Terms unviable so pulled plug on Metro 3: Telecom operators
In a statement issued by the
Cellular Operators Association of India
(COAI), the industry said it was fully committed to ensuring connectivity inside underground Metro stations but cited non-viable terms imposed by MMRCL and the exclusive involvement of a third-party vendor as key obstacles.
COAI director general Lt Gen S P Kochhar said MMRCL's decision to route mobile services only through a neutral host provider, ACES, created a monopolistic setup, forcing telecom operators to operate under what they call "extortionate" conditions.
"Mumbai Metro has denied direct Right of Way (RoW) to telecom service providers, which goes against provisions of the new Telecommunication Act and RoW rules," the association said.
The operators added that services inside Metro 3 were being provided on a trial basis, pending final agreements. To avoid service disruption, they jointly proposed on April 7, to offer mobile coverage free of cost — without charging MMRCL or the third-party vendor — until commercial terms could be finalised.
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This offer, they claim, went unanswered.
Highlighting precedents from other major infrastructure sites — including the PWD tunnel at Pragati Maidan and the Central Vista project — COAI said TSPs deployed mobile infrastructure there without involving third-party intermediaries or facing similar commercial demands.
The ongoing standoff affected all 16 operational underground stations on Metro Line 3, including Phase I (Aarey/JVLR to BKC) and the recently opened Phase 2A (BKC to Acharya Atre Chowk). Only Reliance Jio remains partially active, with service available at SEEPZ station.
MMRCL earlier said that the necessary infrastructure was already installed to support telecom networks and expressed concern over the abrupt withdrawal of services by mobile operators.
Vodafone resumed its services on May 17.
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