Call drop fiasco is now turning into an interesting turn, as telecom companies will soon be forced to pay Re 1 for each instance of a dropped call.
Apparently, there are some terms and conditions attached with this TRAI’s diktat; for instance, not more than 3 calls would be compensated by TRAI, for every dropped call. Hence, in case a mobile phone customer experiences continuously dropped calls, then he may claim maximum of Rs 3 per day from their telecom provider.
This tough regulation has been made in order to force the telecom operators to improve their service, and to ensure that dropped calls doesn’t happen.
There are several factors which needs more clarification regarding this new regulation, as what exactly can be defined as a call drop (calls ending within 3 seconds?); how can a customer prove that it was indeed a dropped call; and how can all customers benefit from this service.
Re 1 compensation for every dropped call can prove to be a major money-drainer for telcos. It was recently found that one in seven cell networks fail to meet call drop standards, and the others are barely able to provide a decent calling experience.
Here is what TRAI has said officially in a release today:
We had earlier reported that TRAI may come up with a plan to compensate all call drop victims; but it was not clear how much compensation can be made. Re 1/ call drop clears this doubt.
Tower Sealing A Reason for Dropped Calls?
Earlier, in an unprecedented move, India’s 6 top telecom providers had joined hands, and written to DoT and TRAI that Govt’s tower sealing drive is to be blamed for all call drops.
In a letter, jointly signed by heads of these telecom operators, it was shared that widespread and arbitrary sealing of telecom towers by various Municipal corporations is the reason for such increasing call drops.
Telcos had informed DoT and TRAI that for every 40 towers sealed by Govt., call drop instances increase by 20%. Last year itself, around 1700 towers have been sealed across India, with majority of them being in Delhi-NCR region and Mumbai.
We will keep you updated as more details come in.
[Official TRAI release]