Telcos flunk regulator146;s test on quality

The worst quality services are being offered in more remote locations in the North East circle as well as in Gujarat, Assam and Bihar. Delhi, which has one of the fastest-growing mobile phone markets, fares badly on several counts as well.

According to TRAI8217;s survey, 8216;Customer Satisfaction8217; criteria set by the regulator are being met only in Kerala, while only 12 out of 119 licensees meet the set benchmark for 8216;Network Performance8217;. None of them are in the Metro, 8216;A8217; or 8216;C8217; circles.

Among 8216;B8217; category towns, all operators in Kerala and Punjab met the TRAI standard. The poorest-quality phone networks are still being run in Bihar, Orissa, Gujarat, North East and Jammu and Kashmir.

Operators are, however, faring well on billing-related standards. Post-paid phone users in Delhi and Assam are doing the worst, but nearly 64 per cent of operators, taken countrywide, have more than met TRAI8217;s benchmark. In the pre-paid segment, 85.71 per cent operators have achieved this level.

In terms of the regulator8217;s standards on 8216;Maintainability8217; of a network, the worst performing circle is Delhi, while no operator anywhere meets the quality of service level set for customer helplines.

The helplines set up by operators to take care of customer8217;s complaints and queries are also most ineffective in 8216;C8217; circels. Though they don8217;t meet the benchmark, helplines run by all operators are better in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, the survey finds.

Basic telecom services fare even worse than mobile phones. 37 out of 63 or 59 per cent service providers do not meet the regulator8217;s benchmark customer perception of services.