TRAI Urges Telecom Operators to Enhance Call Quality via IP Networks
- September 26, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
TRAI Urges Telecom Operators to Enhance Call Quality via IP Networks
Sub: Sci
Sec: Awareness IT & Computer
Why This is in News
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken significant steps to address the quality of voice calls in India, urging telecom operators to improve audio quality by interconnecting their networks through Internet Protocol (IP) links. This move aims to bridge the quality gap between calls made on different networks, especially after the advent of 4G and 5G technologies.
TRAI’s Push for Enhanced Call Quality
TRAI has urged telecom operators to interconnect their networks through IP links, which would significantly improve the quality of voice calls between subscribers on different mobile networks.
The advent of 4G networks and VoLTE (Voice over LTE) technology has improved call quality for subscribers on the same network, often marked as “HD” calls.However, calls between subscribers on different networks continue to suffer from lower audio quality, despite advancements in telecom infrastructure and smartphone technology.
What is an IP Link?
An IP link refers to a direct connection between two devices or networks that communicate using the Internet Protocol (IP). This link enables the exchange of data packets across networks, ensuring that devices can send and receive information efficiently.
Key Aspects of an IP Link:
Data Transmission: IP links allow the transfer of data packets, such as voice, video, or files, between devices over an IP network.
Routing: Routers and switches establish IP links between networks, allowing data to travel between different nodes (devices or networks).
End-to-End Communication: An IP link can be set up between any two devices, whether on the same local network (LAN) or across different networks, even across the globe.
What is an IP network?
An IP network is a communication network that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) to send and receive data between devices. The Internet Protocol is responsible for addressing, routing, and delivering packets of data across the network.
Key components and functions of an IP network:
Data Transmission: In an IP network, data is broken down into small packets. Each packet is sent independently and can take different routes to reach its destination, where they are reassembled into the original data.
Addressing: Every device in an IP network has a unique identifier called an IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.1 for IPv4 or more complex addresses in IPv6). This helps in identifying the source and destination of the data packets.
Routing: Routers in the IP network use these IP addresses to determine the best path for data to travel from one device to another across the network.
Scalability: IP networks are highly scalable, allowing billions of devices to communicate over local or global networks (such as the internet).
Protocols: Other protocols, such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol), are often used along with IP to manage error-checking, data sequencing, and reliable delivery.
Reason Behind the Call Quality Gap
Network Infrastructure: Despite India having around 79% 4G or 5G IP networks, telecom providers still interconnect their networks using outdated Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) technology.
Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) is a method of transmitting multiple signals over a single communication channel by dividing the available bandwidth into time slots. Each signal gets a specific time slot, allowing different signals to share the same channel sequentially, without interference. In modern telecom, IP-based systems (like VoIP) have largely replaced TDM, but TDM is still used in some legacy systems. |
TDM technology, which predates digital infrastructure, is incapable of supporting high-definition (HD) audiocodecs, leading to poorer call quality when calls are made across different networks.
TRAI has been reviewing this issue and is encouraging telecom operators to adopt IP interconnectivity to enhance the consumer experience.
About Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
It was established by an Act of Parliament (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997) to regulate telecom services, including fixation/revision of tariffs for telecom services.
It provides a fair and transparent policy environment which promotes a level playing field and facilitates fair competition.
The TRAI Act was amended to establish a Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the adjudicatory and disputes functions from TRAI.
TDSAT was set up to adjudicate any dispute between a licensor and a licensee, between two or more service providers, between a service provider and a group of consumers, and to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction, decision or order of TRAI.