Standards for telecom towers in the offing

KATHMANDU, FEB 01 -

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is all set to introduce standards for telecom towers .

The regulator has prepared a draft, which seeks to enforce standards for making the towers less vulnerable to earthquake and less risky to the public health. Telecom operators will be given a set of technical specifications so that the towers, existing or new, are not risky, NTA officials said.

NTA has already held discussions on the issue with the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET). The draft will be finalised after incorporating inputs from NSET and other stakeholders concerned.

The telecom regulator also plans to hold a workshop with stakeholders for discussing possible impact of telecom towers on public health. “A draft regarding the minimum standards and conditions to be followed by telecom operators for reducing health issues has already been prepared,” NTA Chairman Digambar Jha said. The draft has been forwarded to the Ministry of Information and Communication, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment and Ministry of Health and Population for their inputs.

Jha said the regulator plans to hold a thorough study on the tower issue. “If you ask me how many telecom towers are there across the country, I really cannot answer,” Jha said. “If we are not aware about even the number of towers we have, we are largely unaware about other tower-related issues.”

To address the issue, NTA has issued a Request For Bid to hire a consultant to prepare data of towers being operated by service providers based on the GIS Based MIS Database.

“We are expecting proposals by February 13. The consultant selection and appointment will be completed within the next 15 days,” Jha said, adding the authority will have a concrete report in place within mid-July 2015.

Once the report is prepared, NTA will be aware about the location of towers and it can pressure service providers to increase infrastructure and capacity in places required.

The NTA chief said the regulatory body can also look for a possible solution in places where service providers cannot lay optical fibre. “We can look for alternatives like satellite,” Jha said.

The regulator is also making preparations for establishing an infrastructure-sharing mechanism. It seeks to make at least three telecom service providers operate from a single tower.

Meanwhile, NTA has prepared a draft on Quality of Service (QOS) Regulation which will help it specify the minimum service standard and conditions.

It is also importing equipment to set up a lab to keep tabs on the quality of service being provided by service operators, Jha said.

Source: The Kathmandu Post