DoT’s directive which allow telcos and ISPs to share active network infrastructure (BTS boxes, fiber, feeder cables, etc) seems to have helped boost Airtel's fiber broadband reach. During a recent analyst call, the company’s MD & CEO (India) Gopal Vittal said that the new DoT policy allowed it to come up with multiple fiber sharing arrangements with “most” of its competitors. Prior to this DoT policy, which came out in February last year, service providers were allowed to share only passive infrastructure (towers). “We have over the last 18 months done extensive amount of fiber sharing… I believe there is no point in digging streets all over again. So where there is already laid fiber, we swap and we do it on both sides and that has helped us a lot and we saved several hundreds of Crores because of this,” Vittal said. Passive infrastructure sharing also allow service providers to use their own spectrum, but run this on equipment from other telcos/ISPs. Vittal added that Airtel has already been doing this in tie-ups with its competitors and that the company plans to use such arrangement in rural areas . “That (passive infra sharing with own spectrum) is something that we are trying with a couple of competitors and trying out, piloting it and if that works in rural areas and small towns we may extend that more during the course of this year.” Note that apart from active infra sharing, telecom companies now have a range of incentives like new Right of Way policies, mandatory…
