How can in-building connectivity standards contribute to India's digital infrastructure goals?

Networks end where users actually are — inside buildings. TRAI's Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations, 2024, operationalised through the Digital Connectivity Rating (DCR) Platform launched on 25 September 2026 [1], makes in-building connectivity a measurable, certified attribute of a property, converting backbone capacity into usable indoor service.

Standardisation: from anecdote to measurement

• Uniform parameters — fibre readiness, mobile network availability, in-building solutions (IBS) and Wi-Fi infrastructure — with benchmarks varying by property category [1].
• A prescribed testing methodology executed through a DCRA mobile app, synchronised with the portal, ends subjective builder claims [1][2].

Correcting information asymmetry in the property market

• Consumers search by name, certificate ID or location, compare properties, and verify digitally signed, QR-coded certificates [1].
• Connectivity thus enters purchase and lease decisions, creating demand-side pull for better infrastructure.

Shifting infrastructure upstream

• Coverage of under-construction properties nudges developers to embed ducts, risers and IBS at design stage [1] — far cheaper than retrofitting.

Complementing the statutory supply side

• The Telecommunications Act, 2023 enables right of way on private property by mutual agreement, treats telecom infrastructure as distinct from the property, and permits IBS within a building [3]. Ratings make refusal costly; the Act makes consent easier.

Limitations to address

• The rating is voluntary, and the property manager selects and pays the rating agency — a conflict familiar from credit rating [1].
• Roughly 23 months elapsed between notification and a working platform, with an interim review and Amendment Regulations, 2026 [4][5].
• Remedies: mandate ratings for government and public buildings to build volume, and publish DCRA-wise score distributions with random re-audits.

In-building standards are the "last fifty metres" of Digital India — the point where BharatNet fibre and 5G spectrum become felt quality of service. If anchored in transparent audit and public-sector adoption, star ratings can do for connectivity what green ratings did for buildings: make invisible quality a market virtue.