New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunication (DoT), which is the nodal body for regulating the telecom sector in the country, has warned the general public of fraudulent companies and individuals, who dupe the people by promising hefty monthly rental payments for the installation of mobile towers. In a statement, the Department of Telecom said that neither the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) nor the department is involved in leasing or renting any premises for the installation of mobile towers.
The government also said that it does not issue any no-objection certificate (NoC) for the installation of mobile towers. The DoT has issued a public notice to curb such fraudulent activities and also to ensure the public doesn’t fall prey to such offers. The government has also cautioned the public against those fraudsters, who also solicit advance money in the name of telecom companies for the installation of mobile towers.
“No Telecom Service Provider asks for advance money for the installation of the tower,” said the government. Officials said that the public needs to be extra careful and verify the credentials of the company, the agency of the individual, who is asking for advance or for an application fee or for money before the actual installation of the tower. Officials said house owners should verify the authenticity of TSP/IP-1 from the DoT website before they entertain any such requests from these agents as the updated list of TSPs and IP-1 is available on the department’s website.
How do we report such frauds?
If any person comes across any such fraudulent activity, then they may report the incident to local police authorities. People can also contact local units of the department of telecom to report such incidents. Contact details of the local field unit of DoT are available on the website https://dot.gov.in.
DoT’s advisory to public
In a public advisory, the Department of Telecommunication said neither the DoT nor the TRAI is directly or indirectly involved in leasing or renting the premises for the installation of mobile towers. Secondly, DoT, TRAI or its officers do not issue any “No Objection Certificate” for the installation of mobile towers. Officials said a mobile tower may be installed by either Telecom Service Provider (TSP) or Infrastructure Provider (IP-1) as per their licensing and registration conditions. The updated list of TSPs and IP-1 is available on the DoT website i.e. https://dot.gov.in/access-services/list-access-service-licences-issued and https://dot.gov.in/infrastructure-provider respectively. “Any person or entity found fraudulently involved in such activity such as taking advance in the name of installation of mobile towers or if they are using DoT or TRAI’s name or logo or national emblem is liable to be prosecuted under applicable laws,” said the government.
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