Under the Telecom Authorisation Rules, 2026, a service area refers to the geographical area for which an authorisation to provide telecommunication services is granted. It may be a national service area, telecom circle or metro Service Area. The national service area covers the whole of India.
However, telecom circles and metro service areas cover specific geographical regions. The complete list of these areas is provided in Schedule B of the Telecom Authorisation Rules 2026. In this blog post, we have compiled the entire list for your easy reference.
Under the Telecom Authorisation Rules 2026, the term “service area” is defined as “the geographical area in respect of which authorisation for provision of telecommunication services is granted, which may be national service area or telecom circle or metro service area.” To put it simply, it is the area where a telecom service provider can operate under its authorisation.
The national service area covers the whole of India, including territorial waters, continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone. Under the Rules, “telecom circle area or metro service area” means “the service areas listed in Schedule B.”
The table below lists the 22 Telecom Circles and Metro Service Areas as provided in Schedule B of the Telecom Authorisation Rules, 2026.:
|
S. No. |
Telecom Circle/Metro Service Area |
Area covered |
|
1. |
West Bengal Service Area |
This Service Area covers the entire area that falls within Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and area that falls within the State of West Bengal and the State of Sikkim. It excludes the areas covered by Kolkata Service Area. |
|
2. |
Andhra Pradesh Service Area |
It covers the entire area that falls within the State of Andhra Pradesh and the State of Telangana. |
|
3. |
Assam Service Area |
The Assam Service Area covers the entire area falling within the State of Assam. |
|
4. |
Bihar Service Area |
It covers the entire area that falls within the State of Bihar and the State of Jharkhand. |
|
5. |
Gujarat Service Area |
This Service Area covers the entire area falling within the State of Gujarat and the Union territory of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. |
|
6. |
Haryana Service Area |
Covers the entire area that falls within the State of Haryana except Panchkula town and the local areas served by Faridabad and Gurgaon Telephone Exchanges. |
|
7. |
Himachal Pradesh Service Area |
Entire area falling within the State of Himachal Pradesh. |
|
8. |
Jammu and Kashmir Service Area |
Covers the entire area that falls within the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Ladakh. |
|
9. |
Karnataka Service Area |
Covers the entire area falling within the State of Karnataka. |
|
10. |
Kerala Service Area |
Entire area that falls within the State of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. |
|
11. |
Madhya Pradesh Service Area |
Entire area that falls within the State of Madhya Pradesh and the State of Chhattisgarh. |
|
12. |
Maharashtra Service Area |
Entire area falling within the State of Maharashtra and State of Goa, excluding areas covered by Mumbai Service Area. |
|
13. |
North East Service Area |
Entire area falling within the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. |
|
14. |
Orissa Service Area |
Entire area falling within the State of Odisha. |
|
15. |
Punjab Service Area |
It covers the entire area that falls within the State of Punjab, the Union territory of Chandigarh and Panchkula town of Haryana. |
|
16. |
Rajasthan Service Area |
This Service Area covers the entire area falling within the State of Rajasthan. |
|
17. |
Tamil Nadu Service Area |
It covers the entire area falling within the State of Tamil Nadu and the Union territory of Puducherry. |
|
18. |
Uttar Pradesh (West) Service Area |
Entire area covered by Western Uttar Pradesh with the following as its boundary districts towards Eastern Uttar Pradesh:
It will exclude the local telephone area of Ghaziabad and Noida. Further, it will include the State of Uttarakhand. |
|
19. |
Uttar Pradesh (East) Service Area |
Entire area covered by Eastern Uttar Pradesh with the following as its boundary districts towards Western Uttar Pradesh:
|
|
20. |
Delhi Service Area |
Local Areas served by Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida and Gurgaon Telephone Exchanges. |
|
21. |
Kolkata Service Area |
It covers the local areas served by Calcutta Telephones Exchanges. |
|
22. |
Mumbai Service Area |
This Service Area covers the local areas served by Mumbai, New Mumbai and Kalyan Telephone Exchanges. |
Also Read: Centre Notifies Telecom Authorisation Rules 2026
Under the Telecom Authorisation Rules, every telecom authorisation is granted for a specific service area. Depending on type of authorisation, the service area may be a national service area, a telecom circle or a metro service area. The national service area covers the whole of India. The telecom circles and metro service areas cover specific geographical regions listed in Schedule B of the Rules. Before applying for a telecom authorisation, businesses should identify the correct service area in which they plan to provide their services.
Planning to start a telecom business but need someone to guide you regarding all the requirements? Get in touch with our telecom consultants at Registrationwala. We will help you choose the right telecom authorisation, understand applicable eligibility/documentation requirements and provide complete support throughout the authorisation process as per latest Telecom Authorisation Rules.
Q1. How many Telecom Circle and Metro Service Areas are there under the Telecom Authorisation Rules?
A. There are a total of 22 Telecom Circle and Metro Service Areas listed in Schedule B of the Rules.
Q2. Which Schedule of Telecom Authorisation Rules provides the complete list of Telecom Circle and Metro Service Areas?
A. The complete list of Telecom Circle and Metro Service Area is provided in Schedule B of Telecom Authorisation Rules.
Q3. How can I provide internet services in a metro service area?
A. To provide internet services in a metro service area, you need to obtain internet service authorisation from the Department of Telecommunications.
Q4. What is a National Service Area under the Telecom Authorisation Rules?
A National Service Area covers the whole of India, including its territorial waters, continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, for the purpose of providing telecommunication services under an authorisation.
Disclaimer:- Please note that this blog post is purely intended for educational purposes. While the author has made every effort on their end to provide our readers with accurate as well as complete information in this post, we cannot guarantee its full accuracy or completeness. We encourage our readers to verify details via official and reliable sources or connect with an experienced telecom consultant for assistance.
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