The tussle between the Indian government and mobile operators over the issue of call drops has intensified, with regulator Trai probing whether there is a profit motive for the drops.
Trai is exploring whether there are any plans which would mean operators benefit financially from a dropped call, as part of a wider investigation into the issue, Press Trust of Indiareported.
Operators have been asked to provide information for the investigation, such as details of tariff plans and billing information.
But the Indian mobile industry has rejected any claim of deliberate call drops, with Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal recently noting that 95% of the nation's plans charge by the second, so they don't gain anything from a disconnection.
Operators have instead asserted that the issue is down to factors outside of their control, such as a shortage of towers due to regulatory norms and red tape.
But Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg has insisted that some plans involving free minutes use minute-based billing.
The government has also accused the industry of under investing, noting that if spectrum acquisition costs are set aside, operators have on average spent only 13% of revenue on infrastructure. But this ignores the issue that hyper competition and high reserve prices have made spectrum costs a major expense.
Meanwhile, to address the tower shortage issue, the industry is petitioning the government to persuade the armed forces to allow towers on defence land.
The Economic Times reports that the defence ministry is one of the largest owners of prime real estate in India, and giving operators access to the real estate could help patch spotty coverage.
India's Department of Telecom recently instructed the nation's operators to file weekly reports on the call drop issue and immediately improve services in particular problem areas.