COAI installs 129,101 BTS to improve call drops

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the call drops situation in the country by installing 129,101 BTS in about four months, exceeding the target set by double the number.

The telecom operators had in June presented the communications minister a 100-day plan in which they had committed to an investment of Rs 12,000 crore for installing 60,000 BTS in the country to address the issue of call drops that was causing inconvenience to consumers.

Speaking about the industrys efforts towards improving call drops situation, Rajan S Mathews, director general, COAI said, "Most operators have executed the 100-day plan that was submitted to the communications minister Manoj Sinha in June, and the results are evident in the decreased numbers of call drops in the country."

"It will continue to invest more and augment its current outlay to ensure that people are given the best quality of service, particularly for those areas where connectivity is still a challenge. We are working closely with all concerned authorities to ensure processes are expedited so that towers can be installed at locations where there is a need," added Mathews.

The total BTS in the country stood at 1,345,470 and the operators have spent close to Rs 850,00 crore.

Mathews said, "The problem persists in areas like Lutyens Delhi and parts of South Delhi, where telecom operators are working with the municipal authorities to set up more towers so people can experience seamless connectivity in these places without having to worry about bad pockets. We would request government’s intervention to locate cell sites on government buildings and land, postal department facilities and defence properties, as access to these sites still eludes the industry."

The COAI statement came after CEOs of telecom companies met the communications minister to apprise him of the progress of the 100-day plan and to discuss the roadmap for the future of telecommunications network in the country. Many points were discussed in the meeting, including the challenges faced by operators in setting up towers.