The operator community has come up with a 100-day plan in this regard, which will include setting up of additional 60,000 towers across the country along with leveraging the latest network technology for an enhanced consumer experience.
The plan was tabled by the telecom operators in a meeting with the secretary of the Department of Telecom(DoT). The meeting witnessed the presence of incumbent players including Bharti Airtel, Idea, BSNL, Vodafone and Reliance Jio which assured DoT regarding better quality of services in the coming times.
The DoT secretary has also stated that the department will assess the network performance after three months, and if call drops continue to exist, then the centre will establish a ‘war room’ to locate the problems and operators will be directed to come up with a solution.
The DoT also realizes that while data has witnessed marginal improvements in the last six months, the quality of telecom services are still unsatisfactory.
The operators have promised significant technology up gradations in this regard including automating 1.50 lakh towers, which will be operated remotely. The center will also improve its co-ordination with the local authorities to facilitate the setting up of new telecom towers.
“The idea is, ultimately, to persuade RWAs, municipal bodies and citizens to permit new towers to come up in their areas. You need towers there just as you require tanks for 24×7 water supply,” said the secretary.
The DoT will also roll out an electro-magnetic field portal by next month to facilitate citizens in assessing the radiation levels of their nearby base stations.
The DoT is also of the opinion that penalizing the telecom operators for call drops, as suggested by sector regulator TRAI will not come as a viable solution. Days ago, TRAI floated a recommendation of a fine of up to INR 10 crore and jail term of two years for executives in telecom companies for call drops.