TRAI chairman commences meeting with CEOs of telecom firms to discuss call drop issue
The Union Cabinet had a mini-discussion on the “inaction of telecom operators on call drops” following which Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to “be firm” with industry players and take stern measures if the situation did not improve.
The discussion was initiated by urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu and finance minister Arun Jaitley when Prasad tabled his proposal seeking Cabinet approval for guidelines on spectrum trading. Both the Cabinet ministers were of the opinion that while the government must do all it can for facilitating erection of network towers in government buildings, the operators were not doing enough and not investing to spruce up infrastructure.
A senior government functionary told The Indian Express that telecom operators were ignoring voice following a sharp increase in data traffic over the last six months. “Data is being promoted at the cost of voice,” the functionary said, adding there was little accountability when it came to providing good quality service.
Telecom secretary Rakesh Garg has already told the service providers that they need to optimise and reconfigure their networks if required. If gaps exist despite reinforcement of existing networks, operators have been asked to reinvest in infrastructure.
The Prime Minister had earlier too expressed his displeasure with operators during a discussion with infrastructure sector secretaries and remarked that consumers get irritated with call drops and end up cursing the government. The collective view in the Cabinet was that the DoT must be tough with the operators. Another government functionary said that operators have in the past used their clout with senior Cabinet ministers to get around difficult situations. In this context, the Prime Minister is learnt to have told Prasad that he would ensure that he gets a free hand on dealing with the industry. The government has simultaneously permitted erection of towers on government buildings including Rail Bhawan.
Besides, the DoT has spoken to the Delhi chief secretary and the municipalities that all towers cannot be uprooted in the NDMC. Besides, the postal department has also been told to find post offices suitable to erect towers. Meanwhile, Trai chairman RS Sharma met CEOs of telecom companies armed with data on call drops. The regulator has also told the companies to disclose information on the number of consumers they have in each circle and whether they can provide services effectively with their existing infrastructure.