Call drops: Trai rejects telcos' view, slots next test in Apr

Rejecting telecom operators' contention that questioned its call drop report, regulator Trai today said it will conduct another test in April and may add more cities for this.
"My sense is whatever test drive we have done, they have been done very objectively and in a transparent manner. If there are any more suggestions for transparency, we are certainly ready to look at it," Trai Chairman R S Sharma told reporters on the sidelines of the India Digital Summit.
"Typically, we have been doing them (call drop tests) in three months. Approximately, in other three months, it will be done again. Sometime in April. This time, we covered seven cities. We will cover those seven and if required, we will extend it to more cities," Sharma said.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recently released its findings on the call drop tests carried out across seven cities in December and January.
Most telecom operators, including the state-owned MTNL, failed the tests, which were conducted to check quality of the network and services as part of Trai's efforts to rein in the call drop menace.
Telecom operators, however, questioned the tests conducted by Trai. Airtel, Idea and Vodafone asked Trai not to publish the same as they claimed there is a huge variation between its findings and their reassessment.

"Since last time (when tests were conducted), telecom companies starting raising objections that you don't consult us as to which road you are using. This time when we did the test, we took their suggestions into account. I really don't have an answer to what operators are contesting," Sharma said.

Trai, according to Sharma, is open to any more suggestions from telecom operators for transparency in call drop tests.
As per the test report released by Trai today, none of telecom operators showed improvement in call drops in Mumbai, Pune and Bhubaneswar.
The regulator conducted drive tests in December-January this fiscal on select route of seven cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Bhubaneswar and Indore, and shared the findings with telecom operators.
As per the Trai benchmark, not more than 2 per cent calls on a telecom operator's network should get automatically disconnected. The regulator conducted tests on both 2G and 3G networks of companies.

Telecom operators jointly wrote a letter to Trai on this report disputing Trai's data, saying their figures tell an opposite story and asked the telecom regulator to withdraw its test reports.