TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ Indian Railways is in talks with Reliance Jio Infocomm to allow the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom major’s use of its towers. The aim is seamless mobile and internet connectivity for passengers along the 67,368-km of tracks. The Railway Board has entrusted its RailTel Corporation arm to work on the modalities with Jio.
The Railways has around 900 towers across the country – a little over 500 under the traditional microwave system and 300-400 for mobile radio communication. Jio got, with effect from January 1, 2019, the contract for the corporate account of IR, which has around 195,000 connections. The national transporter used to pay around Rs 100 crore for this in a year.
The Jio tie-up is expected to bring down its telecom bill by at least 35 per cent from this financial year.“One major constraint for passengers and officials is the lack of un-interrupted network along the tracks. “Traditionally, telecom providers were focused on ensuring services along roads. “Hence, we have asked Jio to make use of the towers we have, which will be useful for nearby areas as well,” said a source.
