Hyderabad: Mobile phone users are opting for internet data-based calls like WhatsApp call as they cannot rely on telecom networks due to the chronic problem of calls getting disconnected. Some of the big players like Bharti Airtel and BSNL have coverage that has slumped and remain unrectified, leaving many callers disconnected mid-sentence. Call drops are among the top customer issues with telecompanies in several Indian cities. These call drops are becoming a nuisance to the extent that an IIIT-Hyderabad professor floated an online petition requesting accountability from mobile networks related to call drops.
IIIT-H professor, Ramesh Loganathan, who created the petition, “Accountability and corrective action from mobile networks (Airtel and all)” said, “Airtel is a very big player and used to be very good. We couldn’t even imagine call drops a couple of years ago. Hyderabad IT cluster is where the densest networks are. Yet, it’s not just me, everyone is facing the same issue. There is very little transparency on call drop data and this has to be addressed seriously. Just because these telecompanies are big doesn’t mean that customers have to bear the brunt of poor service.”
After the professor floated this petition, Airtel contacted him only to point out flaws in the neighborhood or regarding settings on the phone, but did not take responsibility for the problem. In March, two undisclosed telecom operators were served show cause notice by TRAI for call drops based on data between October and December 2017. TRAI will be deciding on whether or not to take action this month, following the response from the operators who have been issued the notices.
