Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) customers may no longer need to hear the coughing sound and coronavirus-related message that has been set as the default caller tune by telecom companies.
The audio clip is being removed due to complaints by customers saying that it causes inconvenience and creates a loss of time.
The message, which goes on to warn about the virus, the symptoms to look out for the same and how to seek help for it, was introduced as a measure to spread awareness about COVID-19. Users complain that the clip is played even when calling for ambulance service.
All Telco companies were directed to incorporate the coronavirus ringing tone. BSNL decided to stop the audio message on special request forwarded to the Union government but other Telcos cannot avoid this.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) ordered superseding of the phone ringing tone that one hears on dialling a number since March when cases of the virus started being reported in India initially and several states in the country went into lockdowns.
