Overview
- Industry body COAI wrote to the Department of Telecommunications seeking a directive for Right of Way permissions and a review of NMIAL’s conduct under its VNO licence.
- NMIAL says it has not withheld permissions, installed an in‑building solution after talks with operators, and has BSNL in advanced testing while offering access at what it calls industry rates.
- COAI alleges the airport is forcing use of its network at charges far above costs allowed under RoW Rules and is blocking independent 4G/5G and IBS deployments.
- Passengers have reported little to no cellular service inside the terminal since flights began on December 25, with the airport offering free Wi‑Fi as an interim measure.
- There has been no public decision from the DoT, and reporters note similar Right of Way disputes this year at other infrastructure projects such as Mumbai Metro.