Metro Line 3: MMRC’s decision to rope-in third-party vendor violates Telecom Act, say telcos

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) have strongly opposed the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation’s (MMRC) decision to award telecom infrastructure deployment on Metro Line 3 to a third-party IP-1 vendor, arguing that the move is “anti-consumer” and violates Telecommunications Act, 2023.

Metro Line 3 refers to the Colaba–Bandra–Aarey corridor.

‘Under the current telecom licensing framework, IP-I providers are prohibited from deploying active infrastructure. This move not only breaches the Telecommunication Act, 2023, but also sidelines licensed telecom service providers,’ the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said in a statement Monday.

The Delhi-based association represents the top telecom incumbents Jio, Airtel, and Vi.

COAI said telcos are legally authorised and technically equipped to independently deploy mobile networks, adding that deployment of such networks is a norm, such as in the PWD tunnel in Pragati Maidan, or Central Vista, wherein telcos are laying infrastructure without paying any cost to anyone, including third-party firms.

All three telcos had jointly proposed to install a common In-Building Solution (IBS) network across the metro corridor at their own cost, ensuring seamless and uninterrupted connectivity for commuters, without putting a financial burden on MMRC, as per COAI.

However, the association alleged that MMRC arbitrarily rejected their request for Right of Way (RoW) permissions, citing the selection of a vendor through its internal tender process.

‘This decision prioritises commercial gains over public convenience and stands in blatant violation of the Telecommunication Act, 2023, which guarantees fair, non-discriminatory access to public infrastructure for licensed TSPs,’ COAI said.

As per the association, MMRC’s chosen model violates the RoW provisions in the Telecommunication Act, 2023, which mandate access to public infrastructure (such as metro stations) for licensed operators.

It added that IP-I providers lack the legal authority to install active telecom infrastructure, and forcing telcos to work through them is both “illegal and exploitative”.

COAI urged MMRC to immediately reconsider its current stance and “uphold the principles of fair access, consumer convenience and lawful telecom infrastructure deployment”.