Right of way permissions are cited as the biggest hurdle in speedy roll out of OFC

November 28, 2015

Citing limited spectrum for cellular services, telecom players said the government should come out with an industry-friendly policy to facilitate the rollout of optical fibre across the country.

“Optical fibre cable (OFC) will be more valuable than the spectrum in coming days. Spectrum is limited and also has gone in the different tangent. In the country we don’t have proper policy to help optical fibre roll out. Industry needs a friendly policy for this,” Videocon Telecommunications director and CEO Arvind Bali said at Aegis Graham Bell Award.

He said 90-95% mobile usage takes place when a person is at home, office or somewhere stationed.

“If we have optical fibre reaching at these places then through Wi-Fi hotspot (created with help of OFC), we can provide services and 90% of our work will be done,” Bali said.

Videocon Telecom has plans to exit mobile business and focus on fixed line services in the country. The company recently sold its right to use spectrum in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh West for Rs 3,310 crore to Idea Cellular.

The company also has plans to sell spectrum in low-scale operation circles of UP East and Bihar and is seeking a value of Rs 3,500 crore. The company had won spectrum in six circles — UP East, UP West, Bihar, Gujarat, MP and Haryana in the 2012 auctions for Rs 2,221.44 crore.

Industry players cited right of way permissions, which is digging trenches in cities to lay fibre, as biggest hurdle in speedy roll out of OFC. “Government should mandate every new building to have provision for OFC in design plan like it is required in case of other amenities — electricity, water pipeline. This will make building future ready and meet Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India,” state-run MTNL’s executive director Anuj Kumar Srivastava said.