Indian telecom regulator TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has released the revised standards of quality of service for mobile, wireline and broadband service.
India has 1059.73 million mobile phone customers that include 893.83 mobile Internet customers, 41.31 million fixedline broadband customers and 34.26 million fixedline customers at the end of May 2024.
Wireless
TRAI is also recommending compensation to the subscribers if they face l00 percent mobile network outages for more than 24 hours.
For post-paid subscribers registered in the district, there should be proportional rent rebate, as per plan charges. The compensation should be credited in next bill for affected number of days.
For the pre-paid subscribers registered in the district, the validity of subscribed tariff shall be increased by equal number of affected days.
Broadband
Latency (in 4G and 5G network) should be 75 msec per quarter and 50 msec per month. Packet Drop Rate (in 4G and 5G network) should be 3 per quarter and 2 per month.
Percentile value of measured test samples for which download and upload speed is offered in tariff offerings should be 80 percent.
COAI said its member Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have invested in enhancing Quality of Service (QoS) through significant improvements in network infrastructure, resulting in greater stability and reliability.
COAI has expressed concerns about TRAI’s QoS benchmarks. COAI says the proposed regulations tighten benchmarks and shift from quarterly to monthly reporting and site to cell level reporting in many cases. In fact, the QoS parameters prescribed in the new regulations have not been introduced by any other regulator in other similar economies. These changes are expected to significantly increase the compliance as well as the cost burden on telecom operators.
“While we are disappointed with the stringency of these new regulations, we remain committed to engaging constructively with TRAI on QoS-related matters. Our member organizations will strive for excellence in service quality while advocating for regulations that recognize the practical challenges faced by our industry,” SP Kochhar, Director General of COAI, said.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
