Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vi Meet DoT to Discuss Call Drop Issues, Service Quality

The telecom department on Wednesday met operators to discuss rising instances of call drops and service quality related issues, as it deliberated on policy measures that can be considered for improving call quality. The meeting, which comes amid the rollout of massive 5G networks in the country, was chaired by Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman and attended by telecom service providers, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea.

The discussion focused on identifying policy and operational measures that can help telcos to improve the quality of telecom services in the country, according to DoT sources. Discussion ranged from the issue of interference caused by illegal boosters to ironing out some remaining Right of Way issues. The meeting, which lasted for almost two hours, also saw telcos making detailed presentations on the current level of service quality and benchmarks, the sources said.

While telecom regulator TRAI looks at service quality norms, the DoT's parley with telecom operators was more about identifying problem areas and seeking inputs on policy measures and operational interventions that can facilitate better service quality in the country.

In September this year, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw indicated that telecom service quality parameters could be made more stringent and tighter, possibly to the extent of 3-4 times. The minister had made it amply clear that the industry will have to improve telecom service quality "significantly", as the government too has done its bit by ushering major reforms in the sector.

A few days back, the Department of Telecom (DoT) formed four task forces to recommend to the government measures that will boost the domestic telecom manufacturing ecosystem and remove the bottlenecks, an official memorandum said. The development follows a round table between Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and 42 chiefs of telecom gear makers early this month where he identified the need for creating a task force to resolve issues that the companies raised before him.