"The single most important reform" to improve penetration of fixed broadband in India "is the strengthening of the Right of Way Rules 2016 issued by [the Department of Telecommunications]," Reliance Jio said in a filing to TRAI on the regulator's wide-ranging consultation on improving broadband access in India. State and local governments' ignorance of the importance of optical fibre connectivity have "thwarted" approvals to lay fibre and improve networks, Jio said. The telco added that the Right of Way rules, that encourage speedy approvals for telecom infrastructure to be laid on public property, need to have statutory backing to have "teeth". In detailed recommendations on right of way, Jio recommended low fees for using fibre ducts, and recommended a dig-once policy, a policy which reduces the frequency of construction work that needs to be done to lay civic utilities to a single instance. In addition, Jio said that building codes should be changed to make sure ISPs have free access to residents, and that fixed line phone numbers should also be portable: "We request the Authority to take measures to usher in integrated numbering scheme, Number portability Fixed-Fixed, Fixed-Mobile and Fixed-intelligent Networks and deliver the true benefits of convergence." Jio also said that satellite constellations for providing broadband should be considered, even though such services, like SpaceX's Starlink, are at a "nascent" stage. The telco did not elaborate on its views in this regard, but it's worth noting that SpaceX did so in detail in a response to the same consultation.…
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In broadband consultation, Jio recommends localisation to reduce reliance on undersea cables, assails rivals’ 2G strategy
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