The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) to grant Right of Way (RoW) permissions to licensed telecom service providers, resolving a prolonged dispute over network access within airport premises. The instruction was issued in a letter dated 16 February to Arun Bansal, chief executive officer of Adani Airports Holdings Limited, which operates the airport, and it emphasised compliance with the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecommunications Right of Way Rules, 2024. The DoT set out that the statutory framework mandates non-discriminatory, fair and transparent processing of RoW applications within prescribed timelines.

The move followed complaints from the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) in December 2025, in which major carriers reported difficulties in setting up infrastructure at the airport. NMIA had installed an in-building solution-neutral telecom network for use by operators, but telecom companies said the airport had demanded Rs 441.6 mn per year from each operator to access that network, a charge they described as excessive and costlier than building their own systems. The airport maintained that its rates were in line with those at other public private partnership airports.

The dispute had resulted in limited mobile network coverage inside the terminal, with passengers largely dependent on airport WiFi for connectivity and services such as app-based taxi coordination. Industry sources said Airtel and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had begun trial runs of their networks at the airport as operators prepared to establish equipment. The DoT letter categorised the airport as a public entity under the Act and instructed airport authorities to facilitate establishment of telecom infrastructure in accordance with the statutory framework. A formal response from NMIA was awaited.

The DoT action comes as a similar dispute over access unfolds along the underground Metro three corridor, signalling broader tensions over infrastructure control in the city. The intervention is expected to clear procedural obstacles and allow telecom operators to move forward with network roll out inside the airport.