PANJIM: Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that Quality of Service (QoS) levels for all operators in Goa is in conformity with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)-mandated QoS benchmark. However, to improve the network and connectivity, more than 1200 cell sites need to be added to the current 3500 cell sites to facilitate efficient network quality and better connectivity. COAI also called upon the State government to form a policy on installation of mobile towers.
Earlier during the day, COAI members, along with a team of Goa State Pollution Control Board and some representatives of Goa Medical College (GMC), took readings of the electromagnetic field (EMF) created by the installation of the mobile towers and found that the readings were well below the norms prescribed by TRAI.
COAI said that the telecom industry in Goa is facing a stiff challenge to install mobile towers in areas like Merces, St Cruz, Arpora, Calangute, Baga, Siolim and Porvorim in North Goa. Similarly, areas like Dramapur, Varca, Borda, Benaulim, Sancoale, Nagoa, Loutulim and Colva in the South Goa are raising their red flag against the installation of mobile towers.
P Ramakrishna, the Principal Advisor of COAI, informed media that they did the meter reading at Patto (10.04 mw/sq mt), GMC (6.6 mw/ sq mt), Myles High (20.41 mw/sq mt), Shram Shakti Bhawan (7.5 mw/sq mt) and Goa Tourism – Paryatan Bhawan (28.57 mw/sq mt) and found that the reading was much below the norms set by Department of Telecommunication as 450 mw/sq mt.
However, Herald approached the members of Concerned Citizens on Health Hazard in Mumbai over the phone and one of the leading campaigners and film actor Juhi Chawla Mehta told Herald, “Please adopt the Precautionary Principles of Law of European Union accepted by the Supreme Court and High Courts of India. No proof of harm is not a proof of no harm.”
An active member of the Concerned Citizen Prakash Munshi told Herald that, “Our radiation level norms are too high and we must reduce it. A proper monitoring of the regulations made by the DoT in August 1, 2013 must be done. Unfortunately so far it has not been implemented. Let the DoT and industry make the actual levels of radiation during 2011-16 at various sites in all cities to prove that we are having most stringent norms and lowest actual radiation level in the world. The ex-ICNIRP chief said that the reduction of norms to 10 per cent was a political decision and not health based.”
Addressing a press conference and defending the telecom operators, Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI, said, “The government has introduced reforms to improve the network quality across the country, one example being the spectrum trading and sharing policy. With this policy, operators will be able to overcome the hurdle of spectrum shortage. Also, this will help in improving the network quality, which will eventually benefit customers and enhance the financial health of the country. In view of bolstering network connectivity, operators have already made significant investments in Goa, which have resulted in the betterment of mobile telephony network in the state”.
Highlighting the effectivity of measures adopted by operators to improve the networks, COAI said that these measures have resulted in a substantial decrease in instances of dropped calls in almost all key areas in Goa.
The industry body stated that operators have been working extensively in service delivery, including unavailability of requisite and adequate tower infrastructure. COAI added that the industry was doing everything possible to ensure the best possible service delivery to customers. Operators acknowledge there are areas, especially in dense urban areas, where call drops and call quality could be a problem.
COAI has highlighted several factors that are creating network problems in specific areas, which relate principally to availability of cell sites. More than half of the cell sites are either in operational or have been shut down due to unfounded concerns about Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF) or delays in obtaining timely clearance from local authorities.
The industry is also aiming at implementing the DoT’s guidelines on tower infrastructure and EMF to ensure residents’ safety. These guidelines were framed by DoT keeping in mind all regional concerns of tower installation and after a consultation process with State authorities.
