The Indian telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Reliance Jio are represented by an industry body namely the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). The body has expressed its concerns over the new stringent QoS (Quality of Services) norms introduced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). For the unaware, TRAI recently announced new parameters for QoS for the telcos. These new parameters will come into effect from October 2024.
TRAI wants to look at details at a more granular level and wants data on parameters such as the network availability, call drop rates, and voice packet drop rates in uplink and downlink, on a cell level.
Read More - TRAI Mandates Stricter QoS Standards for Indian Telecom Providers, Effective October 2024
In a release, COAI said that telcos already do everything they can to provide customers with quality network services. The telcos have leveraged advanced technologies and automation tools, including predictive maintenance and AI-driven analytics, to proactively address network issues. Moreover, major initiatives are underway to fiberise towers across India, which is a crucial step for the efficient deployment of 5G services, said COAI.
However, the body said that there are still issues at the ground level. There's an issue with Right of Way (RoW) permissions, and other things such as people using unauthorised boosters and repeaters, theft of telecom equipment, and more which are not in the hands of the telcos. These issues also contribute to the deterioration of the quality of services that customers get.
Also Read: TRAI Clarifies: No Charges for Multiple SIMs in Proposed Numbering Plan
TRAI has asked telcos to provide data on quality of services every month, rather than quarter, and has asked for data on site to cell level in many cases. COAI has expressed its concern over these new QoS measures as none of the these measures are present in any other similar economy globally, and it will also increase the compliance cost burden on the telecom operators, and without commensurate benefits for the customers.
COAI said, "While we are disappointed with the stringency of these new regulations, we remain committed to engaging constructively with TRAI on QoS-related matters."
