Government asks telecom operators to improve service quality

The government has asked the telecom service providers to improve quality of service by focusing on improving capital expenditure and optimising resource utilisation to curb call drops.

This was told at a meeting held here on Tuesday by Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg with the CEOs of telecom service providers (TSP) where various issues related to call drops were discussed.

After detailed discussions on the subject, Garg said the government is already extending all possible support on the issue of dispelling of unfounded fears from EMF radiation and other issues raised by TSPs.

He further asked the TSPs to take various actions on priority basis for improving quality of services (QoS), which inter-alia includes deployment of additional sites to ensure optimum coverage, use of geo-spatial tool for micro-analyzing time-spatial performance, real time network optimization and load balancing, deployment of separate network quality enhancement team, installation of low power small cells to address coverage holes, use of in-building solutions for indoor coverage apart from commensurate investment in cetwork up-gradation for ensuring QoS.

The operators claimed to have made an investment of Rs.134,000 crore of which Rs.24,000 crore was for capital equipment with a capital expenditure revenue ratio of 73 percent against global coverage of 12-18 percent.

The government mentioned that Rs.110,000 crore was invested towards the spectrum acquired through auction and cannot be counted towards investment for reinforcement of infrastructure by way of installing towers and base stations.

"The projected acute shortage of towers due to non-cooperation of state government and local bodies can't be accepted as a reason for the call drops in last four to six months as this problem has assumed severe proportion during this period," it said.

"There is an immediate requirement of rigorous optimisation exercise to be taken up by all service providers."

The operators assured to take necessary action for optimisation of network and do it on a regular basis which would improve performance of the worst affected cells to some extent even without addition of new equipment.