Problem of call drops is more severe indoors: DoT -Governance Now

Problem of call drops is more severe indoors: DoT

As many as 2,20,935 subscribers participated in the survey out of which, about 1,38,072 (62.5%) subscribers reported call drops

GN Bureau | April 7, 2017

#egov #call drops #DoT #department of telecommunications

According to the department of telecommunications (DoT), the problem of call drops is more severe indoors. DoT's observation is derived from the feedback it received from consumers through an IVRS facility that it launched in December 2016.

“Since the launch of the IVRS system on December 23 till February 28, 16,61,640 successful outbound calls have been made to subscribers of all TSPs across the country. About 2,20,935 subscribers participated in the survey out of which, about 1,38,072 (62.5%) subscribers have reported call drops. From the feedback it has been observed that the problem of call drops is more severe indoors,” the telecom department said in a press note.

The feedback system was designed as follows: subscribers receive an IVRS call from short code 1955 and are asked a few questions on the call drop problem. They can also send a toll-free SMS to the same short code 1955, containing the name of city/town/village, where they face frequent call drops.

The feedback is shared with the TSPs every week for taking action in a time bound manner. The TSPs have set up an elaborate mechanism for using the IVRS feedback data sent by the DoT, the department said.

TSPs are submitting action taken report (ATR) to DoT Task Force every fortnight. For the fortnight 15-28 Feb 2017, 43,403 feedback cases were taken up for investigation by TSPs. After telephonic calls and SMS to the subscribers to seek additional information on their call drop problem, 7,210 cases were identified for resolution, the department said.

During the fortnight, 2,467 cases were resolved through optimisation, rectifying hardware/power problems, through field visits etc. and on cumulative basis, since launch of IVRS, 9,328 cases have been resolved through this initiative.

In addition, 5,529 cases which were not related to call drop problem but other issues like problem related to data, roaming, billing, MNP, mobile device etc., were also identified by the TSPs for taking necessary action. About 603 new sites/boosters have also been planned by TSPs for installation in due course. DoT Task Force is also meeting with the TSPs once every month to discuss various issues related to the IVRS system. Regular reviews are also being held by the office of the minister about the operation of the IVRS system.

The TSPs have installed about 2,12,917 additional BTSs (Base Transceiver Stations) across the country during the period from June 2016 to February 2017, the department said.

Comments

Other News

Five ways to realise the potential of India’s handicraft and handloom sector

India`s economic ambitions are increasingly defined by the industries of the future. Semiconductors, electronics, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing dominate policy conversations. Yet one of India`s largest employment-intensive sectors continues to occupy a surprisingly marginal place in ec

Beyond toilets: Why open defecation persists in rural India

Despite the awareness campaigns on sanitation across India, open defecation (OD) is practised openly and widely in both rural and urban areas. Research shows that rural respondents are well aware of the negative impacts of OD, yet this awareness does not lead to toilet construction or use. In rural North I

What unpaid nation builders want from policymakers

The Supreme Court recently described homemakers as “nation builders” and fixed a notional monthly income of Rs 30,000 for them in motor accident compensation cases. The judgment was not about wages. It was about compensation. Yet it inadvertently raised a larger economic question: If a homemake

What the US–Iran peace deal means for India

After months of rising tensions, the United States and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding called the "Islamabad Agreement." This agreement allows for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and provides Iran with relief from sanctions, depending on its complianc

V. M. Tarkunde: A legal luminary par excellence

14 Lawyers: Portraits from The Bar By Raju Ramachandran Juggernaut, 248 pages, Rs. 799

The Cost of Obesity

The latest episode of Checks and Balances focuses on the ticking time bomb of obesity in India, and Geetanjali Minhas of Governance Now spoke with a panel of experts. You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/mH