Industry Odisha Bureau, April 16: Since the Persian Gulf based Hormuz hurdle has triggered energy crisis, the reportedly government’s curb on the adequate quantity of diesel supply needed for the hassle-free operation of the critical telecom infrastructure has further given birth to a new crisis following which the continuity of telecommunication network is being adversely hampered.
The Pandora’s box got reportedly opened only after the Government of India (GoI)’s review made into the complaints lodged by the telecom operators and their tower firms.
Most of the telecom infrastructures rely on diesel-fuelled power backups and the government-imposed curbs on diesel supply is obviously putting them at risk of disruptions in the backdrop of inadequate diesel supply for keeping the network running at the telecom towers erected both in human settlement areas and also in the remote places and patches.
Even though the telecom services have been incorporated as essential services under the Essential Services Maintenance Act 1968 (ESMA) as well as classified as critical telecom infrastructure under the Telecommunications Act 2023, curbs on the diesel supply have reportedly been resulting in network outages for which essential connectivity as well as emergency response is being adversely affected and disrupted. Thus, it is taking a heavy toll on the public service delivery and safety.
Reports said that the telecom operators and tower firms had approached the GoI for an uninterrupted electricity supply to the mobile towers and continued LPG supply.
Represented by the Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA), the tower firms had on March 30 reportedly complained before the Union Government that the sale of diesel is being denied in drums or jerry cans in most of the states across India. The telecom tower companies need adequate amount of diesel in a bid to refuel their power generators installed at the mobile tower sites that ensure network continuity.
Meanwhile, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of GoI has reportedly urged the State Governments to grant exemption to the telecom operators and mobile tower firms from the diesel supply curbs imposed so that seamless network is ensured.
In addition to this nagging diesel supply curb issue, an imminent price hike in diesel retail sale is being anticipated soon after the State Assembly Elections are over. Under such a pass, the telecom operators as well as the mobile tower firms are going to shoulder the unwarranted burden and bear the brunt of heavy loss incurred then.
