TRAI orders mobile firms to check service quality

To ensure that mobile service providers meet quality of service benchmarks for wireless data, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has asked them to put in place a test set-up comprising servers and test probes covering their entire service area for different data services.

"TRAI has mandated every cellular mobile service provider to set up a test set-up comprising of servers and test probes to cover the entire geographical area of coverage of different data services in the licenced area," the regulator said in 'The Standards of Quality of Service for Wireless Data Services Regulations, 2012'.

TRAI said mobile operators are required to meet quality of service benchmarks in respect of parameters such as activation of data services, successful data transmission download or upload attempts from a test server, minimum download speed from a test server covering all tariff plans and data drop rate.

"It has also been mandated that service providers have to publish at its website, the details of all data services offered, along with their tariffs, clearly indicating the cities and towns where such data services and tariff plans are applicable," TRAI said.

The authority added that service providers should not offer new data services or modify existing data services or tariffs without prior publication of these on its website.