A standoff between India’s telecom operators and Adani-backed Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) has escalated into a regulatory dispute. The row began after mobile services remained unavailable at the newly operational airport weeks after it began commercial operations.
The telecom industry has now approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for intervening over what it alleges are monopolistic practices and excessive charges for telecom infrastructure.
What telecom operators are alleging
Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea have raised concerns through their industry body, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), over the matter.
In a formal representation to TRAI, COAI has alleged that NMIAL has denied telecom service providers Right of Way (RoW) permission to deploy their own 4G and 5G networks inside the airport, according to multiple media reports. Instead, the airport operator has allegedly imposed a compulsory arrangement under which all telecom operators must use a single in-building solutions (IBS) network deployed by NMIAL or its affiliate.
According to COAI, the terms and pricing of this arrangement are being dictated unilaterally by the airport operator and are commercially unviable for telecom companies, according to a report by Business Line.
The pricing dispute
COAI has told the regulator that NMIAL is seeking payments of around Rs 92 lakh per month per operator, which would translate into nearly Rs 44.16 crore annually if four mobile operators are involved. The industry body argued that these charges far exceed the actual cost of deploying and operating telecom infrastructure within the premises.
According to Moneycontrol, COAI director general SP Kochhar wrote to TRAI chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti on January 13. “These charges are grossly disproportionate and bear no rational nexus to the underlying cost of infrastructure,” he stated in the letter. Kochhar added that such pricing is inconsistent with the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the RoW Rules, which allow recovery only of reasonable operational and restoration costs.
COAI has also urged TRAI to establish a cost-based pricing framework and price ceilings for in-building telecom infrastructure at public facilities such as airports, metro stations and hospitals, particularly where access is controlled by a single entity.
Why the issue matters beyond one airport
The telecom body has argued that the Navi Mumbai airport dispute reflected a broader structural problem. Similar conflicts have emerged at other public infrastructure projects in the past.
One such case is the Mumbai Metro Aqua Line, where patchy network coverage has persisted for months due to unresolved commercial negotiations between authorities and telecom operators.
What happens next
By approaching TRAI, telecom operators are seeking clear rules to prevent what they describe as rent-seeking behaviour by entities controlling access to essential public infrastructure. Further action on the issue will be witnessed in the days to come. At present, the regulator is now expected to examine whether NMIAL’s conduct violates existing telecom laws and whether broader guidelines are needed to ensure non-discriminatory access.
Until a resolution is reached, passengers at Navi Mumbai International Airport may continue to face connectivity issues.