We are being cheated by telecom companies every day.
We have all seen TV ads by telecom companies with claims of super fast internet available on the highest mountains and farflung islands. But the truth is that we don’t get good internet even inside our homes in metro cities. They promise 21Mbps or even 100Mbps, but can barely deliver 2Mbps.
Our phone signals are horrible and data speeds are worse. India has really poor implementation of 3G Internet, with only a third of the towers being 3G enabled. But instead of fixing them, the telecom companies are busy hard selling us the 4G dream.
No matter which telecom company we subscribe to or whether our connection is 2G, 3G or 4G, the internet speed is extremely slow and the connection is very erratic.
Why don’t we get good internet speed?

1. Speed: Only 30% of Indian cellular towers are 3G enabled. The rest provide 2G. Your data speed depends on which tower you’re connected to. It is highly probable that you are getting a 2G connection even when you have activated a 3G pack.
2. Coverage: Telecoms haven’t invested in erecting enough cellular towers to cover all the consumers. Bad signal leads to low data speeds.
3. Consistency: Telecoms cap data speeds in some areas because they can’t handle the load.

TRAI has fixed the minimum speed for 3G speed at 1Mbps and has asked telecoms to ensure that they don’t fall below this speed for at least 95% of the time. But the reality is that most 3G customers don’t get a stable 3G connection half of the time. According to a recent report by Ericsson, 48% mobile customers found no difference between 2G and 3G speeds. TRAI has also asked all telecoms to clearly communicate the minimum data speed they provide for 2G, 3G, and 4G in all ads and customer materials. This is also not being implemented.
TRAI has imposed penalties of Rs.1.5 lakh for delivering service below set standards. Do you think that amount will scare the telecom giants? Plus, the biggest irony is that TRAI makes its decisions based on Quality of Service reports compiled by the telecom operators themselves and not by an impartial, independent body.
Sign our petition and join us in asking TRAI and the Telecom Ministry to:

• Conduct independent Service audits of quality across India.
• Increase the penalty for non-compliance by telecom operators on minimum speed and service consistency
• Get telecoms to declare a roadmap on upgrading infrastructure to ensure good 3G and 4G network coverage and speed across the country.
• Rationalize the spectrum prices so that telecoms have sufficient resources at hand and are left with no excuse to upgrade the infrastructure

The average internet speed in India stood at 2.7Mbps whereas it was 26.8Mbps in the UK, 14Mbps in Spain and 11Mbps in Turkey. Even Indonesia had a higher average speed at 4.4 Mbps. India is one of the slowest mobile connected countries in the Asia Pacific. How can we compete with rest of the world if our internet slows us down?
Sign the petition asking TRAI and the Telecom Ministry for proper regulations to guarantee consistent internet speeds and services on mobile devices that the customers are paying for. It is time telecoms are held accountable for the tall claims they make in their advertisements.