New Delhi, September 30: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will start penalising the telecom operators who failed to adhere by the call drop issues. Telecom operators will have to pay a penalty if there is a problem of call drop according to their new provisions. Not only call drop, the data drop has also been included in the new provision. Maintaining the service quality, the new rules are stringent and all telecom companies have been asked to abide by them from last year. Starting October 1, the new rules will be enforced and companies may have to pay upto Rs 5 lakh as penalty. PM Narendra Modi Too Faces Call Drops, Wants Telcos to Solve the Problem Fast.
TRAI Chairman R S Sharma had told PTI earlier, "For the quarter of January to March, we are in the final stage of issuing the penalty." The erring companies were already given notices to tell the cause of the problem and also asked to submit their responses. The range for the fine is from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, graded on the quality of performance by the service providers. The operators will be in the process of making their payments. Not just the call drop, the internet data drop will also be considered. The companies must maintain the download speed of the internet which they had promised in their internet data.
Some say that due to the increase in the internet usage, the problem of call drop is also on a rise. The companies are suffering a loss from the internet data. The mobile data will only expand by 120% in the coming years, so companies are concentrating on their data services and ignoring the call issues. The voice service remains ignored. Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha Blames People Obstructing Mobile Tower Installation for Call Drops.
Earlier this month, TRAI already imposed penalties on major operators including Reliance, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Cellular. Meanwhile, it is said that the companies and the government are playing the blame game on each other and the consumers are the ones who are suffering. Consumers get the services at a lower price and then suffer at the poor quality of them offered. Telecom companies have said they should be allowed to install more towers in and around the government buildings and land.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2018 05:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).