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Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea have jointly urged the Noida International Airport authorities to permit them to directly install telecom infrastructure at the upcoming airport, warning that involving third-party vendors would breach current regulations and create a monopolistic bottleneck.

In a letter dated April 24, addressed to the chairman of Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), the three private telecom operators argued that only licensed telecom service providers (TSPs) holding valid Universal Access Service Licenses (UASL) and spectrum rights are legally authorised to deploy and operate active In-Building Solutions (IBS) networks.

“Granting exclusive rights to a third-party to install IBS infrastructure (active and passive) effectively appoints such an entity as a gatekeeper of RoW and creating a bottleneck. This not only contravenes legal provisions but also creates a monopolistic environment, allowing the third-party to impose arbitrary and exorbitant charges on TSPs. As such, we are unable to enter into any agreement with such entities for providing services to airport users,” telcos said in their joint letter dated April 24.

Moneycontrol has reviewed a copy of the communication.

The telcos have requested approval to conduct a joint survey of the airport premises and deploy a common IBS network to serve all three operators. A similar request was made in August 2024, but the telcos did not receive a response from NIAL.

This push comes amid growing concerns from telcos over similar third-party models being adopted elsewhere. In Mumbai, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had recently protested the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation’s (MMRC) decision to hand over IBS deployment for Metro Line 3 to a third party. The industry body alleged the model violated the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and was financially unviable due to steep rental charges.

In their latest letter, the operators reminded NIAL that under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2024, public authorities must provide fair and direct access to licensed TSPs for network deployment in public spaces, without levying charges beyond the prescribed RoW fees.

The telcos stressed that IBS installations in public facilities such as airports don’t typically generate significant revenue and that they are willing to bear the costs in the public interest to ensure seamless connectivity. They also argued that a collaborative approach between operators would ensure efficient deployment and maintenance with minimal disruption.

“RoW permissions in such scenarios should be treated not as a revenue stream for the airport, but as a necessary facilitative measure for public benefit,” the letter noted.

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