The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday said it had pushed for laying optic fibre in major cities first before it being taken up in rural areas.

"Our recommendations on National Broadband Plan was to include cities (first) and towns (second). We said that there should be Fibre to Cities, Fibre to Towns and Fibre to Villages. Now, only village portion is being taken up, we need to really push for urban portion. We will try to push (for) that," TRAI Chairman J S Sarma told reporters here.

Elaborating, he said Corporations like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore should take the initiative in laying optic fibre. "The optic fibre network that is being set up right now covers the villages. There is no optic fibre network within the cities," he said.

Sarma said Municipal Corporations can get the funds from the customers as per their usage. "TRAI has estimated that laying of optic fibres across the country would cost about Rs 60,000 crore and optic fibres are such that there is no additional expenditure on them," he said, highlighting their lack of maintenance cost and long life.

"So, (the Municipal Corporations) can get the revenue as per the usage of the customers even for the sums they have spent on relaying the roads," he said, referring to the amount that would be spent on relaying the roads after the optic fibres are laid.

Asked about their proposal on presenting the consultation paper for telecom operators on the exit clause, he said TRAI would take up the issue in a "month or so".