To understand why this directive is a crucial development, one must look at Bengaluru. With 800-plus GCCs with a market size of $22.2 bn, India’s tech capital accounts for more than 30% of the country’s GCCs and 35% of GCC workforce. It has bigger dreams.
Earlier this week, the Karnataka government launched its dedicated GCC policy at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024. The state wants to establish 500 new GCCs by 2029, creating 3.5 lakh additional jobs and more than doubling the sector’s economic output to $50 bn. The policy also focuses on going beyond the capital city and promoting development in the state’s tier-2/3 cities.
Yet, one of the critical issues affecting the city’s growth and its communications infra is the lack of proper implementation of RoW rules for telecom service providers (TSPs). The RoW framework governs access and usage of public land and thoroughfares for laying telecom cables and other network equipment.
In Bengaluru, the absence of a streamlined, transparent RoW policy has created roadblocks for telcos seeking to upgrade and expand their network coverage. This, in turn, has hampered the ability of GCCs to access reliable, high-speed connectivity – a fundamental requirement for the data-intensive work they undertake.
Disruption stemming from the removal of optical fibre cables (OFCs) by Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) initiated a debate over how the city’s telecom infra should be constructed and maintained. Since April, Bescom has removed 7,175.48 km of OFCs and data cables out of the total 9,250.25 km. While efforts to remove unauthorised cables must be appreciated, they create operational challenges for businesses and consumers.When these critical OFC lines are removed, businesses find their operations crippled without reliable phone and internet access, while public services like hospitals, schools and emergency response systems become hamstrung in their ability to function effectively.Bengaluru requires robust network infra to cater to its growing demand for data, particularly with the onset of 5G, which requires additional OFC capacity to fiberise mobile towers. TSPs have been applying for permissions for underground cable-laying under formal processes like open trenching or horizontal directional drilling (HDD). They have sought permission to deploy aerial OFCs, either by using their poles or leasing poles from utilities. But government approvals have either been delayed or stopped.
The telecom industry requires permissions from respective government agencies to lay structured aerial fibre across Bengaluru, enabling TSPs to connect towers for 4G/5G/fixed wireless access (FWA), and facilitate the rollout of these services.
TSPs are aligned and eager to transition existing aerial OFCs to underground ones in a phased manner, wherever possible, to mitigate the challenges of maintaining aerial networks that are vulnerable to damage and theft. A viable solution is to provide pre-laid common ducts or cable corridors that TSPs can use for a reasonable fee. This would reduce both time and infrastructure disruptions.
Also, the industry faces logistical issues because parallel urban development projects, such as metro construction and road expansions, often impact underground installations. To protect OFCs, TSPs are required to move to aerial installations temporarily, a process that requires timely approvals. With these multiple challenges and the objective to deliver seamless connectivity, telecom networks are under intense pressure.
Resolving these infra bottlenecks will not only solidify Bengaluru’s status as India’s premier tech hub and promising GCC destination, but also provide far-reaching benefits for the city’s vital public services and businesses that rely on robust, high-speed connectivity.
With the right policy interventions and collaborative efforts between public and private sectors, Bengaluru can strengthen its digital backbone and cement its position as a global innovation centre that continues to drive India’s technology-led growth.
The writer is DG, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)