Telcos to DoT: Facing financial losses due to widespread theft of active telecom gear 

telecom

Private telecom operators said they are facing significant financial losses and additional expenses because of the widespread theft of active telecom equipment across multiple states.

Telcos, represented by COAI, have appealed to the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for assistance. They have urged the department to communicate with all State Chief Secretaries to prioritise telcos' complaints and enforce stringent measures. Additionally, they have requested the DoT to collaborate with states to provide police protection for telecom infrastructure, particularly in areas prone to theft.

COAI also urged the DoT to issue orders to block multiple foreign websites, such as eBay and Alibaba, selling active telecom equipment suspected to have been stolen from the networks of its partner telcos.

In a letter to the DoT secretary Neeraj Mital dated March 14, COAI said that incidents of theft of telcos’ active equipment have increased multifold from October 2023.

“RRU (remote radio unit) and BBU (baseband unit ) are the main equipment being stolen…such incidents are disproportionally higher in a few specific geographies: Delhi NCR, Rajasthan, Assam, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Punjab & Haryana; with just 31 districts contributing to 50 percent of the theft incidents reported pan India,” COAI director generator S.P. Kochhar said in the letter.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, said that its telco partners are incurring huge losses and additional expenditures in replenishing the equipment due to the large scale of these incidents.

The telco body also urged the telecom department to write to all State Chief Secretaries to prioritise telcos’ complaints and ensure strict action. It also requested the DoT to coordinate with States for Police protection of telecom infrastructure, especially in theft-prone areas.

COAI said its telco members are taking several measures to prevent such incidents but added that no measure is foolproof, and each has its own set of challenges.

“...multiple incidents of theft have occurred even after implementing such measures. Due to technical and legal challenges, our members are not able to recover the stolen equipment in most cases, nor are they able to fully recover the losses incurred due to such incidents,” the letter said.

The telco body said that such incidents are leading to a decline in the quality of customer services, and in some instances, it took down the service entirely in certain areas.

“We submit that telecommunications is an essential service, and these incidents of theft create hindrances to its provision. This is a matter of serious concern, not just for the service providers but also for the public. Thus, strict action is required by the authorities to prevent such incidents in the future,” Kochhar said.

Theft of active equipment would be covered within the offence of causing damage to telecom infrastructure under the Telecommunications Act of 2023. The government has already recognised the seriousness of such an offence and classified it as a cognisable and non-bailable offence under the Act.