New Delhi: Amid concerns over quality of mobile services in the country at a time when 5G networks continue to expand pan-India, the country’s top telecom honchos, including Reliance Jio chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal, Aditya Birla group’s Kumar Mangalam Birla, and Tata group chairman N Chandrasekaran are likely to visit the national capital next week to hold a meeting with officials from the department of telecom.
Sources said that chiefs — who are part of the stakeholder advisory committee on telecom services — are set to meet telecom secretary Neeraj Mittal and new communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to discuss the growth of the sector, including on matters related to spectrum, quality of services, and financial health of the industry.
“The honchos have been invited as part of the first Stakeholder Advisory Committee for Telecom Service Providers,” a source said, adding that the discussions at the meeting are likely to be followed up with more face-to-face interactions. “The chairman of public sector BSNL has also been invited.”
Apart from the top bosses, DoT has also invited executive management personnel of the companies to the meeting. These include Airtel MD & CEO Gopal Vittal, Jio MD Pankaj Pawar, and Vodafone Idea CEO Akshya Moondhra.
Sources said the ministry wants to take stock of the mood of the industry, as well as any concerns that companies may have. “There has been a new minister who has taken charge, and this would also help him understand the issues first-hand.”
However, govt is also likely to raise certain matters with the telecom bosses, especially around the quality of consumer services. “There have been serious concerns around the matter of pesky calls, and this may figure in the discussions. Also, call drops and patchy network quality will also be discussed.”
“Possibilities around 6G, and how to indigenise networks, is something that may be part of the discussions. Govt strongly believes that telecom is the backbone of the Indian economy and wants to ensure that networks remain robust and viable.”
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