New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Digital infrastructure industry body Dipa, erstwhile Taipa, on Friday expressed disappointment over non-implementation of Trai's recommendations since 2015 to enhance the scope of infrastructure providers.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has again recommended to Department of Telecom (DoT) on August 31 that its recommendations dated March 13, 2020 to enhance the scope of infrastructure providers should be decided by the department and the matter should be finalised within three months.

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"We thank the Authority (Trai) for once again underlining the need for 'Enhancement of Scope of IP-1' and this time prescribing timelines also for its implementation i.e within 3 months as the same is pending despite numerous follow-ups with DoT," Dipa Director General TR Dua said in a statement.

Infrastructure Providers (IP-1) provide infrastructure assets such as dark fibre, right of way, duct space and tower on lease, rent-out or sale basis to telecom operators on mutually agreed terms and conditions.

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Trai has recommended that the registered IP-1 companies be allowed to own, establish, maintain, and work all such infrastructure items, equipment, and systems which are required for establishing Wireline Access Network, Radio Access Network, and Transmission Links.

The regulator also suggested that the scope of IP-1 registration should include, but not limited to, right of way, duct space, optical fiber, tower, feeder cable, antenna, base station, in-building solution (IBS), distributed antenna system (DAS) etc within any part of India.

Dua said that once the recommendations are implemented, it will go a long way in not only addressing the capex and opex requirements but also improving the financial health of the sector.

"Trai has underlined the need for enhancement of IP-1 scope at number of occasions in the past as well, vide its recommendations dated February 2, 2018; March 9, 2018; January 20, 2017; January 6, 2015 etc, however, it is very disappointing that the matter remains unaddressed and yet to see the light of the day," the statement said.

Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (Dipa) said the enhancement of scope of IP-1 is already enshrined and notified in National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018 but "unfortunately, even its implementation has been delayed inordinately by DoT".

The NDCP 2018 envisages to "encourage and facilitate sharing of active infrastructure by enhancing the scope of IP and promoting and incentivising deployment of common sharable, passive as well as active, infrastructure.”.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)