Navi Mumbai Airport gets mobile network connectivity: Key update

March 26, 2026 Headlinesnews

3 min readMar 26, 2026 10:13 PM IST

In a relief to commuters, mobile networks of two of the three major telecom companies have started functioning at the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), with the third to go live in the coming days.

According to sources from the airport and telecom companies, networks of Airtel and Vi have been functional for around a month, with Jio joining the fray by the end of this week.

“Both Vi and Airtel underwent a proof of concept at the airport, testing for their signals, and have been operational at the NMIA for around a month now,” said an official from the NMIA.

A source from Jio said their network would be available in the coming 2-3 days.

Initially, the telecom service providers had refused to plug into the neutral telecom infrastructure at the NMIA as they claimed the latter was demanding high rates – nearly Rs 92 lakh per month per operator, coming up to Rs 44.16 crore annually from them.

The telecom companies claimed it would be cheaper for them to install their own telecom infrastructure in the airport.

The airport, in response, countered saying the in-building solution (IBS) installed was to ensure uninterrupted connectivity across all corners of the airport.

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An agreement on the commercial rates for the mobile network connectivity has not been agreed on, said sources, and commercial rate negotiations continue. “After discussions, we have agreed to connect our network with the IBS system to provide our mobile network free of cost at the NMIA, pending commercial negotiations,” said an official from Jio.

Sources from Airtel also confirmed that a mutually acceptable rate with the NMIA has not been decided yet, even though testing of their signals began at the airport back in January. Sources said the issue would be resolved gradually between the two parties.

The lack of mobile network at the NMIA was a concern, particularly for those departing from the airport at the time of booking app-based taxis to their destinations, as it led to coordination gaps with the drivers.

Passengers could only depend on the airport’s Wifi to reach them, which meant connecting with them only through platforms like WhatsApp.

Sabah Virani is a journalist with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau, covering infrastructure, housing and urban issues. In the realms of technical fields, she brings out human stories and the pace of change ongoing in the city.

Expertise

Specialised Role: Tracking infrastructure in Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Sabah’s reporting tracks progress on various projects. From bridges to metros, she mixes technical details with resourceful information.

Core coverage areas: Sabah keeps a close eye on the activities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and its projects across the MMR, including the metros, road projects, bridges, the bullet train, pod taxi, its role as a planning authority, and more. She also watches for developments from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) and the GoM’s Urban Development department.

Housing: Sabah also tracks developments in housing, particularly the workings of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). She also keeps a keen watch on the big redevelopment projects ongoing in Mumbai, including the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, Motilal Nagar, Kamathipura, BDD Chawl redevelopment, among others.

Occasionally, she reports on the environment, biodiversity, waste, arts and culture.

Experience: Prior to working for the Indian Express, Sabah covered the municipality, civic issues and miscellaneous for Hindustan Times. Before that, she covered all things Mumbai for the online publication Citizen Matters. She has also worked as an editorial assistant at FiftyTwo.in.

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