Telecom Ministry is strict on call drops and unwanted calls, is going to take these big steps

After several complaints, the Union Telecom Ministry is working on a war footing to solve the call drop problem. Call drop occurs when a call gets disconnected unexpectedly and it has become one of the most frequently reported complaints by mobile phone users. Several factors contribute to this problem, including network congestion, inadequate infrastructure, poor signal strength, and interference caused by environmental conditions. The ministry has said that the quality of service will be monitored on a monthly basis from April 2025, compared to the three-monthly monitoring service. It is worth noting that earlier the call quality check was done at the tower level and from now on it will be done at the smartphone level.

While earlier quality checks were done by Local Service Areas (LSAs), now the ministry will monitor the cell level. The government is attempting to resolve the issue of call drops through a more micro-level approach. The ministry plans to install 27,000 towers to increase connectivity and connect 26,000 villages across the country. The government is now considering imposing financial sanctions on telecom companies that do not meet the guidelines. In case of consistent non-compliance with the standards defined across 30 parameters, graded financial disincentives of up to Rs 3 lakh per parameter will be imposed for non-compliance.

The ministry has also taken note of the frauds and scams taking place across the country. There has been an alarming increase in the number of online frauds and now to deal with it, the government has set up a Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) to share real-time information on telecom misuse. So far, 750 organizations are helping the ministry, including police, banks and regulatory bodies.