5.9-lakh telecom towers on air, unaffected by lockdown

India’s 5.93-lakh telecom towers are so far unaffected by the lockdown with no downtime of services but this could change if technicians are not permitted to move around for repair works and for refuelling diesel generator sets.

“In many States, police are not letting technicians to move around for repair and maintenance work, while there were instances of them being manhandled also. As of now there is no downtime, but if people are not permitted to move around, the situation is likely to change,” Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) Director-General Rajan S. Mathews told BusinessLine.

According to TR Dua, Director-General of Tower & Infrastructure Providers’ Association (TAIPA), there were no disruptions as telecom services are exempted under the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Act.