DoT asks Adani Group to let telcos deploy network at Navi Mumbai airport

The department of telecommunications (DoT) has stepped in to solve the network crisis at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), asking operator Adani Group to allow telecom companies to deploy network at the airport in accordance with the statutory framework.

In a letter dated 16 February to Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, the DoT said NMIA qualifies as a ‘public entity’ under the Telecom Act, 2023 and therefore it is required to allow telecos to deploy the network.

The intervention from the telecom department has come at a time when passengers have been complaining about absence of mobile network from private telecom operators. Notably, telcos alleged that the airport operator asked them to utilise its own exclusive in-building telecom network at unreasonably high charges.

The department has asked the Adani Group to process right of way (RoW) applications of telecom operators in a fair, non-discriminatory and transparent manner to facilitate the establishment of necessary telecom infrastructure.

“…you are requested to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, while processing applications for grant of RoW permissions within your premises, and to take necessary action to facilitate establishment of telecom infrastructure in accordance with the statutory framework,” DoT said in a letter to Adani Group Holdings CEO Arun Bansal. Mint has seen a copy of the letter.

Telecom operators, represented by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), had sought the government’s and the telecom regulator’s intervention to resolve the issue, alleging that NMIA quoted “exorbitantly” high charges for laying mobile infrastructure inside the airport.

According to the operators, NMIA has sought about ₹92 lakh per month per operator, amounting to nearly ₹44.16 crore annually for four operators, to deploy network infrastructure and provide mobile connectivity.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is also currently examining the pricing concerns faced by telecom companies at the Navi Mumbai airport.

The airport had also proposed reduced charges in line with pricing at Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which is about ₹40 lakh per month. However, operators did not accept the proposal, arguing that the charges were not reasonable given the airport’s footfall, according to a telecom executive. At some other major airports, such as Delhi, operators pay around ₹10–12 lakh per month.

Beyond pricing, telecom operators have alleged that they were denied RoW permissions for installing telecom infrastructure at the airport. NMIA, however, has said that RoW has never been denied to any telecom service provider.

To be sure, NMIA has deployed its own in-building solution as a neutral-host mobile network, allowing telecom operators to offer coverage through the airport’s indoor network instead of installing separate equipment.

Under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecom Right of Way (RoW) Rules, licensed telecom service providers are entitled to seek RoW from public entities that own, control or manage public property for deploying telecom infrastructure. The rules require such access to be granted on reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory terms, with charges limited to administrative or restoration costs, and not as a source of commercial revenue.