Call drops: DoT rings up owners; customers may be compensated

New Delhi: Stepping up pressure on mobile operators to check call drops, the government has asked their promoters including Anil Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla and Sunil Mittal to directly intervene to address the issue, failing which the companies would have to face penal action.

While Department of Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg made phone calls to the top Indian industrialists, as also UK-based Vodafone's global CEO Vittorio Colao, to covey the concerns raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on call drops, watchdog TRAI said it will issue final recommendations by mid-October on compensation to be given by operators to their customers.

The regulator has already floated a draft paper on the issue of call drops and is currently reviewing the quality of services being offered by various operators. "We have floated a paper relating to compensation and have sought comments from operators... after which there will be an open house discussion. I expect that by October 10-15, we will give the final recommendations in this regard," TRAI Chairman RS Sharma told reporters on September 10 at an event.

At a meeting with CEOs of mobile operators on September 9, he had asked them to improve services while saying their performance would be reviewed in 15 days. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also warned on September 9 that the option of imposing penalties on erring operators could be explored if the companies fail to do the needful to improve the situation.

Facing heat, the top industry executives, including at Bharti group, said the industry is not shying away from its responsibility and is committed to providing quality services. Sources said Telecom Secretary has telephoned promoters of mobile firms directly and asked them to improve services, failing which DoT will have to impose penalties under the licence conditions.

Garg elaborated on the concerns raised by the Prime Minister to the owners and asked them to optimise networks. Among others, he called up Sunil Mittal of Bharti Airtel, Anil Ambani of Reliance Communications, Kumar Mangalam Birla of Idea Cellular and Vittorio Colao of Vodafone, sources said.