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MOBILE INTERNET
CONNECTIVITY
AS BAD IN CITY
* Poor mobile internet connectivity hampering access to banking accounts and also making payments
* The internet connectivity is bad even on a 3G connection, says Harish Prabhu, an Idea customer
* All these issues plague Panaji when telecom operators are planning to launch 4G services in Goa
* The moot question: why should consumers move to 4G if they don’t even get 3G services properly?
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Call drops and poor internet connectivity on mobile-phones continue to be a major bottle-neck for people in Goa with several areas including Panaji facing connectivity issues with all service providers.
In a recent development that held out a ray of hope for mobile users, the regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had sought stringent measures to check call drops asking the government to amend law to allow it to impose penalty of up to Rs 10 crore on mobile operators and jail term of up to two years on their executives for any violation of regulatory framework.
In view of the frequent call drops in various pockets of Goa, 'The Goan' went around the capital city Panaji and its vicinity and spoke to users on the vexed issue.
Adarsh Rai, resident of Merces, said, “Call drop is a frequent thing in areas like Merces and Ribandar. This troubles people a lot. However, I have seen that connectivity improves significantly in Patto.”
Rai is a Vodafone customer. While Rai said that connectivity is poor in Merces, a number of other people confirmed that connectivity for certain operators is bad in Panaji itself.
Andre Souza, who is in a computer business in Panaji, said, “Often, when I make calls using my BSNL number, the person on the other end can’t hear. So, I keep an Idea number as well so that I am reachable.”
People in Goa are forced to keep two SIMs just because connectivity of one of the operators is not good. Hamza Sayed, who works at Taleigao and uses a Vodafone number, said, “The connectivity in Taleigao is bad. I often face the problem of call-drop, while I am at work.”
For some people call-drop may not be a problem, but they face issues with internet connectivity on their mobile-phones. This is a major hurdle in modern day where people are used to accessing banking accounts and making payments through mobile-phones.
Harish Prabhu, an Idea customer, said, “The internet connectivity is bad even on a 3G connection. This is simply unacceptable.”
Although mobile-phone users are suffering due to call-drop issue, it doesn’t look like that this problem will be sorted anytime soon. TRAI had earlier imposed a fine on telecom operators for call-drop.
But later in May this year, the Supreme Court (SC) held that the penalty for call-drop on operators was illegal.
Telecom operators had earlier said that such problems happen because there is insufficient spectrum in the country. TRAI & Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have taken a divergent view; it says operators are not investing properly in networks, which is the cause of this issue.
All this is when telecom operators are planning to launch 4G services in Goa. It begs a question as to why should consumers move to 4G if they don’t even get 3G services properly?
