dna exclusive: Call drops in Mumbai go below the 2% Trai benchmark because of more cell users, poor network

Investment professional Bhavik Dand, 25, is fed up with call drops between Wadala and CST every day. “Whenever I am travelling on that route, I experience call drops and need to make 2-3 calls to complete the conversation.

It is irritating as it happens with alarming regularity,” said Dand, a resident of Wadala. “There are some stations such as Reay Road and Dockyard Road where the call will surely drop, irrespective of the network or service provider.”

Dand is not alone. An increasing number of Mumbaikars have been facing similar problems. Aditya Paul, 26, for instance, says he has to repeatedly make calls to deal with the issue.

“It happens at many places. I don’t know if it is because of the network or a problem restricted to a particular service provider,” said Paul, a digital media professional, who regularly commutes between Vile Parle (West) and Andheri (West).

Call drops happen because of inadequate coverage, quality of signal, including interference, network congestion and network failures. Customers moving from a coverage area to a non-coverage one also experience call drops. 

Telecommunication experts say call drops is a pan-India problem even though consumers allege that it is a deliberate attempt by service providers to boost their call numbers.

Industry sources maintain the call drop rate is below 2%, a benchmark set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

Experts said there could various technical or logistical reasons for the call drops. “It happens when there is low or no signal. Also, call drops take place not only on trains, but also if someone is moving from one tower to another for coverage,” said GS Tuteja, chief signal and telecommunication engineer with WR and former chairman of the Institute of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineers.

Tuteja said the problem becomes more acute if mobile towers are overloaded with calls. “Some calls are then dropped to accommodate the others,” he said. “The only solution is to have adequate number of mobile towers.” He said he experiences call drops near the Air India building while going to his residence in Colaba.

Achintya Mukherjee, honorary joint secretary of the Bombay Telephone Users’ Association said, “Data submitted by service providers shows they are meeting the Trai benchmark. However, the data is manipulated. Since it is not in public domain, it is difficult to challenge it.”

Trai is aware of the problem and department of telecommunication officials said the body is looking into the quality of service provided to consumers. “However, the financial loss to the customers who experience call drops is less as charges are levied up to the duration of the call. With the per second pulse rate plans, customers are charged only for the actual duration of the call,” said an official.

Industry sources reiterated that all service providers in Mumbai and India meet the call drop rate benchmark set by Trai. “Trai’s recent report also states the same. The consumers who feel the data is being manipulated should prove it before Trai, who can then initiate penal action against us,” said a spokesperson of the Cellphone Operators Association of India.

Pan-India problem
Experts say call drops are a pan-India problem. The reasons vary from signal failure, poor network to lack of adequate number of mobile towers. Service providers claim the call drop rate is below two per cent, a benchmark set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.