KOLKATA: The recently concluded spectrum auction for the telecom industry saw 19 days of fierce bidding and telecom companies competing for spectrum to strengthen mobile data services. However a community poll conducted by a social networking platform LocalCircles, revealed that around 43 per cent of phone users in India are dissatisfied with the quality of data services while another 43 per cent have rated it as average.

According to the study, around 53 per cent of the surveyed people said the quality of network coverage was average, while 27 per cent expressed discontent with the coverage.

Another 53 per cent felt that the tariffs charged by the operators were expensive, while 38 per cent voted it as a “value for money” proposition.

Of the people surveyed, 53 per cent put faith on the accuracy of data billing and other services charged by the operators, while 32 per cent did not vote in its favour.

“Immediate efforts are needed by the telecom regulators and the operators to improve the voice and data service quality by reducing call drops, improving coverage and quality,” LocalCircles said.

As per the study, a whopping 77 per cent of respondents said the central government and telecom regulatory authorities have “not done enough” to address issues faced by consumers and another 77 per cent said they want operators to bill them based on usage and the services opted for instead of generalised packages.

“Net neutrality is something that a majority of citizens support and want the telecom regulator to ensure consumer interest is protected at all costs,” it added.

The company also said that the telecom regulatory body’s regulations are “loose” and the Department of Telecom’s monitoring of compliance on licensing requirements are falling short of expectations.

The survey was conducted across India with 20,000 citizens responding to six poll questions followed by a “detailed structured discussion.”