‘Extortion, not connectivity’: Telecom body COAI accuses Mumbai metro of blocking fair access to mobile network

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has launched a sharp attack on Mumbai Metro, accusing the public transport body of creating a “monopolistic and extortionate” environment for mobile network access within metro premises. The COAI alleges that instead of allowing telecom operators to install In-Building Solutions (IBS) directly, at their own cost, the Metro has handed over exclusive rights to a third-party vendor, demanding exorbitant charges in return.The move, COAI claims, flies in the face of the new Telecommunications Act and Right of Way (RoW) rules, which prohibit public authorities from denying telecom infrastructure access in public spaces.“Telecom Service Providers are always willing to provide connectivity through IBS. However, Mumbai Metro has created a monopoly… and is now trying to extract monopolistic and extortionate rents,” said COAI director general S P Kochhar.Kochhar compared the situation with Delhi’s Pragati Maidan tunnel and Central Vista, where telcos have set up infrastructure free of cost and without bureaucratic obstruction. “Deploying networks in high-footfall public infrastructure is standard practice, and doesn’t cost the public authority anything,” he said.In a bid to avoid service disruption for lakhs of daily commuters, telecom firms, including Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, jointly offered to provide connectivity free of cost during the trial phase, pending a formal agreement. That April 7 proposal, COAI said, was ignored by Mumbai Metro.COAI also rejected the Metro’s claim of following precedent, saying, “Wrong precedent does not make a legitimate one. The industry is addressing such monopolies with a view to stop these extortionate practices.”With commuter connectivity hanging in the balance, the COAI’s message is clear: allow fair access, or risk denying Mumbai its rightful digital infrastructure.