Trai to seek call masking details from telecom operators

KOLKATA: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( Trai) will shortly grill mobile operators on radio link timeout (RLT) technology deployments amid allegations that the parameter is being used for masking call drops, which in turn, is inflating monthly phone bills. RLT is a technical parameter that decides duration a call can be sustained if signal quality drops below a certain threshold.

“Before setting up any enquiry, we will seek details of RLT from telecom operators around parameters that are applicable globally which they are following here, and the parameters they have been following for a year,” Trai Chairman R S Sharma said on the sidelines of the India Satcom event in Delhi Tuesday.

Sharma’s comments come on the heels of Trai’s latest drive test results for Delhi, which suggested that Aircel and Vodafone India had reportedly been using RLT beyond the levels their peers follow. Adrive test is, typically, conducted in a moving vehicle loaded with gear to continuously make cellphone calls and check if they fail.

Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had recently urged the telecom department (DoT) and Trai to look into RLT deployments by operators amid allegations of abuse.

In fact, following the release of the latest Delhi drive test results last week, the telecom regulator had reportedly approached the government seeking powers to punish errant telcos, especially since most operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, had failed to meet the desired quality standards in the Capital.

Telecom Secretary JS Deepak is slated to meet telco CEOs on June 10 to deliberate on the call drops menace. Deepak, who was present at the India Satcom event, said a host of issues would be discussed in the June 10 meeting, including call drops, investments, policy reforms and overall status of telecom sector.

Over the past six to eight months, telecom companies have been under attack from the government and consumers for not doing enough to arrest call drops. However, Trai’s recent order to telcos to compensate users for call drops was quashed by the Supreme Court a few weeks ago after mobile operators challenged it.