Call drops: Government to launch toll free number ‘1955’

Call drops: Government to launch toll free number ‘1955’ Government is planning to start soon a toll free number 1955 for taking feedback of telecom subscribers on call drops. “Short code 1955 has been allotted for Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) on call drop,” an official said. Provisioning of this number will be mandatory for telecom operators and should be accessible for local and STD

calling. As per a letter by the department of telecom to operators in last week of November the ‘1955’ number “is for the outbound calls to the subscribers, the IVRS will have to present a pre-defined caller line identification (CLI ) to the subscribers, through short code ‘1955’. ” State-run telecom firm Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) has been directed to configure this short code. Telecom operators have been directed not to charge any integration, maintenance, operational fee from MTNL. Official said that telecom minister Manoj Sinha will launch the service but did not disclose any further details. When contacted industry body, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that the industry has sought further technical clarifications from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), on routing, charges etc for the implementation of the short code 1955 for IVRS . “The response is awaited. The industry remains committed towards addressing the issue of call drops and is continuously working shoulder to shoulder with the government, enhancing both investment and infrastructure,” COAI director general Rajan S Mathews said.