Centre issues draft manual on rating of properties for better digital connectivity

New Delhi, May 14
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the draft manual for assessment of rating of properties for better digital connectivity.

The exponential growth in digitalisation during last decade has revolutionised the world impacting everything, from economy, innovation, science, and education, to health, sustainability, governance, and lifestyle.

Digital technologies are fundamentally changing business models, institutions, and the society as a whole, according to Ministry of Communications.

The rating manual will enable adoption of uniform assessment methodology by the Digital Connectivity Rating Agencies (DCRAs) for rating of properties.

It will also provide a standard reference for the Property Managers (PMs) for creation of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) in their properties.

Properties will be evaluated based on defined parameters in the regulation such as fiber readiness, mobile network availability, in-building solutions and Wi-Fi infrastructure, service performance etc, according to TRAI.

As per reports, maximum data consumption happens inside buildings and, therefore, in-buildings digital connectivity has become crucial especially for 4G and 5G networks which uses high frequency bands for delivering high speed data rates, but they get attenuated due to walls and building materials.

In major step to address issues of digital connectivity inside buildings, TRAI submitted recommendations to the government on “Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity”.

The recommendations are aimed to create an ecosystem for co-creations of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) as a part of any development activity.

“A property with better ratings shall attract more users, buyers or investors and thereby add value to the properties,” said the Authority.

The rating manual will serve as a structured framework designed to ensure a fair, transparent, and standardised approach to assessing digital connectivity under the provisions of the regulation.

A structured rating system enables prospective tenants and buyers to compare properties based on their connectivity rating, ensuring they choose locations with the best digital infrastructure.