According to a survey by LocalCircles, more than nine out of 10 mobile phone users in India complained of poor wireless connectivity, while two-thirds struggle with disrupted digital payments on older 3G and 4G networks. The findings spotlight the yawning gap in services currently delivered by Indian telecom carriers despite tariff hikes. It also points to the need to step up quickly as companies prepare to bid for airwaves in a government-led auction that will pave the way for launch of ultraspeedy 5G services in India.
Meanwhile, about 48 per cent of 8,210 consumers surveyed by LocalCircles mentioned frequent disruptions to their mobile services due to poor network availability and 44 per cent were disgruntled with low data speeds.
Besides, in another survey question that drew in 11,865 consumer responses, 66 per cent of the respondent experienced snags in at least one online transaction, thereby compelling them to rely on alternate payment mechanisms such as cash, check or credit cards, according to a statement from LocalCircles.
The survey’s findings also highlight the need to invest more in infrastructure to boost telecom services as well as digital payments. India reported 35 billion digital transactions in 2021, according to LocalCircles, which said that this number could go up significantly if wireless network issues are fixed.
