TRAI releases recommendations on buildings ratings to raise digital connectivity

New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday released its recommendations on 'Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity'.
The rating is expected to push property managers to improve the quality of digital connectivity to attract potential customers. The exponential growth in digitalisation during the last decade has revolutionised the world impacting everything, from economy, innovation, science and education, to health, sustainability, governance, and lifestyles, according to the Ministry of Communications.
TRAI has conducted many studies to assess the quality of connectivity, identify challenges in providing connectivity and to suggest the way forward, the ministry said, adding. Based on these studies, TRAI published a monograph on 'Quest for a Good Quality Network inside Multi-Storey Residential Apartments: Reimagining ways to improve quality'.
Based on the above, TRAI undertook the process of consultation on suo-moto basis to provide a framework for the establishment of an ecosystem wherein digital connectivity infrastructure becomes part of all development activities. TRAI issued a consultation paper (CP) on 'Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity' on March 25, 2022, to seek inputs from stakeholders on issues raised, by July 7, 2022.
Communications, based on the comments received, discussions held with stakeholders during the open house discussion and analysisf, the recommendations of the TRAI on 'Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity' have been finalised, according to the statement from the Ministry of Communications.

According to the statement, the emphasis of these recommendations is on providing a framework for the creation of an ecosystem for digital connectivity infrastructure (DCI) to be an intrinsic part of the building development plan similar to other building services such as water, electricity or fire safety system, the statement said.
DCI is to be co-designed and co-created along with building development through collaborations among various stakeholders including property managers (owner or developer or builder etc), service providers, infrastructure providers, DCI professionals and authorities at various urban/local bodies. This framework shall also open job opportunities for young professionals to become DCI professionals and be part of design, deployment and evaluation of digital connectivity infrastructure.
TRAI has also proposed a new chapter on 'digital connectivity infrastructures in buildings' to be included in Model Building Bye Laws 2016 by modifying and updating existing provisions added in MBBL as annexure through an addendum to Model Building Bye Laws 2016, titled "Provisions for In-Building Solutions Digital Communication Infrastructure" issued by Town and Country Planning Organization (TCPO) of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in March 2022.
TRAI further emphasized that Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) developed in the Buildings by the Property Managers (Developers, Builders etc) should be accessible to all service providers in a fair, transparent, non-discriminatory and non-chargeable basis.
The recommendations also included the development of framework for Rating of the buildings for digital connectivity, which will add value to the property. TRAI will come up, separately, with appropriate regulatory framework for rating of buildings, which will also include the issue of Rating certification.
The recommendations are uploaded on TRAI's website -- trai.gov.in (ANI)