Department of Telecommunication cautions Public about ongoing frauds on Mobile Tower Installation

May 22: Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has cautioned public to be safe from unscrupulous companies/agencies/individuals who promise hefty monthly rental payment for installation of Mobile Tower. The Department has informed that neither DoT nor TRAI is involved in leasing/renting the premises for installation of mobile towers. Also, DoT/TRAI or its officers do not issue any “No Objection Certificate” for the installation of mobile towers. DoT has issued a Public Notice in this regard to curb such fraudulent activities and also to ensure public don’t fall prey to such offers.

NO Telecom Service Provider asks for advance money for installation of tower

The public is cautioned to be extra careful and verify the credentials of the company/agency/individual who is asking for advance or for application fee or for money before actual installation of tower. Before they entertain any offer for installation, they should verify the authenticity of TSP/IP-1 from DoT website.

Updated list of TSPs and IP-1 is available on DoT website

• https://dot.gov.in/access-services/list-access-service-licences-issued
• https://dot.gov.in/infrastructure-provider

Where to Report such Frauds?

If any person comes across any such fraudulent activity, he/she may report   the incident to local police authorities.

Local DoT field unit who may be contacted is given below:

It has been brought to the notice of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that some unscrupulous companies/ agencies/individuals cheat general public by promising them hefty monthly rental payment for installation of Mobile Tower etc. Such companies ask public to deposit money in their personal/ companies account under various names such as security deposit/application fee/registration charges/ stamp duty/ government tax under Telecom Act/clearing of the advanced payment etc. for leasing/renting the premises of individuals for installation of Mobile Tower etc. After collecting the money these companies/ individuals/agencies vanish and become unreachable. These companies at times issue fake “No Objection Certificate” for installation of tower in the name of fictitious companies purportedly issued by DoT/ TRAI/ other government departments.

The public at large is hereby informed that:-

1. DoT/ TRAI is not directly or indirectly involved in leasing/renting the premises for installation of mobile towers.
2. DoT/TRAI or its officers do not issue any “No Objection Certificate” for the installation of mobile towers.

A mobile tower may be installed by either Telecom Service Provider (TSP) or Infrastructure Provider (IP-1) as per their licensing/registration conditions. The updated list of TSPs and IP-1 is available on DoT website i.e. https://dot.gov.in/access-services/list-access-service-licences-issued  & https://dot.gov.in/infrastructure-provider respectively. The public are cautioned that before they entertain any offer for installation of tower, they should verify the authenticity of TSP/IP-1 from DoT website.

3. In case any company/agency/individual is asking for advance or for application fee or for money in any form before actual installation of tower, public is hereby cautioned to be extra careful and verify the credentials of the company. Normally, NO TSP or IP-I company asks for any advance money for installation of tower.
4. Any person or entity found fraudulently involved in such activity like (i) taking advance etc. in the name of installation of mobile towers (ii) using DoT/TRAI name/logo/recommendations or national emblem is liable to be prosecuted under applicable laws. If any person comes across any such fraudulent activity then he/she may report the incident to local police authorities. In addition, the local field unit of DoT may also be contacted whose contact details are available on DoT website and accessible at https://dot.gov.in/relatedlinks/director-general-telecom. The contact details of the local DOT field unit who may be contacted is given below:

JTO(Compliance) O/o Sr. Deputy Director General, DoT Mumbai LSA, 5^th Floor, Technical Wing, Saki Vihar Telephone Exch. Bldg., Saki Vihar Road, Andheri(E), Mumbai – 400072. Email: jtoc.mb-dgt-dot@gov.in ; Phone: 022-28472605

5. Any loss/damage on the part of any individual will be the sole responsibility of the individual and DoT has no responsibility toward such loss or damages suffered by such individuals, directly or indirectly, by become victim of such fraudulent actions.