Lok Sabha Question No. 386 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-22
Subject: Tele-Density
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: RAM CHARITRA, CHIRAG PASWAN, RAHUL KASWAN, VINCENT H PALA, KIRIT PREMJIBHAI SOLANKI, CHANDRAKANT BHAURAO KHAIRE, LAKHAN LAL SAHU, ABHISHEK SINGH

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.386**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 22** **ND** **JULY, 2015**

**TELE-DENSITY**

**†386. 	SHRI RAM CHARAN BOHRA:**

**SHRI CHIRAG PASWAN:**

**SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:**

**SHRI VINCENT H. PALA:**

**DR. KIRIT P. SOLANKI:**

**SHRI CHANDRAKANT KHAIRE:**

**SHRI LAKHAN LAL SAHU:**

**SHRI ABHISHEK SINGH:**

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state :

(a) 	the number of telephone subscribers, landline and mobile/wireless separately and tele-density in urban and rural areas, State/UT-wise;

(b) 	whether the telecom services at district level in various States are not satisfactory, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor, State-wise;

(c) 	the mechanism put in place to concurrently assess the quality of service rendered by the telecom operators at district level; and

(d) 	the remedial steps taken/being taken by the Government or any special scheme is being prepared to improve the quality of telephone services in all the States including Bihar?

ANSWER

**THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)**

1. The service area-wise details of number of landline and mobile telephone connections, and tele-density in urban and rural areas, as on 31.05.2015, are given in the **Annexure-I.**

(b)to(d)  TRAI has been monitoring the performance of service providers, against  the  quality of service benchmarks for the various parameters on service area-wise basis. As per the performance monitoring report for the quarter ending March, 2015 for various telecom services, all the service providers are generally meeting the benchmarks related to the parameters for its various telecom services.

**Contd…2/-**

-2-

For ensuring quality of service, TRAI is closely monitoring the performance of service providers against the quality of service benchmarks.   TRAI has been persuing with service providers for improving Quality of Service and in this regard regular interactions are held with the service providers.  TRAI has also engaged independent agencies for auditing and assessing the quality of service and surveys are being done regularly through independent agencies to assess the customer perception of service.  The results of the audit and assessment of quality of service and surveys are published for the information of stakeholders, which also force the service providers to improve the quality of service.  Wherever the quality of service benchmarks are not met, TRAI has also been imposing financial disincentives on service providers for their failure to comply with those benchmarks, in accordance with the provisions of the regulations.  So far an amount of Rs. 8,89,25,000/- (Rupees Eight crore, Eighty-nine lakh and Twenty five thousand only) has been imposed on these service providers  till date.

In addition to the above, special audit of mobile networks on Quality of service parameters in all Metro/Capital cities will be undertaken by TERM cells of DoT to assess the gravity of problem of call drops. During the audit the following points will be checked:

1. Tools used by the Service Provider for assessment of quality of service/Radio Frequency optimization. Whether these tools are advanced enough to detect/assess the call drop problem in a particular cell/pocket?
2. Whether analysis of call drops complaints from customers to the TSPs is being regularly made to assess deficiencies in the network and corrective action being taken by TSPs immediately.
3. Identification of Cells where the problem of call drops persist and what is the percentage of call drops? Whether corrective action is taken by TSPs immediately or delayed?
4. Measures taken by the Service Providers to improve radio coverage/quality of service.
5. Drive test to be conducted by TERM cells, if required.

Contd…3/-

**-3-**

**ANNEXURE-I**

**Service area-wise landline and mobile telephones and teledensity in  rural and urban areas as on 31.05.2015**

| **Serial No.**   | **Service area**              | **Landline telephones (in million)**   | **Mobile  telephones (in million)**   | **Rural  telephones (in million)**   | **Urban  telephones (in million)**   | **Total  telephones (in million)**   | **Teledensity in %**   |            |           |
|------------------|-------------------------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------|------------|-----------|
|                  |                               |                                        |                                       |                                      |                                      |                                      | **Rural**              | **Urban**  | **Total** |
| 1                | Andhra Pradesh                | 1.85                                   | 71.58                                 | 30.81                                | 42.61                                | 73.42                                | 48.65                  | 173.90     | 83.59     |
| 2                | Assam                         | 0.17                                   | 17.47                                 | 10.85                                | 6.79                                 | 17.64                                | 40.11                  | 132.70     | 54.84     |
| 3                | Bihar                         | 0.35                                   | 71.45                                 | 40.15                                | 31.64                                | 71.8                                 | 34.15                  | 168.55     | 52.66     |
| 4                | Gujarat                       | 1.51                                   | 58.21                                 | 22.84                                | 36.88                                | 59.71                                | 62.12                  | 140.55     | 94.78     |
| 5                | Haryana                       | 0.39                                   | 22                                    | 10.29                                | 12.1                                 | 22.39                                | 58.94                  | 124.50     | 82.38     |
| 6                | Himachal Pradesh              | 0.19                                   | 8.11                                  | 5.49                                 | 2.82                                 | 8.3                                  | 88.04                  | 343.99     | 117.76    |
| 7                | Jammu & Kashmir               | 0.14                                   | 9.64                                  | 5.17                                 | 4.61                                 | 9.78                                 | 58.08                  | 134.94     | 79.38     |
| 8                | Karnataka                     | 2.27                                   | 57.59                                 | 19                                   | 40.86                                | 59.86                                | 49.94                  | 170.95     | 96.64     |
| 9                | Kerala                        | 2.55                                   | 31.72                                 | 18.07                                | 16.2                                 | 34.27                                | 68.00                  | 179.36     | 96.25     |
| 10               | Madhya Pradesh                | 1.09                                   | 61.28                                 | 28.18                                | 34.19                                | 62.37                                | 37.74                  | 122.10     | 60.75     |
| 11               | Maharashtra                   | 2.08                                   | 76.86                                 | 37.71                                | 41.22                                | 78.94                                | 60.09                  | 116.77     | 80.49     |
| 12               | North East                    | 0.13                                   | 10.61                                 | 5.33                                 | 5.41                                 | 10.74                                | 51.39                  | 156.40     | 77.62     |
| 13               | Odisha                        | 0.32                                   | 28.13                                 | 15.68                                | 12.77                                | 28.45                                | 45.07                  | 172.09     | 67.38     |
| 14               | Punjab                        | 1.1                                    | 30.61                                 | 12.41                                | 19.31                                | 31.71                                | 71.56                  | 145.05     | 103.47    |
| 15               | Rajasthan                     | 0.81                                   | 55.42                                 | 29.69                                | 26.55                                | 56.24                                | 54.18                  | 152.35     | 77.87     |
| 16               | Tamil Nadu                    | 2.73                                   | 80.02                                 | 24.04                                | 58.71                                | 82.75                                | 82.95                  | 140.53     | 116.95    |
| 17               | Uttar Pradesh        ( East)* | 0.5                                    | 85.1                                  | 43.62                                | 41.98                                | 85.6                                 | 39.53                  | 135.22     | 61.33     |
| 18               | Uttar Pradesh       ( West)*  | 0.47                                   | 52.58                                 | 25.38                                | 27.67                                | 53.05                                | 39.53                  | 135.22     | 61.33     |
| 19               | West Bengal                   | 0.42                                   | 48.34                                 | 32.58                                | 16.19                                | 48.77                                | 48.53                  | 143.61     | 62.20     |
| 20               | Kolkata                       | 0.99                                   | 22.81                                 | 1.61                                 | 22.19                                | 23.8                                 | #                      | #          | 151.42    |
| 21               | Delhi                         | 3.15                                   | 46.04                                 | 2.23                                 | 46.96                                | 49.19                                | #                      | #          | 236.15    |
| 22               | Mumbai                        | 3.07                                   | 30.17                                 | 0.91                                 | 32.33                                | 33.24                                | #                      | #          | 145.16    |
|                  | **ALL INDIA**                 | **26.27**                              | **975.74**                            | **422.04**                           | **579.97**                           | **1002.01**                          | **48.66**              | **148.55** | **79.67** |

* Population for Uttar Pradesh (East) and Uttar Pradesh (West) areas separated is not available.

# Rural-urban break up of population for Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai service areas is not available.