The airport operator opposed the charges from telecom companies and said that the airport is a sensitive zone, frequent servicing, maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure is best handled by it and therefore opted for In Building Solution (IBS) infrastructure. File photo: Special edit
Telecom companies are fighting the Adani group and have sought the Centre’s intervention over its refusal to grant ‘right of way’ (RoW) at the recently opened Navi Mumbai airport to deploy infrastructure to provide mobile services to air passengers, alleging a ‘monopolistic consumer arrangement’ by the airport operator, which has set up a network of buildings and demanded ‘extortion’ and ‘extortion’ from the telcos.
Earlier, a picture of a public notice board at the Navi Mumbai airport informing passengers that Airtel, Vodafone and Jio mobile signals may not be available at the airport and they can use the airport’s free Wi-Fi has gone viral on social media.
The airport operator opposed the charges from telecom companies and said that the airport is a sensitive zone, frequent servicing, maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure is best handled by it and therefore opted for In Building Solution (IBS) infrastructure. This would also ensure uninterrupted connectivity throughout the airport.
“Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited has refused to grant the necessary permissions and has ordered Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to compulsorily use the network it has deployed at exorbitant and commercially unsustainable charges,” the Mobile Operators Association of India (COAI) said in a statement. She has written to the Ministry of Telecommunications seeking intervention in the matter.
The airport operator was looking for nearly ₹92,000 per month per operator, aggregating to nearly ₹44.16 crore annually for the four operators.
“These fees are grossly disproportionate and far exceed the total capital expenditure normally required to implement an independent IBS network,” the statement added.
Public entity
COAI required the airport to qualify as a public entity under the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecommunications (Right of Entry) Rules, 2024, so that the airport operator would be required by law to grant permission to install telecommunications infrastructure in a “non-discriminatory and time-bound manner”.
It further states that Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited granted exclusive RoW rights under the guise of a “neutral host” and argued that such grant of exclusive RoW or creation of “monopolistic arrangements” for the provision of RoW for the purpose of building a telecommunication network was not permissible in law.
“The exclusive arrangement effectively forecloses competition and forces all licensed TSPs to operate through a single entity for extortionate fees, thereby undermining competition, consumer choice and regulatory neutrality,” the press statement added.
Commenting on the controversy on X, Shiv Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote, “Here comes the business of the for-profit mafia. My way or the highway for public infrastructure? Shouldn’t the government agencies ensure that the airport operator ensures passenger connectivity and comfort?”.
Adani Airport Holding Limited is the largest private airport operator in the country, operating a total of eight airports handling 90 million passengers per year. It has come under the crosshairs of business jet operators for its alleged forcible eviction from the Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai, where a steep parking fee of ₹20 crore per parking bay was levied on top of the annual fee. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global organization of airlines, has also appealed that passenger airlines should not be forced to transfer to new airports to start operations there.
Published – 31 Dec 2025 21:40 IST
