The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to suggest a disincentive mechanism to address the issue of frequent call drops. This comes after the department received several complaints from wireless subscribers about frequent call drops. The DoT also met with telecom operators recently and directed the latter to improve quality of services.

The department is of the view that the disincentive mechanism would encourage operators to adhere to the quality of service benchmarks set by TRAI and be ready to face penalties in case of non-compliance. According to DoT, this framework could be in the form of giving free minutes to customers in lieu of call drops.

Meanwhile, the operators have cited the scarcity of spectrum and hurdles in installing mobile towers in residential areas as the primary reason for frequent call drops. Infrastructure providers face hurdles in setting up towers in residential areas owing to EMF radiation issues.