Yogi govt’s fast track strategy propels Uttar Pradesh ahead in 5G rollout; Tamil Nadu falls behind
As of May 19, 2023, Tamil Nadu had 11,146 pending 'Right of Way' applications. 7,292 have been waiting for over 90 days. This is almost three times more than Rajasthan, the state with the second highest pending applications at 3,804.
In the race to adopt and implement the next generation of mobile technology – 5G, two Indian states, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, offer contrasting narratives. While the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh is racing ahead, the Tamil Nadu government seems to be lagging in its efforts, a development which has come as a political warpath against the Narendra Modi government.
As per the reports, as of May 19, 2023, a whopping 11,146 ‘Right of Way’ applications were pending in Tamil Nadu. Out of these, 7,292 applications have been in the queue for over 90 days. The state’s backlog is nearly triple that of the state with the next highest pendency, Rajasthan, which has 3,804 pending applications. The report indicates that Tamil Nadu’s backlog represents almost half of the total ROW applications pending across India.
“There hasn’t been significant progress since. Though Tamil Nadu’s backlog has reduced from nearly 18,000 applications last year, those pending for over three months have increased. This delay is posing a hurdle to the progression of the 5G rollout,” a high-ranking official stated.
The report also points out that the Tamil Nadu government has yet to approve a ‘Right of Way’ policy in line with the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules 2022. Furthermore, the state has yet to activate the 5G Form on its online portal, which is a crucial requirement for the 5G rollout. The state government has not provided a timeline for these actions either.
YOGI GOVERMENT IN UTTAR PRADESH TAKES THE LEAD
The Central government has urged states to identify assets that can be utilized and upgraded as street infrastructure for the 5G rollout, such as electric poles, government buildings, bus terminals, and traffic lights. According to the report, Uttar Pradesh is leading the pack, having mapped 24.6 lakh electric poles. Jharkhand has identified 245 government buildings, 4.01 lakh electric poles, 53 bus terminals, 70 traffic lights, and 97 bus shelters. Moreover, Maharashtra has mapped 595 bus terminals.
THE FIBERIZATION PROJECT
The Central government is also pushing for the fiberization of BTS (base trans receiver stations) – a process that connects BTS with optical fibre, enabling it to manage more voice and data traffic. This initiative is likely to improve mobile coverage quality, increase internet speeds, attract more industry investments in areas with superior coverage, and provide robust internet speeds in public institutions such as hospitals, government offices, and schools.
As of now, Telangana leads in this initiative, with 41 per cent of its BTSs connected on fibre. Tamil Nadu follows closely with approximately 40.87 per cent coverage as of March 31 this year. The Central government’s goal is to achieve 65 per cent fiberization by March 2024.
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