Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Wednesday assured further reforms in the sector, but stressed that the industry will also have to do its bit by making “significant” improvements in service quality.
He indicated that there would be a significant increase in the service quality standards and the DoT would approach the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in this regard.
“I will request the department” [Telecom Department] To send a fresh consultation paper to TRAI to significantly increase the quality of service standards, making it almost 3x or 4x as compared to today,” Mr Vaishnav said at an event. Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (Deepa).
The minister encouraged the industry, including telecom operators and infrastructure providers, to “move fully” to improve the quality of services in the country, now that several reforms had been announced and more were in line.
The minister said the initiative cannot be one-sided, and the equation must be “mutual”.
“You cannot clap with just one hand, both hands are needed. It cannot be that we just keep doing what you ask for. You have to do what we ask,” he said.
The comment assumes significance as the improvement in the quality of telecom service is bound to please the mobile customers troubled by call drops and poor network.
the minister promised The journey of 5G will be ‘exciting’ and noted that the government had given the industry a target of 80% coverage in “a short time frame”.
“While it took many years for many countries to reach 40-50% coverage, we are targeting a very aggressive timeline. We should definitely cover at least 80% in a very short time frame,” said Mr. Vaishnav.
He said the industry would be back with its inner workings “very soon” on coverage targets and timelines.
“Hopefully, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of common citizens by providing good high quality digital services,” he said.
The minister assured that the vision of the government would be that of a partner to the industry. Anyway, the government has moved quickly to address industry issues and simplify procedures. He mentioned upcoming initiatives on legal support for Right of Way and licensing reforms.
At the same time, he also clarified that while the government had earlier introduced a wave of major reforms in this sector, the telecom service providers and infrastructure players are now required to focus and prioritize the quality of service at their own level. Is required.
“Now that we have delivered a lot through reforms, telecom service providers must significantly increase their quality of service,” he emphasized.