Telecom sector seeks priority power, fuel access amid West Asia supply disruptions

The industry body warned that the halt in LPG and LNG supplies poses a serious operational challenge for tower manufacturers

• Energy disruptions threaten India's telecom tower production
• DIPA urges government for priority electricity and LPG supply
• Delays may impact 5G, emergency services, and network expansion

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Energy supply risks triggered by geopolitical tensions in West Asia have prompted India’s telecom infrastructure industry to seek urgent government intervention to safeguard network operations and tower deployment. Industry body Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) has written to the government flagging concerns over fuel supply disruptions and electricity reliability that could affect telecom infrastructure and digital connectivity.

In letters dated 9 March to Department of Telecommunications secretary Amit Agrawal, DIPA director general Manoj Kumar Singh urged the government to ensure priority electricity supply for telecom tower sites and restore LPG supplies to telecom tower manufacturing units.

DIPA represents telecom infrastructure providers that deploy and maintain shared passive infrastructure used by operators such as Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL / MTNL.

In one of the letters, the association warned that volatility in global crude oil markets could affect diesel availability, which is critical for running generator sets at mobile tower sites during grid outages. Any disruption in diesel supply or electricity availability could affect telecom network uptime and essential services including voice and data connectivity, 5G networks, emergency communications, digital governance platforms and financial transactions.

The industry body has therefore requested the government to ensure priority electricity supply to mobile towers across urban and rural areas and consider granting essential services status to telecom infrastructure providers and telecom service providers to ensure assured grid connectivity and faster power restoration during outages.

DIPA has also urged the telecom department to take up the matter with the ministry of power and advise state utilities and distribution companies to minimise planned and unplanned outages affecting telecom infrastructure. It has further sought fast-tracking of new electricity connections and load enhancements for tower sites to reduce dependence on diesel-based backup systems.

In a separate letter, the association also raised concerns about disruptions in the telecom tower manufacturing supply chain following restrictions on LPG supplies.

According to DIPA, LPG supplies from oil marketing companies to telecom tower manufacturing units were discontinued from 5 March following an order by the ministry of petroleum and natural gas directing that LPG procured by public-sector companies be supplied primarily to domestic consumers.

The industry body warned that the halt in LPG and LNG supplies poses a serious operational challenge for tower manufacturers, as galvanisation processes used in tower production rely heavily on these fuels to heat steel structures and maintain molten zinc used for corrosion-resistant coating.

Some manufacturing units have temporarily shifted to low-flame operations to prevent damage to galvanisation plants, but prolonged disruption could force facilities to remove molten zinc and shut down operations. Restarting such plants can take considerable time, potentially delaying telecom tower production and rollout.

DIPA has requested the telecom department to take up the issue with the ministry of petroleum and natural gas so that telecom tower manufacturing units can be exempted from the 5 March order and LPG/LNG supplies can be restored at the earliest.

The association warned that continued disruption in fuel supply could impact tower manufacturing and delay ongoing and planned tower deployment, affecting network expansion and connectivity in uncovered and capacity-constrained areas.

The industry body emphasised that telecom infrastructure forms the backbone of India’s digital ecosystem and uninterrupted availability of key inputs is essential to support public services, economic activity and government digital initiatives.