The telecom ministry will write to the Ministry of Urban Development for implementation of this decision. Some part of the recommendations like sharing of the duct in buildings should be mandatory and will be sent back to Trai,” the official said.