Unfair to blame operators for call drops: ASSOCHAM to govt

NEW DELHI: Expressing its concerns over the rising call drops in mobile networks, industry body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has said that it is unfair to put the blame on the operators as many critical factors lead to the problem which are not within the control of the telecom industry.

T V Ramachandran, Chairman of ASSOCHAM Telecom Council, said: "Once a cellular network has been set up and stabilized, call drops can only happen either if there is inadequate spectrum or there is not enough networks of towers to achieve satisfactory signal coverage of the service area. Regrettably, in India, we suffer from both these serious handicaps”.

Concerned that the situation is more worrisome in metros like Delhi and Mumbai, Ramachandran said, due to unjustified and unfounded concerns in some quarters regarding EMF exposure, the industry is not being allowed to set up cell sites and towers at the right places. The difficulty is further compounded by municipalities and civic administrations which do not cooperate to give the necessary permissions for tower installations.

According to TRAI data, at least 523 sites in Delhi and 801 sites in Mumbai were shut down in the past six months due to alleged radiation scares or issues with municipalities. As many as 25 towers are shut down each week in Mumbai. Shutting down one tower would not only affect the 700 or more subscribers attached to the tower but also impact the performance of at least half a dozen towers adjoining the sealed tower.

Meanwhile, he lauded the initiatives of Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Department of Telecom, which, in close consultation with the Ministry of Urban Development have agreed to make available government properties to the operators to set up towers.

While the DoT has written to operators asking them to furnish a report by July 31 on the steps taken for improving on call drops, “We request the government to carry through the spectrum reform processes and make available more spectrum to operators as well as permit spectrum sharing, spectrum trading and a more liberal m&a regulations. All these and the latest initiative for tower installation will surely give a big boost to Digital India and enable customers to have top class mobile services with minimum call drops,"he added.