Reliance Jio, a prominent telecom operator, has revealed plans to install approximately 45,000 mobile towers within the next six months in a bid to enhance its 4G network coverage.
According to an official source, Reliance Jio made this commitment during a meeting with Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha, expressing its dedication to fortifying its network infrastructure. The company disclosed its intention to invest Rs 1 lakh crore over a span of four years, with the installation of new towers being a pivotal component of this investment. However, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) has not provided immediate comments on this matter.
The source further elaborated that RJIL informed the minister about its substantial investments amounting to 1.6 lakh crore in network infrastructure. Currently, the company boasts 2.82 lakh base stations deployed across the nation, covering 18,000 cities and 2 lakh villages. Despite these efforts, Reliance Jio highlighted challenges arising from the lack of point of interconnection from major operators like Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea, leading to a high call failure rate on its network. In response, Minister Sinha directed telecom operators to promptly address the interconnection issues among themselves.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended imposing a penalty of 3,050 crore on Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea Cellular, holding them responsible for congestion in RJIL’s network. In a meeting convened by TRAI, representatives from Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, and Reliance Jio deliberated on resolving the interconnection issue. TRAI Chairman RS Sharma urged them to expedite the resolution process and cautioned against further action if service quality benchmarks, such as network congestion and call drop rates, are not met. Despite the incumbent operators’ participation, TRAI maintained its stance on the recommended penalty, offering no leniency in this regard.
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