committe report on bts towers

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_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Report of Departmental Committee 1 Confidential Government of India Ministry of Communications & Information Technology Department of Telecommunications REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE ON BTS TOWERS

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Page 1: Committe Report on BTS Towers

_______________________________________________________________________________________________  Report of Departmental Committee 

1  

Confidential

Government of India Ministry of Communications & Information Technology

Department of Telecommunications

REPORT OF THE

DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE

ON

BTS TOWERS

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INDEX

S.No Topic

Page no.

1 Committee details 3

2 Terms of reference 4

3 Proceedings 5

4 General 6-9

5 Guidelines for setting up of BTS towers 10-14

6 Structural Safety for towers on roof top 15-18

7 Location of Mobile Towers in Master Plan 19-20

8 In-Building Solution of Telecom Network 21-24

9 Recommendation 25-30

10 Annexure-A & B 31-35

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Committee

A departmental committee consisting of the following officers was

constituted vide DoT letter No. 32-7/2010-EW dated 30.3.2012 to examine the

issues relating to mobile base stations towers:

i) Sh. Satya Pal Advisor (Operation) Chairman

ii) Sh. Anil Kaushal * Sr. DDG,TEC Member

iii) Sh. P.K. Panigrahi Sr.DDG (BW), DoT Member Secretary

iv) Sh. A. K. Mittal Sr. DDG (AS) Member

v) Sh. Ram Narayan DDG (Security&TERM) Member

vi) Sh. G.P. Srivastava DDG (CS), DoT Member

vii) Sh. U.K. Srivastava DDG (R) TEC, DoT Member

viii) Sh. Gulab Chand Dy. Wireless Adviser Member WPC, DoT * Sh. U.K. Srivastava, DDG(R), TEC participated in place of Sh. Anil Kaushal, Sr.

DDG, TEC.

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Terms of Reference of the Committee

1. Uniform guidelines on setting up of BTS Towers.

2. Structural safety for towers on roof-tops.

3. Identification of location for installation of mobile towers in master

plan.

4. In-building solutions for the future expansion of telecom network in

the country.

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Proceedings

Members of the committee deliberated on the issue on 18.4.2012 and

24.4.2012. Civil Society Members from Mumbai shared their view points with the

committee members on 1.5.2012 on related issues i.e. restriction on setting up

of BTS towers and reduction in RF radiated power from BTS antennas to 1/10th of

the existing level i.e. from 20 watt per carrier to 2 watt per carrier. The Service

Providers, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), TAIPA and

representative of ASSOCHAM expressed their view points with the committee

members on the issue on 2nd May 2012.

The representatives of Telecom Equipment Manufacturers and Antenna

Manufacturers expressed their view points on tower installation, related issues

and in-building solutions, for Radio frequency coverage in telecom networks with

the committee members on 3.5.2012. Representatives from M/s. Alcatel, a

telecom equipment manufacturer gave presentation to the committee members

on low power Micro Cell, Pico Cell, Femto Cells and in-building solutions for

telecom networks on 4.5.2012.

Chairman of the committee discussed the issues with BSNL/MTNL officers

in Mumbai and Ahmedabad on 21st & 22nd May 2012. It was expressed that use

of mobile handsets is the real concern and not the BTS as the handset is very

closed to the human body and suggested that govt. should educate the public on

its own expenses about the safe use of handsets.

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General

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The infrastructure used in the cellular communication network has both

Active and Passive components. The passive infrastructure is the land, buildings,

shelters, antenna systems, towers/masts, power supply and battery back-up etc.

The active infrastructures are base station trans-receiving radios, popular names

being BS (Base station), Node-B (in 3G networks) and e-Node B (in LTE standards

), Microwave radios for back-bone, backhaul, other RF / base band equipment and

various switching and network control equipments etc.

2.0 The mobile communication networks use radio frequency propagation for

transmission of signals. These radio frequencies are electromagnetic waves. The

frequency bands of these waves fall under the category of non-ionizing radiation,

which does not disturb the cell structure of the human body. However, in order to

keep the human exposure to these radiations within limits, the International

standards organizations have developed certain limits. These limits have also been

adopted in India. The limits take care of the radiations taking place in all the bands

used by telecom service providers. These limits take into account adequate factor

of safety for all population.

3.0 An Inter Ministerial Committee consisting of officers from DoT, ICMR,

Ministry Environment & Forests and Dept. of Bio-technology was constituted to look

into the effects of EMF radiation from mobile base stations and mobile handsets on

health. The acceptance of the recommendations of the Committee was

communicated vide DoT OM 32-7/2010-EW dated 17th Nov. 2011 and necessary

directives for revised exposure limit of base station emission level to 1/10th of the

existing level and SAR of mobile hand-set of 1.6 watt per kg effective from

1.9.2012 was issued by the AS and IP Units of DoT respectively.

4.0 The inter-ministerial committee in its report had recommended formulation

of uniform guidelines at national level, enforcing restrictions for setting up of BTS

towers, creation of appropriate frame work for structural safety clearance of towers

set up on roof-top, identification of location for installation of mobile towers in

master plan of town and cities in consultation with Ministry of Urban Development

and induction of new technology low power transmitters with in-building solutions

for future expansion of telecom network in the country.

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5.0 As per the existing policy Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing of DoT

issues siting clearance for installation of mobile towers for each and every site from

the point of view of interference with other wireless operators, aviation hazard and

obstruction to any other existing microwave links. The siting clearance is issued

without prejudice to applicable bye-laws, rules and regulations of local bodies such

as Municipal Corporations/Gram Panchayat etc. Before installation of mobile towers

the telecom service providers are required to obtain necessary permission from

local bodies.

6.0 The base stations, the transmission towers and their antennas provide the

link to and from mobile phones and fall in the category of life-line buildings. The

towers/antennas are located in sites based on the radio propagation characteristics

in the network and are spread over in all areas, lease rented buildings. The

buildings over which the towers are erected are generally not analyzed for the

associated risk of earthquake and appropriate retrofit measures from structural

safety point of view is required to be taken. Such an analysis is necessary to ensure

compliance with the relevant BIS provisions.

7.0 In Orissa Super Cyclone and Bhuj Earthquake there was large scale damage

to property and essential services including telecommunication. The latter added to

the problem of overall disaster management including search and rescue. BIS

subsequently revised the code for earthquake resistance design of structures (IS

1893) identifying revised seismic zone with additional earthquake resistance

features. Cellular mobile BTS infrastructure falls under the category of life line

installation and as such compliance to relevant revised BIS provisions in the

respective areas is necessary so as to effectively respond to any severe disaster

situations. The life-line installation category should facilitate priority in land

allocation, power connections, and maintenance of service etc.

8.0 At present there is no uniform policy guidelines for location of towers. This

has resulted in unregulated telecom BTS cellular infrastructure in country. IMC

desired that there is a need to Identify/ earmark some areas in the master plan in

the new cities for cellular towers. This will, however, not be the ultimate solution as

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the siting of tower shall be as per the WPC clearance and radio frequency coverage

requirements.

9.0 At present the RF power radiated from BTS antenna is 20 watt per carrier.

In a shared BTS site, with multiple operators, the radiated power from a single

tower goes as high as 100 -150 watt per sector. In certain cases, the high-powered

towers can be avoided with the introduction of “Energy efficiency analysis process”

for installing large vs. small cells i.e. low power Micro Cell, Pico Cell, Femto Cells

and other in-building solutions in telecom networks.

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Guidelines for setting up

of

BTS towers

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Telecom infrastructure falls in the category of lifeline installations and BTS

tower is a critical infrastructure for providing essential communication service.

2.0 As per the Present Procedure, the Siting clearances for installation of BTS

towers are issued by SACFA (Standing Advisory Committee on Frequency

Allocation), WPC, DOT. SACFA clearances are issued after getting 'no objection'

from various SACFA members (such as Airport Authority of India, JCES etc.) who

carry out detailed technical evaluation including field surveys. The technical

evaluation by SACFA members is done primarily for –

i) Aviation hazards.

ii) Obstruction to line of site of existing/planned networks

iii) Interference (Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI)/Electro Magnetic

Compatibility (EMC)) to existing and proposed networks.

The site location for tower installation is decided by the concerned

service provider as per the technical and commercial requirements.

3.0 Siting clearances are issued without prejudice to other applicable byelaws,

rules and regulations of Local bodies such as Municipal Corporation, Gram

Panchayats etc”. Therefore, before installation of towers, Service Providers obtain

necessary clearances from concerned local authorities/State Govt. bodies. This pre-

condition is clearly laid down in SACFA siting clearances.

4.0 As stated above, before installation of towers the services providers are

required to obtain necessary clearances from the local authorities also. At present

there is no restriction for location of the mobile BTS towers. In the absence of

national guidelines, some state governments have issued their own guidelines. The

Committee has noted that the local bye-laws issued by Delhi and West Bengal

enforce certain precautionary measures while giving permission for installation of

towers like

“avoid installation of base station antennas within the premises of schools

and hospitals as children and patient are more susceptible to EMF radiation.

Installation of base antennas in narrow lanes to reduce the risk caused by any

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earthquake or wind related disaster. Base station antenna should be at least 3 mt.

away from nearby building. Signboards and warning signs in base station antenna

sites for identification. Towers in residential areas only in consultation with the

concerned residents’ welfare association and so on.”

There are some other states like Tamilnadu and Karnataka where no

permission is required for erection of a tower. The infrastructure providers intimate

the state government and install the tower.

5.0 The local bye-laws in regard to setting up of cellular mobile base stations

vary from state to state and there is no uniformity in the guidelines for grant of

permission for installation of towers. In various states, the service providers face

difficulties in obtaining the clearances. Further, for installation of mobile towers

the telecom service providers are required to pay one-time fee to the local

municipal authorities. Some states are charging the “renewal fees” also. The fee

structure specified by the State/Local Authorities varies with the location of the

installation and also from state to state.

6.0 The committee is of the view that formulation of uniform guidelines in the

matter for adoption of structural safety measures, fee structure, taxes, other

charges and ROW etc. of cell site / base station at national level is very much

necessary so that there will be uniformity in approach for grant of permission for

installation of towers by the local bodies / state authorities. The idea is that the

state government/ local bodies charge a simple administrative fees for such

clearances.

7.0 The Committee observed that the antenna for Macro cells in a mobile

phone network have power outputs of 20 watts per carrier and are mounted on

ground based masts, roof-top and other existing structures at a height 30-60 mt.

that provides a clear view over the surrounding buildings to have a larger area

coverage. Further, CMTS/UAS licenses provide mobile services that are

governed under Indian Telegraph Act 1985. The cellular towers are being

installed to provide radio coverage in extending mobile phone services and the

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Telecom Service Providers pay annual license fee to the Dept. of Telecom (Govt).

As such the recurring fee levied by the state/local authorities is not appropriate.

8.0 The committee recommends to-consider imposing restrictions on

installation of BTS towers within the compound of schools and hospitals as the

children and the patients may be more susceptible to the possible effects of

electro-magnetic radiations. In-door building solution for low wattages may be

deployed.

9.0 The committee also recommends the implementation of uniform

guidelines for installation of towers / antenna.

10.0 The committee is of the view that in order to have uniformity in approach

for installation of mobile BTS towers, DoT may issue a model draft guidelines for

setting up BTS towers so that local authorities verify them and issue expeditious

clearance for installation. Following uniform measures are recommended for

inclusion in the draft guidelines for State/local municipality bye laws.

i) Considering the importance of telecom services, the service

provider/infrastructure provider should have unrestricted right of way

for installation of mobile tower, irrespective of land usage.

ii) Installation of base station antennas in narrow lanes may be avoided in

order to reduce the risk caused by earthquake or wind related disaster.

iii) Installation of base station antennas within the premises of schools

and hospitals may be avoided because children and patients may likely

to be more susceptible to electro-magnetic fields. In-door building

solution of low wattages may be deployed.

iv) Base station antennas to be away from nearby buildings and above the

ground and roof to ensure compliance to the prevailing radiation limits.

v) Access to base station antenna site to be prohibited for general public

by suitable means such as wire fencing, locking of the door to the roof,

etc.

vi) The access to tower site for the maintenance personnel also to be for a

minimum period as far as possible.

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vii) Sign boards and warning signs (Danger RF Radiation, Restricted Area,

Don’t enter) are to be provided at base station antenna sites which are

clearly visible and identifiable.

viii) Consent from the owner is required.

ix) Copy of the siting clearance granted by Dept. of Telecommunication to

service providers

x) Structural Stability Certificate from certified Structural Engineer or

from recognized institute like IITs, NITs, CBRI Roorky and CBM,

Faridabad or any of the recognized govt. institution. The Service

providers to file a fresh structural stability certificate after every 5

years.

xi) No permission for installation of cell site / base station to be granted

on buildings which are structurally unsafe.

xii) The provision of DG sets used for mobile towers shall be as per the

provisions under Environment (Protection) Act 1986 and the Noise

pollution (Regulation & Control) Rule 2000 as amended from time to

time.

xiii) Design parameters / necessary drawings for installation.

xiv) NOC from the concerned authority in case of CRZ area, heritage

building, municipality lease-hold property and cess property

xv) The processing fee for grant of approval/renewal/sharing of mobile

BTS towers if any levied by the state / local authorities should be

restricted to administrative expenses if any as the service providers

provide radio coverage in extending mobile phone services and other

facilities that are governed under Indian Telegraph Act 1985 and pay

annual licence fee to Dept. of Telecom.

xvi) The permission of local authorities should be automatic, in case the

other requirements mentioned above are met. However, if the local

authority decides to have a prior approval system, then it needs to

process the application within a period of 30 days from the date of

submission, in a single window mechanism. The said application will

be deemed to have been approved after the expiry of aforesaid 30

days, to facilitate faster roll out.

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Structural Safety for Towers

on

roof top

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The base stations, the transmission towers and their antennas provide

the link to and from mobile phones and fall in the category of life-line buildings.

Among others, the mobile towers are erected in areas spread all over towns and

cities, in rented/leased lands/roof tops. The buildings over which the towers are

erected are generally not analyzed for the associated risk of earthquake; and

appropriate retrofit measures from structural safety point of view are also not

taken which are necessary to ensure compliance with the relevant BIS

provisions.

2.0 In the cases of natural disasters such as earthquakes etc. in the past,

there were large scale damages to the property as well as essential services

including telecommunications. Therefore, it is to be ensured that

telecommunication services are not disrupted during such events. With this

objective in view, the design, installation, maintenance and upkeep of cellular

towers are very crucial.

3.0 BIS Code for Earthquake Resistance Design of Structures (IS 1893) was

revised identifying revised seismic zones with additional earthquake resistant

features and accordingly the design, fabrication, material and erection of mobile

towers are to be made so as to conform to latest BIS code applicable to the

respective areas/zones.

4.0 In view of above, the Structural stability certificate should be from one of

the following institutes:-

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee/its units.

Rail India Technical and Economic Services Ltd. (RITES).

National Council for Building Material, Faridabad/its units.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee.

Respective State PWDs/CPWD

Any qualified registered structural engineer

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5.0 Advisory guidelines / norms pertaining to structural safety of ground-

based towers and of the Building/towers established on roof-top of buildings

need to be formulated considering the following:-

a) The revised code now covers additional earthquake/cyclone resistant

features. The design, fabrication, material and erection of mobile

towers and the buildings should conform to relevant BIS provisions

in the relevant areas.

b) To undertake exercise of inspection of existing buildings / towers in

Seismic Zones III, IV & V by structural engineers in order to ensure

that these are compliant to revised BIS codes in the relevant areas

and to take appropriate retrofitting measures wherever necessary.

c) To ensure that the new construction in seismically vulnerable zones

follow the norms laid down for safe construction in these areas as

per relevant BIS standards.

d) To use technology and network architecture that would minimize the

number and size/weight of the BTS towers.

e) To submit self certification for structural compliance in respect of

existing/new towers to respective TERM Cell of DoT within specified

time-limit in the prescribed proforma (annexed).

f) Service providers / infrastructure providers to obtain requisite

permission from the concerned local authority before installation of

tower and submit a copy of the permission cell to respective TERM

cell before made operational.

g) All new towers and buildings shall comply with SAFETY PROVISIONS

listed under Annexure A.

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h) The certificate furnished by the infrastructure provider shall also be

acceptable. However, responsibility of compliance shall be with

service provider.

i) The TERM Cells of at their discretion may test up to 1-2% of towers

and buildings randomly from IITs, NITs, CBRI Roorky and CBM,

Faridabad or any of the recognized govt. institution. The sites

against which there are public complaints shall also be tested by

TERM Cell of DoT. The cost of the testing shall be borne by the

service provider.

j) If a tower/building fails to meet the criteria of relevant BIS provision

specified, suitable penalty provision as per Telegraph Act may have

to be specified.

k) The details of towers and buildings be hosted on DoT website with

status i.e. self-certified, TERM Cell certified/ not certified etc.

Draft instructions to service providers on disaster resistance buildings

and towers for communication services has been prepared and placed at Annexure- A.

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Location of Mobile Towers

in

Master Plan

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At present there is no regulation on the location of the towers. One of

the recommendations of the IMC was to identify the location for installation of

mobile towers in the Master Plan of Towns and Cities in consultation with the

Ministry of Urban Development.

2.0 The idea of identification of suitable areas may be aimed at identifying, in

advance, and thus providing for suitable space/area meant exclusively for the

establishment of mobile services antenna farms; which in turn may help address

various issues such as radiation health hazards, noise/air pollution, structural

safety/natural disaster aspects and aesthetics/landscape etc. of the city/town.

3.0 However, the towers are placed at locations which are best suited to

service providers, technical and business requirements/network design e.g.

distribution of towers for a network operating in 700 MHz band would differ from

that from operating in other bands such as 1800 MHz, 450 MHs and 800/900

MHz etc. Installation of mobile towers depends on factors like coverage,

population density, traffic etc. Micro management for identification of location in

the master plan may not be feasible.

4.0 However, it may be considered to examine the feasibility of such a plan

as it would require good amount of spare land area at multiple places in a regular

pattern which will be dedicated to the provision of mobile services antennae only

and to earmark some areas in the master plan for cellular tower parks in

consultation with Ministry of Urban Development.

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In-Building Solution

of

Telecom Network

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The mobile wireless technology relies upon an extensive network of fixed

antennae. Each individual service provider install single high power tower

antenna and radiate RF power to cater large coverage area, both outdoor and

indoor premises.

2.0 The committee is of the view that high power BTSs may be suitable for

scattered and thinly populated rural/semi-urban areas but the high density urban

areas can be well-served with multiple low power BTSs leading to better

spectrum utilization i.e. same amount of spectrum can be utilized to provide

connectivity to large number of people as well as associated RF health hazard

issues (if any) are also addressed. However, the urban areas may be provided

with better and ubiquitous mobile coverage if the traditional BTSs are augmented

with various in building/micro/pico-cellular solutions.

The high-powered towers can be avoided with the introduction of “energy

efficiency analysis process” for installing large vs. small cells i.e. low power Micro

Cell, Pico Cell, Femto Cells and other in-building BTS solutions in telecom

networks.

3.0 By augmenting the mobile coverage through In-Building-Solutions,

standard cell-sizes can be maintained and issues relating to interference and re-

use patterns etc. can be kept simplified. This will help improve spectrum

utilization efficiency and increase battery life of the hand-sets.

4.0 In uncovered, isolated, scattered and small locations, the outdoor DAS

(Distributed Antenna Systems) concept can also be implemented independently.

5.0 At present, each individual operator install their own proprietary antenna

system within a building leading to large number of antenna for extending mobile

services. With a neutral host antenna system, all TSPs can utilize the same

powerful antenna system, eliminating the need for multiple unsightly antennas

distributed across a building. DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) protects the

ambience and aesthetics of the property because multiple antennae/wiring

projects are not required. Changing service providers does not lead to the

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defacement of property because no change to the wiring is necessary. Service

providers can simply “plug-in” and services are available immediately.

6.0 In all multiplex complexes, both residential and commercial, there should

be provisions of telecom chamber at the ground floor having optical fiber /

copper cable / RF cable connectivity, to each and every flat and allow all the

service providers to extend telecom related facility i.e. broad band, mobile, land

lines and other services.

7.0 In cellular wireless network, such as GSM, the Pico cell base station is

typically a low cost, small, reasonably simple unit that connects to a base

station. The Pico cell and Femto cell base stations typically cover a small area

such as offices, schools, hospitals, malls, multiplexes etc.. These cells connect to

the service providers network and allow to extend service coverage to indoor

where outdoor signal do not reach well. These cells are available for most cellular

technologies including GSM, CDMA, UMTS and LTE from manufacturers.

Availability of uninterrupted power for the Pico and Femto cells in any case have

to be ensured.

8.0 For making Provision of IBS, there can be several arrangements of

sharing the costs/business models as listed below:

• Carrier/operator pays (traditional model)

– Carrier bears cost of all equipment, cabling and installation

– Customers “lock-in”, through long term contract

– Increase in customer satisfaction

• Enterprise (Buisiness House) pays –

– Enterprise pays for all equipment, cabling and installation

(carrier provides RF source)

– No long term commitment to any carrier

– This model generally requires support of at least 2 carriers on

the system

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• Neutral Host – i.e. Malls, Airports

– Bear the cost of CAPEX and project organization.

– Add technical value and remove all performance risk from the

building owner

– Focused ownership of the wireless assets to add value

throughout the life of the project

– Recurring revenue is realized through “lease” of the system to

the carrier(s)

IBS should be part of the specification of the building itself for making

provisions as well as subsequent maintenance. A suitable model is to be evolved

for incorporating in the national building bye-laws as a sub-section (telecom bye-

laws) like fire bye-laws, earthquake resistance bye-laws, energy conservation

bye-laws etc. In high density population areas the in-building solutions like

provision of DAS, Light Radios and femto cell etc. may be considered. The

responsibilities of providing IBS can be shared by building owner, solution

provider and Telecom Service Provider in accordance with the policy of the Govt.

9.0 A conceptual diagram applicable to Indoor DAS as well as outdoor DAS is

placed as Annexure-B.

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Recommendations

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Guidelines on setting up of BTS Towers:

i) There should be a single window clearance in states / local bodies to

accord approval for BTS tower installations to avoid undue hardship to

telecom service providers.

ii) The service provider/infrastructure provider should have unrestricted

right of way for installation of mobile tower, irrespective of land usage

after entering into a legal contract with the owner.

iii) Avoid installation of base station antennas in narrow lanes in order to

reduce the risk caused by earthquake or wind related disaster.

iv) For grant of permission of BTS tower, a reasonable one time processing

fee per intimation may be prescribed by the State / local body authority.

The processing fee for grant of approval/renewal/sharing of mobile BTS

towers levied by the state / local authorities should be restricted to

administrative expenses if any incurred for processing.

v) Installation of base station antennas within the premises of schools and

hospitals may be avoided in future installations because children and

patients may likely to be more susceptible to electro-magnetic fields. In-

door building solution of low wattage may be deployed.

vi) Base station antennas to be away from nearby buildings and above the

ground and roof to ensure compliance to the prevailing radiation limits.

vii) Consent from the owner is required.

viii) State/ local body to give priority for grant of State Electricity Board

connections for cell sites.

ix) Access to base station antenna site to be prohibited for general public by

suitable means such as wire fencing, locking of the door to the roof, etc.

x) The access to tower site for the maintenance personnel be for a minimum

period as far as possible.

xi) Sign boards and warning signs (Danger RF Radiation, Restricted Area,

Don’t enter) are to be provided at base station antenna sites which are

clearly visible and identifiable.

xii) Copy of the siting clearance granted by Dept. of Telecommunication to

service providers to be furnished to state/ local bodies at the time of

seeking approval for installation.

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xiii) Structural Stability Certificate from certified Structural Engineer or from

recognized institute like IITs, NITs, CBRI Roorky and CBM, Faridabad or

any of the recognized govt. institution. The Service providers to file a

fresh structural stability certificate after every 5 years.

xiv) No permission for installation of cell site / base station to be granted on

buildings which are structurally unsafe.

xv) The provision of DG sets used for mobile towers shall be as per the

provisions under Environment (Protection) Act 1986 and the Noise

pollution (Regulation & Control) Rule 2000 as amended from time to

time.

xvi) Design parameters / necessary drawings for installation to be furnished.

xvii) NOC from the concerned authority in case of CRZ area, heritage building,

municipality lease-hold property and cess property

xviii) Confirmation about precautions for fire safety and lightening in cell sites.

xix) The permission of local authorities should be automatic if all the

requirements are met. However, if the local authority decides to have a

prior approval system, then it needs to process the application within a

period of 30 days from the date of submission, in a single window

mechanism. The said application will be deemed to have been approved

after the expiry of aforesaid 30 days, to facilitate faster roll out.

xx) Intimation for installation of new BTS towers to state/ local bodies to be

made either by the Telecom Service Provider (TSP) being a licensee

under section 4 of Indian Telegraph Act OR Infrastructure Provider (IP)

xxi) No State/ Municipality or any other agency would seal or demolish any

cell tower, disconnect cables, power supply etc. or take any such action

which may cause disruption of communication service and effect quality

of service as well except in compliance of provisions of Indian Telegraph

Act 1885.

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Structural safety for towers on roof-top:

i) The design, fabrication, material and erection of mobile towers and the

buildings should conform to relevant BIS provisions in the relevant

areas. (The revised code covers additional earthquake/cyclone

resistant features)

ii) To undertake exercise of inspection of existing buildings / towers in

Seismic Zones III, IV & V by structural engineers in order to ensure

that these are compliant to revised BIS codes in the relevant areas and

to take appropriate retrofitting measures wherever necessary.

iii) To ensure that the new construction in seismically vulnerable zones

follow the norms laid down for safe construction in these areas as per

relevant BIS standards.

iv) To use technology and network architecture that would minimize the

number and size/weight of the BTS towers.

v) To submit self certification for structural compliance in respect of

existing/new towers to respective TERM Cell of DoT within specified

time-limit in the prescribed proforma (Annexure-A).

vi) Service providers/infrastructure providers to obtain requisite

permission from the concerned local authority before installation of

tower and submit a copy of the permission letter to respective TERM

cell before made operational.

vii) All new towers and buildings shall comply with SAFETY PROVISIONS

listed under Annexure A.

viii) To accept the certificate furnished by the infrastructure provider.

However, the responsibility of compliance shall be with service

provider.

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ix) The TERM Cells units at their discretion may test up to 2% of towers

and buildings randomly from IITs, NITs, CBRI Roorky and CBM,

Faridabad or any of the recognized govt. institution. The sites against

which there are public complaints shall also be tested by TERM Cell of

DoT. The cost of the testing shall be borne by the service provider.

x) If a tower/building fails to meet the criteria of relevant BIS provision

specified, suitable penalty provision as per Indian Telegraph Act may

have to be specified.

xi) The details of towers and buildings be hosted on DoT website with

status i.e. self-certified, TERM Cell certified/ not certified etc.

Location of mobile towers in Master Plan:

i) To identify suitable space / area at multiple locations and earmark in

the Master Plan for Cellular Tower Parks in towns and cities in

consultation with the Ministry of Urban Development.

In-building solutions:

i) The traditional BTSs are to be augmented with micro, pico and femto

cellular solutions for better and ubiquitous mobile coverage

ii) The high density urban areas to be well served with multiple low

powered BTSs for better spectrum utilization efficiency and increased

battery life of the handsets.

iii) The high powered towers to be avoided with “energy efficiency

analysis process” by installing Large vs. Small cells i.e. low powered

micro cells, pico cells, femto cells.

iv) In uncovered, isolated, scattered and at small locations provide the

outdoor Distributed Antenna System (DAS )

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v) Avoid use of large number of antennas by individual operators with

neutral host antenna system. DAS protects the ambiance and

aesthetics

vi) In all multiplex complexes both residential and commercial make

provisions of telecom chambers at ground floor having optical fiber/

copper cable / RF cable connectivity to each and every flat and allow

all the service providers to use the same for extending telecom related

facilities i.e. broadband, mobile, landlines and other services.

vii) The responsibility of providing IBS and telecom chamber at the ground

floor to be shared by building owner, solution provider and telecom

service provider in accordance with the policy of the govt.

viii) The provision of IBS as well as subsequent maintenance should be a

part of the specification of the building contract.

ix) To evolve a suitable model for provision of IBS, incorporating in the

National Building Bye-laws as sub-section “Telecom Bye-laws” like

“Fire-Bye” “Earthquake Bye-laws” and “Energy Conservation Bye-laws”

U K Srivastava Gulab Chand G P Srivastava Ram Narayan DDG (R), TEC Dy. WA, WPC DDG(CS) DDG (Security&TERM),

P.K. Panigrahi A.K. Mittal Satya Pal [Sr. DDG (BW)] Sr. DDG (AS) Advisor (Operation) Member Secretary [Chairman]

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Annexure-A (1/4)

Towers 1. Towers of standard heights shall generally conform to applicable GR issued by

Telecommunications Engineering Centre, DoT, New Delhi. The towers not covered under GR issued by TEC, DoT, New Delhi shall be designed from recognized institutions like IITs, NITs, CBRI-Roorkee, etc.

2. The design, fabrication, material and erection of mobile towers shall conform to relevant BIS

provisions in the relevant areas. 3. The roof top tower shall be put on buildings having RCC framed construction. The base

connection to building should be designed from a qualified structural Engineer. A structure safety certificate of the composite structure (Building + Towers) shall be obtained from one of the 31ecognized institutes like IITs, NITs, CBRI-Roorkee, etc. or any of the recognized govt. institutes.

4. The verticality for towers of different heights shall conform to the provisions of IS

12843:1989 viz., + H/1500 or + 25 mm (whichever is less) for towers over 30mtrs height. (H refers to the height of tower).

5. Towers located in highly corrosive environment shall be painted every year. Other towers

shall be painted at least once in five years to give ‘Day warning’ as additional protection and civil aviation specifications.

6. Tower shall be inspected for distortion of members, torques of nuts and bolts at least once

in three years. However, in case of natural calamity, such as cyclone, earthquake, flood, etc. inspection shall be carried out immediately after such incidents.

7. Lightening arrester, provided at the top of the tower, shall be of adequate height so that all

protruding antennas, hoisted on the tower, are protected within its conical safety zone. 8. The earth resistance of the tower earth should be maintained within the prescribed range

and should be checked periodically at least every year. 9. Aviation warning lights installed at the top of the tower as well as at the specified corners

of the tower as per International Civil Aviation Organisation’s guideline and should be checked regularly for good operating condition.

10. The manufacturers’ identity, year of manufacture and the maximum load capacity of tower

shall be displayed at the bottom of the tower.

Buildings

1. The design of buildings shall conform to the latest applicable BIS Code IS 1893 using

importance factor of 1.5 for all types of buildings.

2. The plinth shall be kept above high flood level.

3. The structural analysis, structural drawings, architectural drawings shall be preserved in all structural design units.

4. In case of natural calamity, such as cyclone, earthquake, flood, etc. Inspection shall be

carried out immediately after such incidents and appropriate retrofitting measures shall be taken to keep the buildings compliant to BIS.

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Annexure-A (2/4)

Self Certification format

(Earthquake and Cyclone resistant Buildings and Towers for communication network) Subject: Self Certification of ground based tower / composite structure (roof

top tower + building) for communication network

It is certified that the Ground based tower / composite structure (Rooftop

tower + Building), a part of our communication network and located at ………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(complete address) conforms to ……………………………………………………………………..GR

issued by TEC, DoT / design approved by …………………………………………………………….

(name and address of the Institute, NIT, CBRI Rurkee etc.). The twoer /

composite structure (rooftop tower + building) falling under seismic zone …………

is compliant to the latest BIS code IS 1893 and other provisions envisaged in the

instructions issued by DoT vide no. 800-33/2010-VAS dated ……………….. Dec.

2010. The relevant particulars are as per datasheet enclosed.

Signature

(Authorized signatory)

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Annexure-A (3/4)

(Information to be submitted by the Service Provider / Infrastructure Provider)

Communication Network Structure Datasheet

1. Tower reference No. :

2. Location :

3. Name of the Service Provider :

4. Name of Infrastructure Provider :

5. Height of the Tower (meters) :

a) Ground based tower :

b) Rooftop tower :

i) Tower height :

ii) Building height :

Total composite height :

6. Year of installation :

7. Design wind speed :

8. Load capacity :

9. Earth resistant of the tower :

10.Lightening Arrestor’s details :

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Annexure-A (4/4)

Self Certification Format

(Earthquake and cyclone resistant Building for communication network) Subject: Self certification of building for communication network.

It is certified that the building owned by …………………………………………………located at

…………………………………………………………..……………………………………….……………..(complete

address), a part of communication network falling under seismic zone ………………

is compliant to the latest IS 1893 and other provisions envisaged in the

instructions issued by DoT vide no. 800-33/2010-VAS dated ………………….. Dec.

2010.

Signature

(Authorized Signatory)

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ANNEXURE-B

Concept of DAS (Distributed Antenna System) From: Jt. Wireless Advisor

o