Commuters travelling on Mumbai’s 33.5-km Aqua Line may soon experience uninterrupted mobile and internet services again after the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) issued a joint Letter of Acceptance (LoA) to Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea for providing telecom connectivity across the metro corridor.
The decision is being viewed as a major step toward resolving the nearly two-month-long network blackout that affected passengers travelling on the underground metro route. The LoA was issued on May 15 following a joint proposal submitted by the three telecom operators after an earlier tender process failed to attract any bidders for the In-Building Solutions (IBS) infrastructure project.
According to the arrangement, the three telecom companies will divide the management responsibilities of the IBS infrastructure across the Aqua Line’s 27 stations among themselves. The agreement is expected to remain valid for the next 25 years. As part of the conditions, the telecom operators have also been directed to provide network access to state-run BSNL within six months, with the deadline reportedly set for November.
The connectivity disruption began earlier this year after MMRC terminated its contract with IBS provider Aces India in March. The contract was cancelled after the company reportedly failed to onboard at least three telecom service providers, which was considered necessary for ensuring seamless network access across the route. Following the termination, MMRC floated a fresh tender on March 20 seeking another IBS provider, but the process failed to receive any response.
During the same period, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea had jointly approached MMRC Managing Director Ashwini Bhide requesting that the IBS infrastructure be handed directly to Reliance Jio Infocomm. The telecom companies argued that the Right of Way charges imposed by MMRC were excessively high and could negatively affect the timely deployment of telecom infrastructure along the route.
However, MMRC maintained that it could not favour any single telecom company in a market that includes multiple service providers. The corporation clarified that any approved infrastructure arrangement must support all current and future telecom operators equally. After the tender process failed to attract bidders, MMRC reportedly consulted both state and central government authorities regarding the next course of action. The issuance of the joint Letter of Acceptance to the three telecom companies was subsequently finalised as a practical solution to restore connectivity for Aqua Line commuters.