Airtel, Vodafone Says 512 Kbps Speed Is Enough, Refuses To Increase Minimum Broadband Speed

Telecom operators are opposing the proposal by the TRAI to increase the broadband speed despite the increasing demand by consumers for high speed and reliable broadband services.

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone are among these telecom operators as well.

Read on to find out why the proposal for higher speed is being opposed right here!

TRAI Proposes High Broadband Speed; Airtel, Vodafone Say 512 Kbps Is Enough

The existing minimum speed is 512 kbps and TRAI has proposed to increase the minimum speed taking into consideration the demand for high speed and reliable broadband services by consumers.

However, this is being opposed by telecom operators including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. As per reports, the operators have told the regulator that making sure that broadband services are available and affordable should be a priority rather than mandating higher speeds.

In its submission to a consultation paper issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Airtel said, “With the dismal status of fixed-line broadband infrastructure, the first and foremost focus should be to enhance broadband availability and affordability via various available media.

The leading telecom operator also stated, “With this perspective, the existing definition of broadband is working fine and should be continued with for the next few years till the broadband infrastructure becomes omnipresent.”

India’s Internet Speed Lesser Than Pakistan, Nepal; Nasscom Says Definition Of Broadband Should Be Revised

The Ookla Speedtest Global Index has shown that the plans of Indias offer a lot of data, the internet speed is lesser than that of Pakistan and Nepal.

Apparently, of 138 countries, India stands at a lowly 131st position in the global mobile internet speed rankings. The global average download speed is 35.26 Mbps (megabit per second), whereas that of India is only 12.07 Mbps. The global average upload speed and latency is 11.22 Mbps and 42 ms, whereas, that of India is 4.31 Mbps and a higher latency of 52 ms.

IT industry body Nasscom has also seconded the need to revise the definition of broadband.

Nasscom says, “The current definition of ‘broadband’, as notified by the DoT and provided in the Quality of Service of Broadband Service Regulations 2006, is not aligned with the goal and visions established by the NDCP which envisages broadband connectivity at 50 Mbps.”

Nasscom has said that it recommends the same definition for mobile broadband as well.