Update in India Broadband Definition

February 4, 2023

Indian consumers have been constantly complaining about service providers giving false promises on internet speed. Constant tussles existed among consumers, regulators, and service providers regarding this issue. To solve the issue, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has been changing regulations. Recently, the definition of broadband was changed.

New Definition of Broadband

According to the new definition, the download speed of the internet has to be at least 2 Mbps. This is far behind the developed countries. For instance, in the US it is 25 Mbps. In Canada, it is 50 Mbps.

Where is India lagging?

The TRAI uses several parameters to watch the service providers. This includes the activation time of the connection or SIM card, packet loss, uptime, consumer satisfaction, latency, etc. However, nine of these parameters are used in defining broadband.

What should TRAI do?

The TRAI should include factors that define the broadband condition with better clarity. For instance, it should include the nature of the broadband, and the plans offered. And the customers should be able to find out easily what and why they are making the payment.