Call drop issue: Govt asks TRAI to seek details from telecom operators as Modi expresses concern

New Delhi: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing concern over call drops, the government has initiated pro-active steps to address the problem, with regulator TRAI being asked to seek details from telecom operators about their infrastructure and capacity to provide effective services. The TRAI will soon ask telecom companies to disclose information related to their services which would be publicised so that customers are aware of capacity of their operator and enable them to choose their service provider. “It is a national concern. While I appreciate the role of telecom operators in the expansion of mobile network in India, it is equally important for them to reinforce the infrastructure so that people may not have the call drop problems,” Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday. “On behalf of the government, we have requested the TRAI to kindly consider the desirability of having a framework in which every operator is required to publicly inform the number of consumers they are having and the capacity of their infrastructure to take load of that number,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_2365958” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Agencies[/caption] Prasad told reporters that the government is quite serious on the issue and even the Prime Minister has expressed his concern over call drops. TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) Chairman R S Sharma told PTI, “First of all they have to disclose this information to us. TRAI has the authority to call for information relating to service, they will provide the information, which we will publish so ultimately public will get the information.” He said the regulator is preparing a status or information paper which gives a detailed analysis of the extent of call drops especially in two cities of Delhi and Mumbai on the basis of data available and the regulator will publish it. “So essentially that will bring out not only the extent of call drops, it will also bring out the potential causes of call drops and therefore the operators what the operators should do will come out of that,” Sharma added. The move is part of DoT’s efforts to curb the menace of call drops and also let people to make a concerted decision while choosing a operator. Modi had last week voiced serious concern over the menace of call drops and asked officials concerned to take urgent steps to address it as it affects the common people. The Prime Minister is believed to have told Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg personally that people get irritated due to call drops and “curse the government” and this needs to be addressed on war-footing, the sources said. Modi is worried that the problem may even affect the data services in the future. The problem of call drops has become rather serious in the last 3-4 months and DoT last week asked the telecom operators to fix it speedily. The operators have sought 30-45 days to address it. DoT has already warned that if the operators fail to address the problem, the government has the option of levying penalty under the licence conditions. According to the sources, Prasad, in a recent internal DoT meeting, said there was lack of investment by operators to enhance their networks which was the main reason for call drops. The minister told reporters that the government is serious and pro-active on the issue and has taken decisions including conducting a special audit of the existing calldrop rates. He said government has taken this initiative and Telecom operators will rise to the occasion and do the needful. On the perception about ill-effects of radiation through mobile towers, Prasad said, “I would appeal to the people of the country that please don’t panic. There is proper WHO report after extensive survey by World Health Organisation which states that this radiation is not dangerous.” “The point I would like to highlight to the country is that complaint against call-drop and campaign against towers cannot go hand in hand. “While government has been pro-active on the issue of policy initiative, I would expect the Telecom operators to do proper investment in infrastructure, the need to optimise and synchronise their resources in infrastructure. It is very important that while the growth of data we appreciate, voice should not become a casuality,” he said. The Minister said that on the policy level, government has taken a lot of initiative and all government buildings must be allowed to have the facility of towers. “Urban Ministry has agreed and written to all chief ministers to have such a policy for giving permission to use of government premises for installation of towers,” he said. PTI