Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have jointly urged the Indian government to designate telecommunications as an “essential service”. This designation would enable operators to gain affordable and universal access to public spaces, including airports, malls, tunnels, and metro stations.

At the ETTelecom 5G Innovation Summit, Shyam Mardikar, President & Group CTO of Jio, asserted that telecom has reached a level of societal importance comparable to electricity. He emphasised that for citizens and industries to fully benefit from digital services, infrastructure in public venues must be required to support telecom deployments.

Also Read | Will OpenAI’s 2026 Device Replace Your Phone? A Screenless AI Gadget in the Works

Barriers and Industry Concerns

Airtel’s CTO, Randeep Sekhon, reinforced these points, stating that telecom should be treated in the same category as utilities such as power and safety, where universal access is guaranteed for all infrastructure types. He also highlighted that carriers are often subjected to excessive rents at some venues, limiting their ability to offer essential connectivity and hindering technological growth.

Both Jio and Airtel stressed that legislation such as the Telecommunication Act, 2023, and the Right of Way Rules already require public authorities to enable telecom access in public spaces. Despite this, issues continue to persist in actual implementation due to delays, restrictions, and demands from infrastructure owners.

Recent Controversies & Policy Push

The operators’ demand comes in the wake of incidents such as the Mumbai Metro’s decision to disallow telecom installations, which highlighted the ongoing friction between venue owners and telecom providers. Through industry lobby groups, Jio and Airtel continue to press for clearer policy guidelines and reforms to ensure uninterrupted connectivity in key urban venues.