Vodafone has declared that it is doing everything it can to reduce the call drop issue in Delhi in the next 3 to 4 months. This announcement comes at a time when mobile operators across India are facing intense scrutiny from telecom regulatory authorities in India over the quality of services provided to customers. As it stands right now, TRAI has proposed a penalty of Rs 2 lakhs for poor service.
Additionally, it has directed companies to pay subscribers a compensation of Rs 1 per call drop from 2016 onward. This is has spurred telecom brands into action, and there’s word that they intend to challenge the proposal. Back in September, service providers agreed to solve the problem within a month. But in hindsight, it appears to have been an unreasonably ambitious promise seeing as Vodafone needs 12 to 16 weeks just to improve its network in Delhi.
Apoorva Mehrotra, Vodafone’s business head for Delhi, claims that users will be able to notice a clear improvement in call drops and audio quality for voice calls within 4 months. The company has 12322 mobile tower sites in Delhi-NCR, out of which 6190 are meant to bolster its 2G network, while 6170 are for its 3G services. It boasts of more than 98 lakh customers in said area, notes PTI.
According to the report, Vodafone intends to set up additional sites wherever its network needs to be reinforced. It has improved the capacity of 550 of its current sites and also launched 500 more in Delhi-NCR over the past 6 months. Although the telecom minister has said that the call drop situation is beginning to get better, subscribers in Mumbai and Delhi continue to suffer.
Also see: TRAI asks telcos to pay users for call drops
TRAI named Airtal, Aircel and Vodafone among the mobile operators who have still to enhance the quality of their services in Delhi. With regards to call drops, these three companies along with Tata Teleservices and Idea were announced to have contained the problem. What’s more, Vodafone has earmarked Rs 350 crores to upgrade its voice and data network in the nation’s capital.