State-run transmission utility Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) is planning to lease out space on its power transmission towers to independent tower firms or mobile service providers.  The company’s board recently approved the proposal to this effect, said S K Chaturvedi, CMD PGCIL .

The study is being undertaken to see if there would be any interference or any other issues by leasing out their transmission towers for mobile services, he said. PowerGrid has about 150,000 power transmission towers and about 70 per cent of these are located in semi-urban and rural areas. With the Indian telecom industry adding 14-15 million subscribers monthly and the entry of new operators, companies are looking to share infrastructure and save costs. A telecom tower costs about Rs 10-15 lakh.

PowerGrid diversified into the telecom sector about four years ago. It offers end-to-end leasing of bandwidth to telecom operators, through its overhead transmission infrastructure. It has a fibre-optic network of 20,000 km. By the end of the 11th Plan (2012), the company is likely to have a network length of close to 30,000 km.  The PGCIL earned Rs 150 crore of revenues from services to telecom sector.
Business Standard

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