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Chandigarh: DC cracks whip against poor mobile connectivity
Gives 15-day ultimatum to mobile service providers to take steps to improve signal reception in Chandigarh
Deputy commissioner Mandip Singh Brar has given a 15-day ultimatum to mobile service providers (MSPs) to take steps to improve the signal reception across Chandigarh.
In a recent meeting with MSPs and heads of different departments, the deputy commissioner (DC) enquired about the reasons behind poor mobile reception being encountered across the city in recent times.
“The MSPs contended that the work from home (WFH) culture has led to a dramatic change in the usage pattern of mobile transmission,” said Kuljit Paul Singh Mahi, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) and the nodal officer under Chandigarh Right of Way Policy for Telecom Infrastructure.
MSPs had created higher density of mobile towers and transmission infrastructure in commercial spaces and near office complexes, such as IT Park, as the demand for these services was more in these locations. “But, with the pandemic, the demand pattern has shifted to residential areas, where there is relatively smaller footprint of towers and other related infrastructure,” said Mahi.
The firms will have to reconfigure their existing mobile tower infrastructure to provide improved services in residential areas. “The DC has asked them to do so in order to resolve problems such as drop calls, poor mobile signal and low mobile internet speeds,” said the ADC.
Residents decry poor signal
Residents complain that poor mobile reception has become a severe problem in the past few months, even affecting their work.
Vasudev Vashisht, an IT professional working with a multi-national company, said: “Since the start of the pandemic, we have shifted to WFH, and mobile network has become key to our functioning. But, for the past few months, mobile signals have become very erratic. Call drop, particularly during longer calls, keeps disrupting our work.”
“There are no physical meetings nowadays. We are dependent upon virtual meetings, but with poor mobile connectivity, we are losing key business. We have tried changing the MSP, but the problem persists,” said Naveen Manglani, presidents, Chamber of Chandigarh Industries.
Admn to facilitate infra expansion
While the MSPs can improve services to certain extent with the existing infrastructure, the expansion of network is required for resolving the issue on a long-term basis.
In view of this, Brar has also directed local departments, including estate, urban planning and municipal corporation, to facilitate faster approvals for setting up mobile towers in the city.
An MSP has to take consent from different departments, and a feasibility study is done by the urban planning department for erecting a mobile tower. “Currently, they have to follow the process physically. But, we are also setting up a web portal dedicated to MSPs for them to get necessary approvals online, which will speed up the process,” said Mahi.
The UT administration in February this year notified the Chandigarh Right of Way Policy for Telecom Infrastructure for the city. It envisages a single-window electronic application process for submission of all applications relating to the Right of Way. All departments have to appoint a nodal officer to deal with such applications. Earlier, the NOC was given by the estate office, but now the ADC has been made the nodal officer.
“We recently received around 32 applications for the erection of new mobile towers, but were rejected as they were incomplete. We have asked the firms to submit the applications again,” said the ADC.
