Delhi govt appoints PWD nodal officer to fast-track 5G, broadband infra rollout
This move comes after a meeting held last year where central authorities asked departments like the PWD to designate officials responsible for handling connectivity-related clearances. 'The newly appointed nodal officer will focus on clearing pending permissions related to Right of Way (RoW)' a key requirement for laying underground optical fibre and erecting telecom towers,' officials said.
To streamline infrastructure, the committee has directed the Urban Development Department to ensure that all agencies planning excavation work inform the relevant authorities beforehand.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
JDA yet to complete ROB, railway plans new project
1 2 Jaipur: At a time when the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is yet to complete the construction of barely 700 metre long Civil Lines Railway Overbridge (ROB), there are plans to construct another ROB connecting Bani Park and Hasanpura sides of the railway station. Although experts are apprehensive about major chaos along the railway station if both constructions continue simultaneously on both sides of the Ajmer Road Puliya, JDA officials have claimed that they are trying their best to complete the construction of the Civil Lines RoB before the construction work for the proposed RoB starts. "We set a revised deadline of Dec this year to complete the construction of Civil Lines ROB. Even if we miss the deadline, we are hopeful to complete the Civil Lines ROB before railways start the construction work for the proposed ROB. It would take a few more months to commence the construction of the proposed ROB," stated a JDA official. Officials of the civic body made it clear that North Western Railway (NWR) would construct this proposed ROB connecting Ram Mandir on Bani Park side and Jal Mahal Chouraha in Hasanpura. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo JDA and PWD would only help the railways to allocate lands on the Bani Park side near the Ram Mandir. On the Hasanpura side, railways would utilise lands of its own colony. Recently, during a Projects Work Committee meeting of JDA, the civic body sanctioned the GAD (General Arrangement Drawing) of the project, giving its approval to railways to construct the ROB. "Earlier, there were plans to construct an underpass jointly by the railways and the public works department (PWD). But in the feasibility report, it was mentioned that an underpass is not viable. So, now it has been decided to construct a ROB instead," said an official. This would be the fifth means to cross the railway line within a stretch of around 4km between the Bais Godam and Bani Park Ram Mandir. Out of the remaining four, the Civil Lines flyover, the Ajmer Road Puliya and the Railway Station Puliya (connecting the ITC Rajputana Hotel and Jal Mahal Chouraha) are already operational. JDA is constructing the ROB at the Civil Lines Phatak. "The Hasanpura side of the railway junction is getting a major facelift. Once the renovation work is over, a huge footfall of passengers is expected on the Hasanpura side of the railway station. This proposed ROB can reduce traffic pressure on the Railway Station Puliya to a great extent," said a PWD official.
Mint
8 hours ago
- Mint
Tata Communications renews private 5G push
Nearly three years after first approaching the government for direct spectrum allotment, Tata Communications has renewed its push to get the airwaves for private 5G networks. 'Our representation is that for private 5G, the rules need to be different…we cannot have the same rule of spectrum rollout obligation," Amur Lakshminarayanan, the company's managing director and chief executive officer, told Mint. Unlike telecom operators who serve the broader public with 5G, private networks are targeted to a customer site, and companies cannot have telecom operator-like spectrum rollout obligations, he said. While the government is currently evaluating the prospects, Lakshminarayanan said any decision on the spectrum purchase will depend on pricing and the broader conditions set by the government. The department of telecommunications has initiated a fresh demand survey till 31 July to assess interest in assigning 5G spectrum directly to enterprises for setting up private networks. If approved, the move could allow large firms to bypass telecom service providers for high-speed, automated connectivity within their campuses and factories. Unlike public networks, private 5G networks operate in a closed environment, providing dedicated connectivity to industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, automotive and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). This ensures seamless automation and operational efficiency within factory premises and corporate campuses, free from interference from public networks. Lakshminarayanan, however, said the private 5G demand is slow worldwide as currently enterprises have not reached a stage to realize the full potential of industrial internet of things (IoT) technology. 'If in a factory, there are about 100 usecases of industrial IoT such as for workers safety, assets monitoring,etc, about 80% of them can be implemented without a 5G capability, using 4G or Wi-Fi 6 now," Lakshminarayanan said, adding that besides direct spectrum, there is an important need to shift from wired to wireless equipments in factories for private 5G take off. While Tata Communications is gearing up to play a bigger role in enterprise 5G, it is also managing near-term pressures, especially in its core connectivity business. The company's profitability has come under pressure due to recent local developments, including the US tariff orders, which have led to smaller deal sizes, cautious customer spending, and pricing pressures. In the April-June quarter, the company's Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin fell 125 basis points to 19.1% year over year (y-o-y). 'Uncertainty continues for customers. They don't cancel the entire contract, but they might downsize. So, that kind of site termination and price erosion has happened," Lakshminarayanan said. He said such headwinds slow down or push out the ambitions by a few quarters. The company has guided for a 23-25% margin by FY27. In the Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region, payment-related delays from clients have slowed business activity for Tata Communications. Tata Communications provides enterprises with network, cloud, mobility and security services. Along with other geopolitical factors, the company's commentary on the global tariff uncertainty triggered by the US government imposing reciprocal tariffs on countries assumes significance as 58% of its data revenue comes from international markets. Despite ongoing macroeconomic headwinds and continued pressures across the industry, the company witnessed a 'double-digit growth" in its order book during the quarter. 'At the same time, with new customers, we are able to go in and say how we are able to bring a full network transformation for them and that is the reason for a healthy funnel," Lakshminarayanan said. In the April-June quarter, Tata Communications posted a 6.6% y-o-y growth in consolidated revenue at ₹5,960 crore. The company's net profit, however, fell 43% YoY to ₹190 crore during the quarter. Data Services, which account for 87% of Tata Communications' revenue, saw a 9.5% increase to ₹5,152 crore during the quarter. Data Services include core connectivity services, digital platforms, and connected services. The company is seeing good traction from customers for its AI cloud offering Vayu, and is currently undertaking proof of concept for some clients. 'We have a good amount of interest. We are continuing to invest in our capabilities of the AI Studio platform," Lakshminarayanan said, adding that the scale will come gradually. Tata Communications is exploring partnerships with satellite internet firms along with its sister entity Nelco, Lakshminarayanan said.
Mint
10 hours ago
- Mint
Nokia moves high court over rejection of 5G network slicing patent
Nokia Technologies, a subsidiary of Finnish multinational Nokia Corp., has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Indian Patent Office's refusal to grant its patent for an 'enhanced registration procedure' designed to support its advanced 5G network slicing technology in India. On 17 July, Justice Saurabh Banerjee issued notice to the assistant controller of patents and designs, directing a response to Nokia's plea. The matter is scheduled for further hearing in November. Network slicing lets telecom companies divide one network into many separate parts, like creating different lanes on a highway. Each slice is used for different things, such as faster internet for phones, special connections for hospitals, or smooth gaming. This makes the internet faster, safer, and more reliable. The counsel for the patent office sought six weeks to file a reply, according to the court order. Any rejoinder, if required, can be filed within four weeks after that, the order said. Nokia's petition challenges the 8 January order of the assistant controller of patents, which rejected its invention on the grounds of lack of novelty, stating that the innovation already exists. Filed on 19 October, Nokia's patent claimed a faster, more secure method for devices to register on dedicated 5G network slices by immediately invoking third-party authentication during the registration ('attach') process. This approach, Nokia argued, ensures smoother and more secure connections, especially for enterprise-owned slices needing additional checks. The company said its method avoids devices attempting to access slices without proper authentication, enhancing overall network efficiency and security. Nokia also informed the patent office that similar patents had been approved in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, proving its international recognition However, the Indian Patent Office rejected all claims. It cited 3GPP's technical standard document D1 as prior art, stating that similar methods were already described, making Nokia's idea neither new nor inventive. The office added that the invention was purely software-based without any new hardware implementation, thus non-patentable under Section 3(k) of the Patents Act. Further reasons included unclear claim language, multiple dependent claims creating ambiguity, and failure to file updated disclosures within prescribed timelines. Due to these issues—lack of novelty, obviousness, software-only nature, unclear claims, and documentation non-compliance—the patent was refused despite Nokia's arguments An emailed query sent to Nokia Technologies remained unanswered till press time. Network slicing originated as a concept developed by telecom industry researchers and was standardized by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) as part of global 5G standards (from Release 15 onward). 3GPP is a global collaboration of telecom standards organizations that develops technical standards for mobile networks. Leading telecom vendors including Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, and Samsung have developed commercial network slicing solutions. Major operators such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, BT, Deutsche Telekom, China Mobile, and SK Telecom are actively deploying or testing it worldwide. Recently, Google Fiber announced that its customers may soon get more control over their home internet. On 30 June, Google Fiber said it has partnered with Nokia to test network slicing, which lets users create dedicated lanes for specific activities like gaming or video calls. Countries with live or pilot deployments include the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, and parts of Europe, with applications spanning factories, ports, healthcare, and premium broadband services.
