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Follow UsThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recent survey on the satisfaction of Internet users with their Internet service providers (ISPs) has shown that though there is an increase in the number of Internet users and an overall improvement in the services, some ISPs like Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) have the most dissatisfied customers.
The survey covered 4,000 users with questions on service, accessibility and usage, customer care, tariff and equipment details. It also sought their response on newer technologies–Internet telephony and broadband.
The survey showed that 95% of Internet users were on dial-up access and that the trend of sharing connections is still prevalent. About 28% shared one connection at an average of 1.8 users per connection.
| On an average, 1.8 users share a connection from an ISP with the percentage of people sharing connections being 28% |
| 28% of dial-up Internet users face frequent disconnections |
| Over 24% of MTNL users need more than four attempts to connect to the Internet. BSNL is a close second with over 21% and VSNL is third with about 15% users needing more than four attempts to connect |
| Contrary to TRAI’s benchmark, new connections do not get operational within six hours of the purchase. BSNL, MTNL, VSNL, Satyam and Dishnet fail to comply with the norms |
| Around 47% users feel Internet access speeds are very slow–below 28.8 Kbps |
| Maximum complaints of slow speeds from MTNL users at 73%, BSNL with 71%, VSNL with 65% and Dishnet with 46% users |
| Improvement in customer care. Most of the ISPs now comply to the norms |
| A decline in the mean-time-to-restore (MTTR) faults. Satisfaction level at 86% |
| BSNL and MTNL customers’ dissatisfaction levels with the service at 50% and 43% respectively |
| Charges for Internet telephony okay, but quality needs to be improved |
| A demand for broadband with 128 Kbps average minimum speed and always on connectivity for less than Rs 1,000 per month as flat charge |
| Source: TRAI |
Among the dial-up Internet users, 28% faced frequent disconnections. TRAI plans to conduct a separate survey to find the
reasons behind frequent disconnections, since there is no quality of service (QoS) benchmark for this parameter at present.
Getting on the Net was also a difficulty with more than 24% of MTNL users needing more than four attempts to connect to the ISP node, the survey showed. BSNL was second worst with over 21% saying that they needed four attempts or more to connect. The Tata Group’s Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) was better at about 15%.
Getting started was also an issue as some ISPs were not complying with TRAI’s benchmark of operationalizing a new connection within six hours of its purchase. The erring ISPs include BSNL, MTNL, VSNL, Satyam and
Dishnet.
Customers also face difficulties in accessing the Internet in spite of having installed the starter kit properly. The obstacle, feels TRAI, could be a lack of guidance/instructions in the kit or crimp in the dialer software. Therefore, it has advised ISPs to maintain customer care centers with enough capacity to deliver proper service.
For respondents who do not have a PC at home, cyber cafés are a popular and easy destination for accessing the Internet mainly due to the lower rates at which the Net can be accessed. A cyber café, on an average, charges about Rs 15 compared to Rs 34 an hour that a dial-up connection costs. Another advantage was that users did not encounter frequent disconnections in cyber cafés as the service was rendered through leased lines/ISDNs as compared to dial-ups at residences.
Once on the Internet, around 47% users felt that the access speeds were very slow–below 28.8 Kbps. About 73% of MTNL, 71% of BSNL, 65% of VSNL and 46% of Dishnet users complained of low speeds. A probable cause for low-speed connects is cited as over-subscription by the ISPs. Here again, TRAI’s QoS regulations do not have any benchmark for mandating ISPs to maintain enough bandwidth from upstream service providers. TRAI is likely to take this under consideration as well.
However, there has been a substantial improvement in customer care, the survey revealed. According to their license agreements, ISPs have to rectify 90% of faults resulting in subscriber complaints within 24 hours of a complaint and 99% of faults within three days of a complaint. The survey showed that most ISPs were complying with these norms and only 14% users were dissatisfied with their service–a tremendous improvement over the previous survey, in which 76% users had complained about lackadaisical customer care response. The improvement in VSNL, BSNL and MTNL is, however, less than that in others. Similarly, although most ISPs have a satisfied customer base, BSNL and MTNL are the dark sheep, with the maximum number of customer complaints against them–50% and nearly 43% respectively.
The survey also reveals that users are more or less satisfied with the current duration-based charges, though it has been suggested that introducing a flat rate charge would be a better idea. With the Internet being used for making international calls mainly to the US, Europe and the Middle East, it has become a cost-effective medium of reaching out to family and friends.
Although customers have no problem with the rates being charged, they are not very satisfied with the quality of voice transmission and expect it to improve.
Another technology that users feel should be introduced is high-speed broadband connectivity. The survey showed that users want broadband with an average minimum speed of 128 Kbps with round-the-clock connectivity at a flat fee of less than Rs 1,000 per month.
NEETU KATYAL in New Delhi