The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is planning to regularise 1,90,518 poles installed by internet service providers (ISPs) across the city. The move comes after it found that ISPs install infrastructure in excess of the permitted numbers and at unauthorised locations, a press release said.
According to the release, the authorised pole count is distributed among three major providers: Jio with 159,326 poles, Airtel with 31,112, and ACT with 80. Field inspections conducted by the GCC’s Electrical Department identified that several ISPs had bypassed established guidelines, leading to the proposal of stringent penalties.
Based on the rules in a State Government Order, unauthorised poles can be regularised for a one-time fee of ₹2,000, which includes a ₹1,000 base fee and a 100% penalty. For all future installations, the GCC has mandated a ₹1,000 permission fee and a ₹5,000 security deposit per pole to cover potential damage to public property, including street lights.
The responsibility for maintaining the integrity of public infrastructure during installation lies with the respective ISP and telecom service provider (TSP) companies. While companies may relocate poles to alternative sites owing to space or administrative constraints, the total number of poles must not exceed the sanctioned count, the release added.
Published – February 02, 2026 08:03 pm IST
