Trying to distract attention from the heat over poor service quality, mobile operators are taking protection in a new technology to disguise call drops that shows a call as being connected, even when the network connection is lost and the caller is not able to hear the voice of the other person.Earlier we used to experience that the call would get automatically disconnected whenever the user moved to a poor network area, which translated into a dropped call as per the regulatory framework.
Now as per the new technology we find that the call remains artificially connected until the caller or receiver decides to terminate it and the user is billed for the entire duration despite not being able to talk for the full time or for part of the call duration. An official source involved in testing of telecom networks said an official source involved in testing of telecom networks said Telecom operators are using Radio-Link Technology (RLT) which is helping them mask call drops while the consumer is being billed for the time he is on the call, although it can be said to be artificially connected to a network.
He added that in such cases, the customer often disconnects call himself, which is not counted in call drops. If the call in such case is disconnected, the companies continue to charge customers. While the RLT is helping companies improve their quality of service parameters and revenue, it is also helping them mask the dropped calls.
Queries send to industry bodies COAI and AUSPI on this matter has not received any response. Penalty of up to Rs 2 lakh for poor mobile service quality, including call drops has been fixed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that is Trai. This penalty kicks in the case of more than 2% call drops in a quarter restricted to one telecom circle.
Trai had also made it compulsory for the telecom operators to pay consumers Re 1 for every call drop , subject to a maximum of Rs 3 per day, but the Supreme Court has recently quashed this provision.