Trai will issue a consultation paper to specify the average data speed of mobile broadband

Following complaints from consumers on poor broadband speeds over mobile internet networks, Trai has issued a consultation paper exploring the option of making telecom service providers specify a minimum broadband speed for internet access on mobile devices. Trai has noticed a gap between what speeds the technologies could theoretically deliver, and what the consumers were experiencing practically. Telecom service providers had retaliated that it was impossible to assure consumers of a minimum speed, because of the way mobile broadband works. Now, Trai wants to hold telecom service providers accountable for the quality of service they provide to consumers, only through a different metric. Instead of assuring a minimum speed, service providers will be required to assure an average speed. Trai has recently launched the MySpeed application that allows consumers to send information about the quality of a mobile internet connection directly to Trai. Although the application aggregates speed information for service providers in various locations, the send to Trai button in the app is not a direct complaint against the quality of service offered by the service provider. **Reports predict** that average mobile data consumption in India will increase by over five times to 7GB per month by 2021. Trai will issue a consultation paper to begin the process of regulating the average speed provided by mobile broadband service providers, within a month according to a report in the Economic Times.