TRAI revises format for submission of details of base stations

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued directions today to all access service providers for the submission of granular details of Base Stations, strengthening the reporting rules for Base Stations’ details submission. TRAI has asked operators to submit details such as site location, type of site (Macro/Micro/IBS/Other), technology (2G/3G/4G/5G), radiating frequency, type of backhaul connectivity (Fibre/Wireless/Others), Date of Commissioning of the site, etc., in a revised format as it looks to improve the standards of quality of service (QoS) and protect consumer interests.

Strengthening base station reporting
TRAI observed that the present format for the submission of Base Stations’ details does not include information about the date of commissioning or decommissioning of base stations, details of the type of connectivity (i.e., Fibre/Wireless/others) for each Base station, and details of 5G Base stations and cells.

Importance of detailed data
TRAI noted that the quality of service delivery of any Base Station is also dependent on the capacity/type of backhaul connectivity, and the details of the type of connectivity for each base station are essential to assess the impact of backhaul on QoS, if any.

TRAI is also of the opinion that since a considerable number of 5G sites have been commissioned by various service providers, the details of such 5G Base Stations and Cells are essential for assessing the Quality of service.

The regulator has also observed that in the case of drop call rate (DCR) analysis, many reported circumstances, as high as 6.3 percent, fall under the “does not exist” (DNE) code.

“In order to have a clear view of the status of BTS/node(s) operations, the details of the date of commissioning or decommissioning of base stations/nodes are essential to verify the use of the correct DCR code,” TRAI said.

Revised reporting format
Considering the reasons mentioned, TRAI said it has decided to revise the format for the submission of details of Base stations. With this direction, the telcos now have to provide exact details of a site within a city, town, or village, including Latitude and Longitude. Earlier, the data used to be submitted on a telecom circle level.

Immediate implementation
The Telecom Authority has directed all Access Service Providers to submit all the details of Base Stations within 21 days of the end of each quarter as per the revised format, in a direction issued on Friday, which comes into force with immediate effect.

Issued guidelines
TRAI has also issued guidelines to be followed while submitting the details of Base Stations, emphasizing that no cell/row/column should be left blank. All Base Stations/cells working for at least one day in the quarter should be included in the details being shared with the authority.

For further details, https://trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Direction_26042024_0.pdf

CT Bureau