Government Rolls Out IVRS to Address the Problem of Call Drops

[Rewati Baruah]

The Union Government rolled out IVRS platform at multiple locations to get direct feedback from telecom subscribers on call quality. The IVRS (Integrated Voice Response System) platform is currently launched in Delhi, Goa, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. As per the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), this IVRS system will soon be extended across the country.

IVRS to Tackle Call Drop Menace:

Under this system, the telecom subscribers will receive an IVRS call from the short code 1955 and will be asked a few queries such as whether the user is facing call drops in his or her area. Apart from this, the subscriber can also send a toll-free SMS to the short code 1955 containing the location details if the user faces the problem of call drops. The obtained feedback will be shared with the telecom network operators so that they take corrective steps in the problematic areas to curb frequent call drops.

Launching the new IVRS system, Mr. Manoj Sinha, Minister of Communications & IT, Govt of India, said: “The platform is a channel to capture direct feedback from the consumers and this voice of the customer can be used to improve the services that are being offered to them”. He also added that initially the government will use the system for call drops and will extend this to capture consumer feedback in other areas as well in the future.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has taken a slew of initiatives to address the problem of call drops. The telecom network operators have installed more than 1, 30,000 additional Base Transceiver Stations during the period between June 2016 and October 2016. And have plans to install 1, 50,000 Base Transceiver Stations across the country by March 31, 2017.

The Backbone Network?

The Telecom Minister Mr. Manoj Sinha added, “Till consumers say that they are free of call drops, I won’t accept it. The platform would be the right parameter to gauge the call drop situation”. Hope this would bring necessary changes in the telecom sector which is a backbone of Digital India.