Telecom Service Providers Committed to Quality Despite Regulatory Challenges: COAI

Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI

Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI said in a statement, COAI’s member Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have consistently invested in enhancing Quality of Service (QoS) through significant improvements in network infrastructure, resulting in greater stability and reliability. The industry has embraced advanced technologies and automation tools, including predictive maintenance and AI-driven analytics, to proactively address network issues. Moreover, major initiatives are underway to fiberize towers across India, which is a crucial step for the efficient deployment of 5G services.

While TRAI has tightened the QoS benchmarks over the years, the ground realities remain unchanged. TSPs still grapple with Right of Way (RoW) issues when acquiring permissions for infrastructure deployment in public and private land for the installation of cell towers and fiber-optic cables. The situation is further aggravated due to additional requirement of street furniture for the 5G networks. Moreover, interference from various sources, such as other wireless devices and electromagnetic interference, degrade signal quality and network performance. Further, illegal boosters and repeaters used by unauthorised agents, as well as the cases of theft of equipment are also external factors which, nevertheless, impact the QoS. Besides, frequent takedown of the overhead fiber by the authorities have a significant impact in QoS as well. TSPs have limited control over these external sources which adversely impact the Quality of Services.

Despite these challenges, TSPs have consistently met TRAI’s QoS benchmarks. The industry expresses concern over the proposed regulations, which not only tighten benchmarks but also shift from quarterly to monthly reporting and site to cell level reporting in many cases. In fact, the QoS parameters prescribed in the new Regulations have not been introduced by any other regulator in other similar economies. These changes are expected to significantly increase the compliance as well as the cost burden on telecom operators, and without commensurate benefits for the customers.

While we are disappointed with the stringency of these new regulations, we remain committed to engaging constructively with TRAI on QoS-related matters. Our member organizations will continue to strive for excellence in service quality while advocating for regulations that recognize the practical challenges faced by our industry.