Asking mobile operators to address the problem of call drops, Telecom
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Monday said government doesn't appreciate
when they just add customers but do not look after their convenience.
"I
don't appreciate the condition wherein operators just add customers and
not care about their convenience," Prasad told reporters Gurgaon during
a BSNL function.
It is the operators' responsibility to worry about consumers' interests, he added.
"I
have said this earlier also and now repeating that operators should
improve their network, invest in network and also optimise the network,"
he said.
The problem of call drops has worsened in the recent
months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also voiced serious concern
recently over call drops and directed officials to resolve the problem
urgently.
Telecom operators have cited shutting down of mobile
towers due to radiation fears, as also lack of spectrum, as the major
reasons for call drops.
They have said that about 7,000-10,000
sites have been locked or shut down across major cities and have sought a
uniform national policy for installation of mobile towers.
Prasad
said, on the policy front, the Department of Telecom has been very
proactive in addressing telcos issues as it is allowing installation of
mobile towers on government buildings and writing to chief ministers to
permit use of state buildings.
A recent Trai report found that
most of the telecom operators in Delhi and Mumbai were not meeting the
prescribed standards regarding call drops.