State govt, cities committing big mistake by looking at revenue from telecom infra: DoT joint secy

New Delhi: Local government bodies, state governments and others who are looking at telecom infrastructure as a source of revenue are committing a big mistake, a senior telecom ministry official said on Monday. He said that due to the pandemic several people have been pushed to below poverty line and there has been job loss but the telecom sector should work on a mechanism to ensure that they continue to stay connected with mobile networks for accessing services available online.

“Our municipal corporations, our cities or our state governments look at our telecom infra as a source of revenue. I think they are committing a big mistake. I accept that we are failing if we are unable to explain this to them that this is for your benefit,” Department of Telecom, joint secretary Hari Ranjan Rao said at a telecom seminar organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.