TRAI releases draft manual on rating of properties, seeks stakeholder views

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the draft manual for assessing property ratings for digital connectivity. According to the telecom regulator, the rating manual will enable the Digital Connectivity Rating Agencies (DCRAS) to adopt a uniform assessment methodology for rating properties.

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

The full text of the draft manual is available on TRAI's website.

Digital connectivity is vital to the way we live and work.

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

Citing unnamed reports, TRAI said maximum data consumption happens inside buildings. Therefore, digital connectivity has become crucial in buildings, especially for 4G and 5G networks, which use high-frequency bands to deliver high-speed data rates. Still, they get attenuated due to walls and building materials.

In major step to address issues of digital connectivity inside buildings, the telecom regulator has submitted recommendations to the Government on "Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity" on February 20, 2023.

TRAI said the recommendations aim to create an ecosystem for co-creating Digital Connectivity Infrastructure (DCI) as part of any development activity.

Further to the above recommendations, TRAI also released the regulation "Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations, 2024" on October 25, 2024, to introduce a framework for rating properties for digital connectivity and promote the creation of good digital connectivity through a collaborative and self-sustainable approach.

With these latest recommendations, a property with better ratings will attract more users, buyers, or investors and thereby add value to it.

TRAI proposed that the properties be evaluated based on defined parameters in the regulation, such as fiber readiness, mobile network availability, in-building solutions, Wi-Fi infrastructure, service performance, etc.

"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," TRAI said.

"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," TRAI added.

The stakeholders are invited to submit their comments and feedback, by June 2, 2025, at the latest, and counter comments by June 9, 2025.