TRAI Releases Draft Manual
on Rating of Properties under “Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations,
2024” for Comments of Stakeholders
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) has released the draft manual for assessment of rating of properties for
digital connectivity under the “Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations,
2024” on 13th May 2025. The rating manual will enable adoption of uniform
assessment methodology by the Digital Connectivity Rating Agencies (DCRAs) for rating
of properties. It will also provide a standard reference for the Property Managers
(PMs) for creation of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) in their properties.
The full text of the draft manual is available on TRAI’s website at www.trai.gov.in.
2. Digital connectivity is vital to the way
we live and work. The exponential growth in digitalization during last decade has
revolutionised the world impacting everything, from economy, innovation, science,
and education, to health, sustainability, governance, and lifestyle. Digital technologies
are fundamentally changing business models, institutions, and the society as a whole.
3. As per reports, maximum data consumption
happens inside buildings and therefore in-buildings digital connectivity has become
crucial especially for 4G and 5G networks which uses high frequency bands for delivering
high speed data rates, but they get attenuated due to walls and building materials.
4. In major step to address issues of digital
connectivity inside buildings, the Authority has submitted recommendations to the
Government on “Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity” on 20th
February 2023. The recommendations are aimed to create an ecosystem for co-creations
of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) as a part of any development activity.
5. Further to above recommendations, TRAI
has also released the regulation “Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity
Regulations, 2024" on 25th October 2024 to bring a framework for
rating of properties for digital connectivity to promote creation of good digital
connectivity through a collaborative and self-sustainable approach.
A property with better ratings shall attract
more users, buyers or investors and thereby add value to the properties.
6. The draft rating manual provides a methodology
to assess the digital connectivity of properties and areas across various categories.
Properties shall be evaluated based on defined parameters in the regulation such
as fiber readiness, mobile network availability, in-building
solutions and Wi-Fi infrastructure, service performance etc.
7. The rating manual will serve as a structured
framework designed to ensure a fair, transparent, and standardized approach to assessing
digital connectivity under the provisions of the regulation. This document provides
a comprehensive guide for all stakeholders involved in implementation and assessment
of digital connectivity in properties and areas, including Digital Connectivity
Rating Agency (DCRA), Property Manager (PM), and Service Providers.
8. A structured rating system enables prospective
tenants and buyers to compare properties based on their connectivity rating, ensuring
they choose locations with the best digital infrastructure.
9. The stakeholders are invited to submit
their comments and feedback on draft Manual, in the format provided in the Annexure-I,
latest by 2nd June 2025 and counter comments
by 9th June 2025. The format is also available at the last page
of the draft manual.
10. For any clarification pertaining to the
draft manual, Shri Tejpal Singh, Advisor (QoS-I) TRAI may be contacted on email:
adv-qos1@trai.gov.in or at Tel. No. +91-11-20907759.
(Atul Kumar Chaudhary)
Secretary, TRAI
Annexure - I
Template for submitting Comments or Feedback
[Comments on each clause/ sub-clause/
table/ figure, etc. be stated on a fresh row. Information/ comments should include
reasons for comments and suggestions for modified wordings of the clause.]
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Justification
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