Call drops: TRAI to get on with more tests later this month

New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI will again carry out drive tests in various cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, at the end of this month to determine the extent of progress in fixing the call drop problem.

"We will do that at the end of this month," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman R S Sharma said on the sidelines of an event organised by Skoch, a think-tank.

TRAI had carried out special independent drive tests in Mumbai and Delhi in June and July and found the network quality below par.

It followed up with more such tests in September, which showed there was not much headway.

Other than the metros, the tests had been conducted in Surat, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Ahmedabad.

Asked on telecom operators approaching the Delhi High Court challenging its regulations on penalty for call drops, Sharma did not comment.

"The issue is sub-judice, and the High Court will take a decision on it," he said.

Sharma, however, added that in the regulations itself, it has been stated that TRAI shall review the situation after six months and take an appropriate decision.

TRAI had mandated that telecom companies from January 1 should compensate users at the rate of Re 1 per dropped call, with a ceiling of three dropped calls per day (or, Rs 3 per day).

Sharma had held a meeting with top bosses of telecom companies on October 29 and asked them to improve the quality of service.