TRAI suggests relief to consumers for call drops

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 4

Telecom regulator TRAI today came out with a consultation paper suggesting compensation to consumers for the call drops.

Seeking comments from the stakeholders by September 21 and counter claims by September 28, TRAI has said the call drop represents the service provider’s inability to maintain a call once it has been correctly established, that is calls dropped or interrupted prior to their normal completion by the user, the cause of the early termination being within the service provider’s network.

Pointing out that in the past one year, consumers have raised the issue of call drops, complaining that their experience of making voice calls has deteriorated, TRAI has sought view on whether the consumers should be charged for a call that got dropped within five seconds.

Besides, if the call gets dropped anytime after five seconds, the last pulse of the call (minute/second) which got dropped, should not be charged.

TRAI said there should be a provision to providing credit to the consumers for the call drops either through credit of talk-time in minutes/seconds or credit of talk-time in monetary terms.