Indians Fight for Their Right to Faster Internet Speeds

An online petition on change.org has seen large support, with over 1 lakh signs in just three weeks.

A rickshaw puller speaks on his mobile phone as he waits for customers in front of advertisement billboards belonging to telecom companies in Kolkata February 3, 2014.  (Photo: Reuters)

It is quite common to see advertisements by telecom companies claiming that their network guarantees high-speed internet connections, but the reality is that Indian consumers do not get stable high-speed internet connections most of the times.

A petition by The Logical Indian on change.org seeks to ensure faster mobile data speeds by requesting the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Telecom Ministry to tighten its regulations against the telecom operators, among other suggestions.

The petition explains that telecom companies have been asked to keep the minimum 3G speed at 1MBPS for at least 95% of the time, and the penalty for delivering services below the standard is Rs. 1.5 lakh, an amount it claims is mere pennies for the telecos.

According to a recent report by Ericsson, 48% mobile customers found no difference between 2G and 3G speeds. TRAI has also asked all telecoms to clearly communicate the minimum data speed they provide for 2G, 3G, and 4G in all ads and customer materials. This is also not being implemented.

Petition on <a href="https://www.change.org/p/rsprasad-trai-regulation-for-guaranteeing-internet-speeds-on-mobile-that-customers-are-paying-for-givememyspeed?utm_source=action_alert&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=604844&amp;alert_id=iupXrVBzVq_cx02PNk9CviiSyDhdovTtY5hzXcjzwlcqbWjtPfY255F5b4ki4yURAP7ZqE7NsBc">change.org</a>

The petition addressed to the Minister of Telecom and Chairman of TRAI asks for a higher penalty on non-compliance by telecom companies, unbiased and independent service quality checks, rationalisation of spectrum prices and asking the telecos to formulate plans to upgrade infrastructure.

The Logicial Indian, in a video, said that they are demanding what they have paid for.

The petition has seen large online support, with over 1 lakh supporters in just 3 weeks.

The petition had 1,07,551 supporters at the time of publishing. (Change.org Screenshot)

Supporters who have signed the petition complain about misleading advertisements, pathetically slow internet speeds, lack of an internet connection while roaming, and various other issues related to internet speeds.

Some comments on the petition suggested that the petition should not only be restricted to mobiles, and something should be done about slow broadband connections in the country.