he telecom department on Wednesday met operators to discuss rising instances of call drops and service quality-related issues as it deliberated on policy interventions that can be considered for improving call quality.

The meeting, which comes amid the rollout of massive 5G networks in the country, was chaired by telecom secretary K. Rajaraman and attended by telecom service providers, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea.

The issue of interference from illegal boosters and right of way (RoW) challenges came up for discussion at the meeting, which lasted for almost two hours. Sources said that operators made a detailed presentation to the Department of Telecom on current levels of service quality against stipulated benchmarks.

DoT sources said that the department is taking a longterm view of the service quality-related matters and has asked players to identify problem areas, and make suggestions on policy interventions that could improve the call connectivity.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is looking at legal frameworks and policy-level measures that can ensure a better quality of service.

Industry sources said that the DoT flagged consumer complaints on service quality at the meeting, and added that companies maintained that quality of service norms are being met. The industry also mentioned locations that are facing specific problems.