Lok Sabha Question No. 157 (STARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Telephone Services in Rural Areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: SAKUNTALA LAGURI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.157 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  MAY, 2016

## TELEPHONE SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS

## †*157. SHRIMATI SAKUNTALA LAGURI:

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

- (a) whether landline telephones in rural, hilly and tribal areas remain out of order for days together;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the extent to which the quality parameters laid down have been met;
- (d) the remedial steps taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (e) the action taken by the Government to improve services?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) to (e) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT  TO  BE  LAID  ON  THE  TABLE  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA  IN  RESPECT  OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 157  FOR 4 th  MAY, 2016 REGARDING 'TELEPHONE SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS'.

(a) & (b) No  Madam.  However,  there  may  be  some  delay  in  maintenance  of landline telephones in rural, hilly and tribal areas due to various reasons like damage of cable by external agencies, difficult terrain and security issues.

(c) Telecom  Regulatory  Authority  of  India  (TRAI)  has  been  monitoring  the performance of service providers against the quality of service benchmarks laid down by the Authority through Quality of Service Regulations. For assessing  the performance  of  basic  service  providers  (wireline),  following  parameters  have  been evolved by TRAI:

- (i)    Fault incidences per 100 subscriber/month (benchmark <7)
- (ii)   % fault repaired by next working day for urban areas (benchmark >85%)
- (iii)  % fault repaired within 5 working days for urban areas (benchmark 100%)
- (iv)  % Fault Repair by next working day for rural and hilly areas (benchmark >75%)
- (v)   % Fault repaired within 7 days (for rural and hilly areas) working (benchmark 100%)

As per Performance Monitoring Reports (PMR) of TRAI for the quarter ending on December 2015, all service providers are meeting the benchmark in rural, hilly and tribal areas. The above performance by service providers is for the service area as a whole, averaged over a quarter.

(d) & (e) TRAI  has  been  holding  regular  interactions  with  service  providers  for further  improving  Quality  of  Service.  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 failure to comply with the benchmarks in accordance with the provisions of the regulations.

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