TRAI asks telcos to compensate for call drops from Jan 1

For post-paid customers, the details of the credit should be provided in the next bill.

Industry body Cellular Operators Association of India, however, estimates that even half of subscriber base in the country reports this problem then outflow for industry will be to the tune of Rs 150 crore per day. Mathews said the industry will approach the regulator to seek clarity on a host of issues and may even approach the appellate tribunal TDSAT against the TRAI’s decision.

While the federal government and TRAI’s want to make the operators present a service the place calls do not drop is commendable, the newest transfer to impose a Re 1penalty for a dropped call is neither straightforward to implement nor a remedy for the issue.

Portable users will receive a compensation of Re 1 fallen call from January 1, at the same time as the telecom employees cried foul declaring the brand new guidelines may cost them nearly Rs 150 crore a day.

Trai has found no significant improvement in the call drop issue in Mumbai and Delhi as operators are lagging on various fronts in meeting the standards.

“Moreover, despite the heavy operator investments on acquiring spectrum, insufficient tower infrastructure to cater to the ever rising demand is leading to poor quality of service and call drops”, Ernst & Young India Global Telecommunications Leader Prashant Singhal said. It had also conducted drive tests in Mumbai and Delhi in June, July and September, to assess mobile network conditions, specifically radio frequency coverage, network accessibility, and retainability of network, measured by the call drop rate.

With burgeoning complaints from consumers on frequent call drops, Prime Minister Narender Modi also intervened raising concerns on the issue and directed officials to resolve the issue on an urgent basis. Echoing similar views, Prasad said, “As far as the tariff is concerned, under the Trai Act, the regulator is the final authority”.

“We will discuss matters with them to see if they can address our concerns”. Who would be the adjudicating authority in case an operator refuses to acknowledge a dropped call?

“The Vodafone chief was here. My office is monitoring it. I hope the issue of call drops will become a thing of the past at the earliest”, Prasad said.

It has added that it would keep a close watch on the “implementation of the mandate” as well as the measures initiated by the service provider to minimise the problem of dropped calls, saying it “would undertake a review after every six months, if necessary”. Also, if the compensation is being paid for inconvenience resulting from a dropped call, why is it not awarded for the one that receives the call?

“As per norms, operators need to ensure 90 per cent coverage of district headquarters and 30 per cent over blocks”.