Infra sharing set to boost telecom services

Mobile services are in for a big improvement. Starting June 15, telecom service providers will kick-start an infrastructure-sharing plan that will represent a 200-300 per cent improvement in the quality of service by October 2007.

Mobile services are in for a big improvement. Starting June 15, telecom service providers will kick-start an infrastructure-sharing plan that will represent a 200-300 per cent improvement in the quality of service by October 2007.

The plan, to be implemented in three phases, is being launched in Delhi and Mumbai and will be rolled out countrywide starting July 30, 2006. This rollout comes exactly one month into the government8217;s deadline for the sharing to begin, as part of plans to improve the metro skyline and service quality.

Operators have now come up with a plan that involves sharing 1,800 cell sites in Delhi alone over three phases by next October. More are to be shared in Mumbai. For the initial two phases, 50 existing towers and 30 8216;8216;Greenfield8217;8217; sites are to be shared.

Operators have decided that at least three operators shall share a tower each, though the target is to have six or seven operators using one tower.

In addition, operators will share details of their rollout plans and network expansion for the next six months so that the sharing can be planned.

8216;8216;About 100 such sites have been identified already,8217;8217; said a telecom industry executive, 8216;8216;and the rollout will begin in June. This effort has brought the telecom industry together, as we will also see CDMA and GSM vendors putting up their antennae on common towers for the first time next month,8217;8217; he said.

On an average, each roof top tower will host a minimum of 3-4 telecom companies8217; antennae, while each ground based tower will have 6-7 antennae. Operators have also decided to consider commonly shared antenna 8216;8216;in the near future.8217;8217;

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Infrastructure sharing by mobile service firms is a three-month-old plan of the government to reduce network cost, ensure faster rollout and reduce the visibility of cellular towers and antennas in metros.

A separate plan funded by the Universal Service Obligation USO fund is taking care of infrastructure sharing in rural areas. Operators themselves are funding the urban infrastructure sharing.

For the first time, operators have also roped in third party independent infrastructure vendors and infrastructure providers to build the shared sites. The independent vendors will also help the telecom firms disguise their towers so as to not disturb the skyline as well.