Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has asked network providers to improve their infrastructure in order to resolve the ever-increasing issue of call drops in the country. He came down heavily on the companies, saying they could not escape responsibility and accountability for the problem.
Prasad stated the onus is on mobile operators now as the government has already done its part by allowing mobile tower installation on government sites and spreading awareness about radiation concerns. He feels telecom companies need to reinforce their system and optimize their networks immediately as call drops are becoming a cause of concern for the entire nation.
The communications minister went on to explain that while he appreciated the work done by companies to encourage the spread of connectivity in India, they still have to seek solutions and take remedial measures for the frequency of call drops over the past 3 to 4 months. He thinks the problem has become very serious and even included public sector bodies in his address.
As per the PTI report, Prasad was speaking at the South Asian Telecom Regulators’ Council meeting. TRAI chairman RS Sharma was also present at the same event and gave his own thoughts on the matter. He said a consultation paper on call drops would be issued within a fortnight. The document will let all the stakeholders involved give their comments.
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The government had earlier asked TRAI to suggest disincentives for call drops and look into the tariff plans of network operators to determine if they encouraging the issue for their own profit. The industry denied the charge and said other factors such as the closing down of over 7000 to 10000 cell tower sites in major cities along with a lack of spectrum as the major culprits for the problem.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently expressed his grave concern concerning call drops. He asked officials what steps were being taken to address the problem and directed that it must be solved urgently. He further wants them to make sure the crisis in voice connectivity should not extend to data connectivity in the future.