Minister says that telecom operators have enough spectrum with them to address call drop issue.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union IT and Communications Minister, has said that telecom operators need to reinforce their systems to address call drop issues. He has asked telecom regulatory authority TRAI to suggest a distinctive mechanism to tackle the problem.
Prasad stated in an interview that mobile operators need to work on a solution for call drops. He added that he had asked the telecom regulatory authority to suggest a way to deal with the issue but refused to state whether it will be a financial disincentive. Prasad stated, "The point is, as of now, let me tell you as a minister that I would like all the telecom operators to reinforce their system, to avoid call drops, to properly run their operations. Once we are willing to walk the extra mile, they also walk the extra mile."
He added that telcos had been given enough spectrum in the recent auction in March and a lot of which had remained unsold, so the argument given by operators that not enough spectrum is available with them does not hold substance. “…this argument I don’t appreciate, enough spectrum is available, what is important for them is to reinforce… call drop issue needs to be addressed by the operators, whether BSNL or private ones because consumers want no call drops. Now I would appreciate if telecom operators earnestly addressed this problem,” he said.
Prasad stated that the moment the radiowaves in 3G band are released, the process for auction will be expedited. “The moment it comes, it will be expedited and obliviously as I said the March auction was not the last auction of this government.” He further stated that the government may look into the auction again in this financial year, he said: “Let me have a look at it, if need be it will be expedited, why not.” The minister also spoke about the industry’s concern over installation of mobile towers being injurious to health. He stated, “I have already spoken publicly about this campaign on the tower issue and I want to repeat that there is no tangible evidence of any harmful effect. Therefore, call drop allegations and campaign against tower installation can not go hand in hand.”
Source: The Hindu
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Silky Malhotra
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