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If you remember, there were talks of telecom companies paying subscribers one rupee each for every call drop up to thrice a day. However, telecom companies say that they are still waiting for court directions before rolling out the compensation. Nonetheless, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has written letters to telecom operators, reminding them to compensate subscribers for dropped calls from January 1. 
 
"It is expected that you would have taken all necessary steps to implement provisions of the regulations," stated the letter as per ET. TRAI opines that since there was no stay on its decision, the telcos should comply with it. 
 
The next date of hearing is scheduled for January 6 after which TRAI would take coercive actions against defaulters. 
 
<a href="http://www.networkedindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/mobile-towers-call-drops.jpeg">Image source</a>

TRAI reminds telecom operators to compensate customers for call drops

Finally the government is upping its ante against mobile operators over call drops, which have off-late become an irritant for Indian mobilephone users. 
 
The government is mulling to direct operators to return the money charged for the dropped calls or throw in extra airtime to compensate for deficient services. 
Indian users, who have emerged as the world’s second-biggest market, behind China, are vexed due to call drops. 
 
The service quality has been deteriorating due to low call rates and fast adoption of internet on mobile. 
 
"The idea is to ensure that a customer is not made to pay for a deficiency on the part of an operator," a key official in the telecom ministry told Times of India. 
 
The official added that the ministry was "working aggressively" on the issue, especially as call drops became a regular phenomenon in choked networks of metros. 
 <keyword id="2419779" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="telecom-minister-Ravi-Shankar-Prasad">Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad</keyword> has been raising the issue of call drops time and again. "Call drops need to be minimised. Private operators need to reinforce their mechanism. I have directed officials in the telecom department to work on a disincentive architecture (for the operators) to address the issue," Prasad said while speaking at a conference on completion of one year of the NDA government. 
 
The official source told TOI that the ministry also planned to rope in sectoral regulator TRAI on the issue. 
 
"We plan to find a solution soon. It could be as early as the next six months," the source told the news daily, without giving further details. 
 
TOI reported that TRAI’s customer satisfaction survey related to mobile services failed to recognise the issue of call drops and poor broadband connectivity. 
However, as per experts, making operators pay for call drops may not be that easy. 
 
"There needs to be a mechanism in place to recognize when a call is dropped due to network issues. Also, there should be a way to confirm this so that the customer is 
aware of the deficiency," a telecom industry expert told TOI. 
 
Meanwhile, operators blame the lack of adequate spectrum and problems related to erection of mobile towers for the growing network congestion and call drops. 
 
CEO of Bharti Airtel, Gopal Vittal, said that they faced a stiff resistance in installation of mobile towers and needed more spectrum to handle the additional traffic on mobile networks. 
 
But some mobile operators have decided to address the issue and are compensating customers for dropped calls. 
 
TOI reported that Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications doesn't charge a customer for the outgoing mobile pulse where the call gets disconnected due to network problems. Similarly, Uninor gives a minute of free talk time within 24 hours for disconnections during a call. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Frustrated by call drops? Soon, mobile operators may compensate you for it

A survey done by the <keyword id="62528" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Department-of-Telecom">Department of Telecom</keyword> (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/DoT">DoT</a>) has revealed that around 60% mobile users in India still face frequent call drops, with a majority of them experiencing this problem indoors. DoT surveyed 3.56 lakh subscribers, out of which 2.15 lakh (about 60%) said that they had frequent call drops. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/latest/reliance-jio-underreported-revenue-by-rs-64-cr-claims-draft-audit-report/articleshow/57531731.cms">Reliance Jio underreported revenue by Rs 64 cr, claims draft audit report</a> For this survey, DoT had contacted 26.97 lakh subscribers of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/law-order/Telecom-companies-have-a-penalty-of-Rs-2513-crore-for-violating-customer-verification-norms/articleshow/50110469.cms">various telecom operators</a>, out of which only 3.56 lakh subscribers agreed to participate. The department also claimed that there has been a reduction of 7% in overall call drops between December 2016 and March 2017. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Vodafone-and-Tata-pay-pay-over-Rs-12000-Cr-to-DoT-for-spectrum-purchase/articleshow/54958923.cms">Vodafone and Tata pay pay over Rs 12,000 Cr to DoT for spectrum purchase</a> The feedback has been shared with the telecom service providers (TSPs) so that they can take timely corrective action. They have also been asked to submit the action taken report (ATR) to DoT Task Force twice a month. The statement from DoT said that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/small-business/tech/amidst-rising-demand-for-data-indian-telcos-want-as-much-4g-spectrum-as-possible/articleshow/57851476.cms">telecom operators</a> have planned 987 new sites and boosters, having already installed and commissioned 109 of them. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/TRAI-sends-letters-to-telecom-operators-reminding-them-to-compensate-customers-for-call-drops/articleshow/50436405.cms">TRAI reminds telecom operators to compensate customers for call drops</a>

More than half of Indian mobile users face call drops, reveals DoT Survey

Indian mobile phone operators have warned that if they have to compensate their subscribers for call drops, they would be forced to increase their voice and data tariffs. 
 
Telcos are of the opinion that they are already investing a lot in 3G and 4G services, which is why they will not be able to bear the additional costs without any measures. They are also under pressure of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Telcos-may-need-to-shell-out-more-for-site-installations/articleshow/50452437.cms">increasing tower-installation costs</a>. 
 
"Any increase in operator costs, of which penalties are a part, puts upward pressure on tariffs," Rajan S Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India, told ET. COAI represents telecom companies operating on GSM tech such as Airtel, Vodafone and Idea. Companies using CDMA or dual technology, such as Tata and Reliance, are represented by the Association of Unified Service Providers of India (AUSPI). 
 <keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="TRAI">TRAI</keyword> has also got <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/TRAI-gets-government-support-regarding-call-drop-compensation-debate/articleshow/50451971.cms">the support of government</a> after it reminded the mobile companies of the impending <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/TRAI-reminds-telecom-operators-to-compensate-customers-for-call-drops/articleshow/50436405.cms">compensation roll outs</a> of Rs 1 for up to three calls a day. The compensation were expected to begin from January 1st but the mobile companies have said that they would wait for the court’s final decision before that. 
 
<a href="http://www.cellphonebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/call_tariff_hike_ubsln.jpg">Image source</a>

Telcos attempt an even deal; threaten to raise tariffs if call drop fine imposed

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=trai">Telecom Regulatory Authority of India</a> (TRAI) is going to examine whether telcos cause <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=call+drops">call drops</a> deliberately for some tariff plans to make more money. 
 
Telecom secretary Rakesh Garg said some <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=telecom+operators">telecom operators</a> have a system of giving free calls for <keyword id="6395111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="call-drops">call drops</keyword>. “We have asked the TRAI whether this can be made mandatory for all operators and to also examine if there are any tariff plans which incentivise call drops," he said. 
 
But, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bharti+airtel">Bharti Airtel</a> CEO Gopal Vittal had dismissed the notion and expressed that in an era of per-second billing, operators stood to gain little by making subscribers redial numbers after call drops. 
 
But, the government rejected the claim by telecom operators that problems in setting up telecom towers were to be blamed for call drops. 
 
"How can anyone say so? The incidence of call drops has worsened in about the last seven months and it isn't as though they are facing problems in putting up towers in the last seven months," the secretary said. 
 
During a meeting with telecom industry CEOs, Garg shared the findings of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=department+of+telecommunications">Department of Telecommunications</a>' internal audit committee, which found that lack of network optimisation, inadequate investment in networks and the inability to deal with an explosion of data growth were the main causes for the deteriorating quality of services. 
 
Meanwhile, Garg said <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ravi+shankar+prasad">Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad</a> had already written to chief ministers to ease rules of installing towers. 
 
"There can't be a legislation for everything. We need to do this through discussion and persuasion. Towers have long been installed in this country without legislation and we are ready to help operators in their attempts to install more towers," he said. 
 
On August 17, during a joint news conference by three leading telecom industry bodies, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=vodafone">Vodafone</a> India CEO Sunil Sood had maintained that there was nothing more that operators could do to 'fix' the situation and the incidence of call drops would only rise if the government did not help the industry in setting up new towers and controlling fears related to radiation. 
 
They also termed call drops as normal as operators were making the transition from 2G and 3G networks to 4G. 
 
But, the government's audit found that operators aren't investing sufficiently in 2G voice networks in the 1800 MHz band and were instead focusing on offering high-speed <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=4G">4G data services</a> in this band. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Are telecom companies knowingly fleecing customers via call drops?

Mukesh Ambani-led <keyword id="6354504" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Reliance-Jio">Reliance Jio</keyword> Infocomm is going to ask for additional points of intersection during its meeting with Bharti <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword>, <keyword id="6354923" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vodafone-India">Vodafone India</keyword> and <keyword id="6354924" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Idea-Cellular">Idea Cellular</keyword>. 
 
As per reports, Reliance Jio users are facing call drops issue due to which the telecom player is going to ask for additional points of intersection in an one-on-one meeting with the top three incumbent telcos. 
 
In return of additional intersection points, the incumbent players are expected to demand for a mobile termination charge higher than the 14 paise/minute fixed by the sectoral watchdog due to the huge inbound traffic from Jio. 
 
Reliance Jio may ask for around 7,000 additional points of intersection on an immediate basis. 
 Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (<keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TRAI">TRAI</keyword>) had asked Reliance Jio and top three incumbent players to resolve the interconnect matter. 
 
The TRAI warned it would intervene if quality of services declines and consumers suffer. 
 
But, the top three telcos said they would provide additional PoIs as needed, they are in no mood to give in to Jio's demands for additional PoIs on the latter's terms. 
 
Last month, Jio had demanded 12,500 intersection points from the top three incumbents to initially meet the needs of 22 million customers, but the GSM biggies only released 1,400 PoIs to the 4G entrant. 
 
"We understand that the PoIs provided by us to Reliance Jio is about double of what they need based on the current exchange of traffic with all other operators in India. Having said that, we have invited Reliance Jio for a discussion to understand their additional requirements and will be happy to provide more PoIs," an Airtel spokesperson told ET over email. 
 
"Our current allocation of PoIs would in normal circumstances cater to 4.65 million such subscribers, indicating a buffer of 57% in calling capacity, (but) Idea has now decided to proactively, expand capacity with Jio to over 6.5 million subscribers, with the release of 196 additional POIs, shortly,” Idea told ET.

Airtel, Idea, Vodafone may give additional points of intersection to Reliance Jio but only on one condition

To deal with the ongoing call drop menace, India’s biggest telcos, <keyword id="6354287" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> and <keyword id="15492" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vodafone">Vodafone</keyword>, are going to implement a software solution called Self Optimising Network (SON) technology. This would also improve the overall network stability across India. 
 Both Airtel and Vodafone have partnered with networking major Cisco for <keyword id="3223200" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="son-technology">SON technology</keyword>, which would promise to significantly improve voice call quality and reduce dropped call rates. They would also get higher data speed and better accessibility. 
 
As per latest order from TRAI, mobile operators have to check call drops in the industry regulator, and have to compensate their subscribers Re 1 for each call dropped, for up to 3 calls a day. 
 
Airtel is deploying SON technology across its entire spectrum, be it 2G, 3G or 4G, while Vodafone has deployed SON over one-third of its network, but only for the 3G technology. 
 
<a href="http://www.ghanaclass.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/man_holding_phone_pixabay.jpg">Image source</a>

SON technology would help Airtel and Vodafone tackle call drops

The <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> said the order by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (<keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TRAI">TRAI</keyword>) asking telecom service providers to pay for <keyword id="6395111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="call-drops">call drops</keyword> was unreasonable and struck it down. 
 
Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman said the TRAI notification was unreasonable, arbitrary and non-transparent. 
 During the hearing, the <keyword id="6379816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telecom-operators">telecom operators</keyword> said TRAI decision was a populist measure to accommodate consumers as call drops were happening for host of external considerations not attributable to them. 
 
The TRAI argued that the penalising for call drops was the least invasive way to deal with the issue and the telecos were making money from it. 
 
Meanwhile, the Apex Court has asked the Indian government to make a law on call drops similar to those in the US. 
 
The Cellular Operators' Association of India had approached the court challenging the Delhi High Court order which had upheld TRAI decision. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Telecos will not compensate for call drops as Supreme Court strikes down TRAI order

Ever wondered why your calls made from your <keyword id="15492" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Vodafone">Vodafone</keyword> network drop so much? Vodafone subscribers in <keyword id="66" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Delhi">Delhi</keyword> have been hassled with poor voice quality, frequent call drops and bad network coverage over the last few months. 
 Vodafone CEO <keyword id="958297" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sunil-Sood">Sunil Sood</keyword> addressed this issue in a press conference on Vodafone's FY14-15 results in Delhi. 
 
He said the hitch is limited to the Delhi circle, and clarified it is only because of the company had to change its operating frequency range. The previous license had expired, and the transition caused the inconvenience. "I cannot close down my network for a day and change the frequency", he said. "It is like changing tyres of a car while it's moving", Sood added. The switch may take a few months. Meanwhile, there's little to make up for the poor service and network congestion subscribers are facing. 
 Earlier this month Telecom Minister <keyword id="6354886" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ravi-Shankar-Prasad">Ravi Shankar Prasad</keyword> had announced that Vodafone and Aircel are not meeting benchmarks for dropped calls in the Delhi circle. The current rate is less than or equal to 3%. 
 
Drop calls might happen due to technical problems with the telecom company, local environment or specific problems with the phone itself. 
 The <keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="TRAI">TRAI</keyword> may soon announce new parameters to improve quality of service for telecom companies. This might help tackle call dropping. 
 
Vodafone in one of the most prominent telecom companies in India with around 184 million subscribers across India. 
 
(Image credit: Economic Times)

Vodafone CEO Sunil Sood tells you
why your calls get dropped

<ul><li>India has dropped down to 9th position in terms of number of <keyword id="2232456" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="spam-calls">spam calls</keyword> received by users globally. Brazil is the most spammed country in the world.</li><li>Meanwhile, <keyword id="6354766" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat">Gujarat</keyword>, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are the most spammed states in India.</li></ul>India has dropped down to 9th position in terms of number of spam calls received by users globally, while Brazil continues to stay on top. Spam calls received by users in India have decreased by 34%. Meanwhile, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are the most spammed states in India. The findings are a part of <keyword id="1106616" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TrueCaller">Truecaller</keyword>'s <keyword id="10396638" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="annual-insights-report">annual Insights Report</keyword> that listed the Top 20 Countries Affected by Spam Calls in 2020. This is the fourth edition of the report wherein there has been a significant shift in the ranking of countries that received the most spam calls. With the pandemic breaking out earlier this year and countries going into lockdown, this year’s report has shown that not only has the pandemic affected communication behaviour but also spam patterns around the world. A closer look at spam calls in India According to the report, India has dropped down to 9th position in terms of number of spam calls received by users globally, while Brazil continues to stay on top. Spam calls received by users in India have decreased by 34%. Despite a reduction in the amount of spam calls received, India still makes it into the top 10 most spammed countries. One of the most interesting revelations that came from this year’s report was that 98.5% of all spam calls in India originate from domestic numbers, which could partly explain why spam calls have been decreasing in India, as strict curfews implemented in the country earlier this year made it impossible for telemarketers to go to work, or utilise the equipment they need to carry out large scale spam campaigns. Another interesting insight is that the first three months of lockdown in India saw calls to emergency services increase by 148%. With regard to spam call categorisation, operators continue to be the top spammers in India with 52% user calls received for the upselling of various offers and reminders. However, the study also witnessed telemarketing services emerging as big spammers, recording a total of 34%. The following graph highlights the top spammed states in India. This level of granular data for India is new to the 2020 report. Gujarat emerged as the state that received the most spam calls in 2020, followed closely by Maharashtra. We also noted that the largest cities contributed a majority share of spam for the respective state they are in. Other key trends ● Truecaller found that spam reached its lowest point in April when strict curfews and lockdowns were implemented worldwide. The overall volume of calls also dipped during this period. However, from this point, reports of scammers taking advantage of the uncertainty around the pandemic emerged. In May, spam calls started to pick up again and have been increasing on average by 9.7% per month. ● October this year was the record high in terms of spam calls. It was 22.4% higher compared to pre-lockdown. ● The biggest increase of spam calls comes from Europe and the US - where Hungary has seen the biggest jump (1132%), followed by Germany (685%), Belgium (557%) and Romania (395%). ● An escalation of <keyword id="6206915" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="scam-calls">scam calls</keyword> and robocalls around the world is expanding their share within the most common spam categories. Scammers taking advantage of the pandemic is a primary reason for the increase of scam calls. ● Earlier this year, Truecaller had released the 6th edition of our US Spam &amp; Scam Report, where 56 million Americans reported having lost money to phone scams, and an estimated $19.7 billion USD was lost to scam calls. Of those who lost money to phone scams in the past, the average reported loss was $351 (up from $244 in 2019) and 61.5% got duped because of a robocall. ● Indonesia slipped down the list to 6th position as spam calls have reduced by 34% this year, going from 27.9 spam calls per month to 18.3. However, financial services upselling various offers continue to plague the country, as can be seen by its 52% share of total spam. Scam calls also remain to be a problem in Indonesia (9%). ● The most alarming trend in the UK is that scam calls account for more than one-third of the top spammers. From April (after the lockdown was eased) to October, scam calls have increased with 59% and sales calls have seen an increase of 48%. ● Spam calls in Mexico have decreased significantly (40%) this year. Last year, Mexicans would receive on average 25.7 spam calls, and this year it has dropped to 15.5. However, Mexico remains the 2nd most spammed country in Latin America. Top spammers in Mexico continue to come from financial services (27%) and debt collector groups (24%). ● Another devastating fact related to India, is that 8 out of 10 women in India receive sexual harassment or inappropriate calls and SMS regularly. ● This is the first time Vietnam enters the list of the most spammed countries in the world. In the past 12 months, spam calls in Vietnam have increased by 182%. The majority of the spam calls come from financial services (45%), while scam calls, with an increase of 31%, are flooding the country. ● Belgium rounds out the list of new European entrants to the top spammed list that has experienced exponential growth in spam calls. ● Last year, Peru was the 2nd most spammed country in the world. With a sharp decrease of spam calls (59%), Peru has now dropped down to 14th position. However, Peru still ranks as one of the most spammed countries (4th) in Latin America.

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have received the most number of spam calls in India in 2020

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Telecom">Telecom</a> regulator <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Telecom+Regulatory+Authority+of+India">TRAI</a> has rejected pleas from Indian telcos not to compensate customers for call drops. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Telecom">Telecom</a> companies flagged several problems in implementing the regulations and warned that mobile tariffs would go up. 
 
However, India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Telecom">telecom</a> authorities have rejected the argument. 
 "The issues raised in your representation have already been considered by the Authority before issuing the regulations and, therefore, your request to withdraw the <keyword id="3128915" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Telecom-Consumers-Protection">Telecom Consumers Protection</keyword> (Ninth Amendment) Regulations, 2015 has not been agreed to by the Authority," <keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="TRAI">TRAI</keyword> said in separate letters to COAI and AUSPI. 
 
COAI and AUSPI represent all GSM and CDMA operators in the country. 
 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Telecom+Regulatory+Authority+of+India">Telecom Regulatory Authority of India</a> (TRAI) last month mandated that <keyword id="6354776" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Telecom">telecom</keyword> companies from January 1 should compensate users at the rate of Rs 1 per dropped call, with a ceiling of three dropped calls per day. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Telcos have to pay you
for call drops

If you are a mobile phone user, you may be well aware of what a <keyword id="593157" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="call-drop">call drop</keyword> is. The problem is increasing day-by-day with almost every call you make. Concerned about the issue, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Prime+Minister+Narendra+Modi+">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Finance-Minister-Arun-Jaitley-still-wants-Goods-and-Services-Tax-by-April-2016/articleshow/48880656.cms">Finance Minister Arun Jaitley</a> came down heavily on telcos, on Wednesday during a cabinet meet, for rising call drops. 
 
Both of them supported the telecom department's move on 'punitive measures' to be taken against erring <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=telecom+companies">telecom companies</a>. 
 The <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">prime minister</keyword> also asked the department to make sure that telecom operators revamp their networks in order to tackle the growing menace. 
 
Jaitley is believed to have expressed his displeasure on the matter. "Jaitley said it was increasingly becoming difficult to make calls through mobile phones, forcing users like him to use the land line instead," a person privy to the meeting told ET. 
 
In about 15 days, this is the second time that Modi has brought up the call drops issue. In an August 25 review of the progress of digital and rural infrastructure and connectivity sectors, he had directed officials to address the issue immediately. 
 
What are the reasons for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=call+drops">call drops</a>? The government has found the primary cause for call drops to be the reluctance of operators to optimise their networks, while the industry maintains that the main reason is the difficulty in installing more towers to service customers. 
 
Operators have said they find it hard to put up towers due to lack of sites or exorbitantly high rentals. A <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=radiation+">radiation</a> scare has also led to growing disapproval from resident welfare associations for setting up towers. 
 
The PM and the FM's remarks come when the telecom regulator is trying to find ways to compensate users for the increasingly poor quality of telecom networks. The regulator on Friday floated a consultation paper on the matter. 
 <keyword id="137896" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="TRAI-chief">TRAI chief</keyword> meets Telecom CEOs: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Telecom+Regulatory+Authority+of+India+">Telecom Regulatory Authority of India</a> Chairman RS Sharma met with CEOs of telecom companies on Wednesday to discuss the matter. 
 
Sharma said the regulator will conduct fresh tests across India over the next fortnight to check whether mobile operators are doing their bit to reduce call drops, stepping up monitoring of the critical issue of failing service quality. 
 
"We will disclose the results of fresh drive tests in 15 days," Sharma said after his meeting with the CEOs. The drive tests would be "conducted during peak hours" to identify coverage gaps in an operator's network, Sharma said. 
 
A drive test is typically conducted in a moving vehicle loaded with gear to continuously make cellphone calls to verify if mobile operators meet network-related benchmarks. 
 
The results of the upcoming drive tests will be critical in establishing whether calls fail due to coverage gaps in the absence of towers or if they were induced by network congestion or even as a result of interference caused by mobile towers in close proximity to each other. 
 Asked if <keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="TRAI">TRAI</keyword> would suggest financial disincentives to penalise telcos that fail the drive tests, Sharma said, "We will cross the bridge when we come to it." 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Are telecom operators investing enough to upgrade network? PM Modi slams telcos on the issue of call drops

Landline and mobile operators will now have to meet certain quality standards on network services and customer-related parameters. The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Telecom+Regulatory+Authority+of+India+%28TRAI%29">Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)</a> has unveiled three-stage graded financial penalties, which will be applicable if they fail to do so. 
 According to the new rules unveiled on Thursday, <keyword id="6356988" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="TRAI">TRAI</keyword> has also increased fines and penalties for telcos if they would not meet the quality standards. 
 
The regulator has said in a statement that it has jacked up financial disincentives on mobile operators for non-compliance of network and customer-related benchmarks to Rs 1 lakh per parameter for the first violation in a quarter. For subsequent non-compliance on the same parameter consecutively in two or more quarters, the penalty will be higher at Rs 1.5 lakh, and still higher at Rs 2 lakh for each consecutive contravention. 
 
Till now, network-related violations stood at Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh for first and subsequent violations respectively, while non-compliance on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=customer-related+quality+violations">customer-related quality violation</a>s attracted a financial disincentive of Rs 50,000 per parameter. 
 
According to the regulator, the "current financial disincentives haven't served as a sufficient deterrent against non-compliance," which is why, it has revised the rates for both landline and mobile carriers for "non-compliance on both network and customer-related parameters". 
 
TRAI is also working to fix the issue of call drops. 
 
On being asked about the issue, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Bharti+Airtel+chairman+Sunil+Mittal+">Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal</a> said he had been personally monitoring the call drop situation in Mumbai and Delhi. He, however, declined to comment on the Trai's latest move to increase financial penalties. 
 
Unveiling the findings of drive tests conducted in Mumbai and Delhi in June, July and September, the sector regulator said the report endeavoured to assess mobile network conditions, specifically radio frequency coverage, network accessibility, and retainability of network, measured by the call drop rate. 
 
However, TRAI's drive tests reveal that RCom topped the charts in sharply reducing call drops in Delhi, from a high 17.29% in June-July to 1.75% in September, which is below the 2% benchmark fixed by the regulator. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Vodafone">Vodafone</a> India's, on the contrary, rose from 4.28% (June-July) to 4.74% (September). <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Idea+Cellular">Idea Cellular</a>, the No 3 carrier, which had a relatively low call drop rate of 2.84% (June-July) reduced it further to 0.94%. Market leader <keyword id="6354287" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword>, managed to contain call drops in Delhi from 8.04% (June-July) to 6.58% (September), but it remains well above the TRAI benchmark on this count. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

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