LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Call drops

Apropos the news report “Call drops: Telcos promise action” (FE, June 11), the latest conciliatory move of the department of telecommunications (DoT) aimed at arriving at an amicable solution to the current problem of call drops must be appreciated by one and all. Credit goes to the telcos that they have, after truly realising the gravity of the emerging situation, committed to invest R12,000 crore within the next three months to install 60,000 towers for putting an end to this highly controversial issue. While the telcos on their part have come up with a multi-pronged strategy involving the use of technology to rationalise the network performance, the centre too has come forward with its plans to help them with installation of new towers in consultation with local authorities and resident welfare associations along with the DoT launching an electro-magnetic field portal within 30 days to assess the radiation levels of base stations in various residential areas as per the prescribed norms. In all fairness, the telecom secretary’s well meaning observations that penal powers to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) cannot be one and final solution for call drops should serve as an eye opener for the telecom regulator more so when its earlier direction asking telcos to pay consumers for each dropped call was quashed by the Supreme Court. But one fails to comprehend Trai’s unending quest to behave like an adjudicator rather than a facilitator to bring a logical end to this ongoing imbroglio over customer service oriented issue.

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Kumar Gupt Panchkula, Haryana