New Delhi: India's telecom operators want the way network quality is measured to change, arguing that artificial intelligence and network analytics can reduce their dependence on the traditional drive-test process.
According to two people familiar with the discussions, the Department of Telecommunications has planned a joint committee to examine and simplify the existing service-quality framework. At present, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India largely measures quality through manual drive tests.
A drive test involves company staff driving specially equipped vehicles through different areas to check calls, data and signal strength. It is costly and slow. In its place, the committee could weigh whether network data, virtual drive tests and customer complaints can be used alongside or instead of the present manual methods.
Operators argue that AI can spot network problems faster and more precisely, and that network data can reveal issues in areas their staff cannot easily reach, speeding up fixes.
The proposed shift also raises questions. Whether network data truly reflects what a customer experiences will need testing. How customer complaints would be used, and whether drive tests would be scrapped altogether or continue alongside, is not yet clear.
Service-quality rules matter directly to subscribers, because complaints about call drops, data speeds and signal are judged against these very benchmarks. The committee's report, and any decision that follows, will become clear over the coming months. For subscribers, the practical question is whether the new method catches poor coverage as reliably as a van driving through their neighbourhood. That is the test the committee will face.