"Telecom firms allege Adani-run Navi Mumbai airport blocking network system, urges Centre to step in", 2 Jan 2026

The Cellular Operators Association of India, representing Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, claimed ‘monopolistic arrangements’ by the operator.

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Alleging that Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited has denied Right of Way permissions needed to deploy infrastructure at the new airport to provide cellular services to travellers, telecom operators have sought the intervention of the Union government, The Hindu reported on Wednesday. Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited, the operator of the recently opened Navi Mumbai airport, is owned by Adani Group subsidiary Adani Airport Holding Limited. Right of Way permissions are approvals allowing entities such as telecom companies to use public or private land for installing infrastructure or for public access. In a letter to the Department of Telecommunications on Tuesday, the Cellular Operators Association of India alleged “monopolistic arrangements” by the Navi Mumbai airport operator. The association represents India’s largest telecom companies Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.

.. The allegations come amid an image widely shared on social media showing a display board at the Navi Mumbai airport informing passengers that mobile signals for Jio, Airtel and Vi may not be available in the area and that they could instead use the airport Wi-Fi. ..The letter stated that Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited had conferred upon itself exclusive Right of Way permissions under the guise of being a “neutral host”, adding that such “monopolist arrangements” were not permissible under the law. This “exclusive arrangement” effectively forecloses competition and compels all licensed telecom service providers to operate through a single entity at “extortionary charges, thereby undermining competition, consumer choice and regulatory neutrality”, it added. Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited denied the allegations, claiming that the airport is a sensitive zone. It added that frequent servicing, maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure was best managed by it, The Hindu reported...