Safaricom fails to meet quality of service (QoS) targets
The just released Qos Performance Assessment for Cellular Mobile Networks for the period 2012/2013 by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) show that Safaricom is the only operator that did not meet the set targets in a single region countrywide with the worst ratings in the Eastern, North Rift and North Eastern regions.
The tests were carried out using various parameters including: Completed calls, call drop rate, call block rate, call set up success rate (CSSR), hand-over success rate, Rx Level, Speech quality and the call set up time.
Safaricom maintained an overall QoS performance of 50 per cent similar to what it achieved in 2012 was rated highest in Nairobi where it achieved 75 percent of the 80 percent requirement while in Central, Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza regions, there was an improvement from 37.5 percent to 50 percent.
In Eastern, North eastern and the North Rift the operator registered a QoS performance of just 37.5 percent and it passed 4 out of 8 parameters which included call drop rate, handover success rate, Rx level and call set up time.
The highest ranked operator Telkom Kenya achieved an impressive 100 percent score in Rift Valley and Nairobi region despite a drop in overall performance from 87.5 percent last year to 62.5 percent. It was the only operator that registered compliance in 5 parameters but failed in call block rate, CSSR and completed calls rate.
Airtel – also with an overall score of 50 per cent – also registered 100 per cent compliance in Nairobi and 87.5 percent in Rift valley but did not comply in the other regions with the lowest score recorded in Central and North rift regions. Of the eight set parameters Airtel achieved compliance in just four.
Also attaining 50 per cent overall performance was Essar (yuKenya) that complied only in Rift Valley with 87.5 percent and scored poorest North rift and Eastern regions.
CCK has said it will continue to engage the operators with a view to ensuring quality services are provided to the consumer and is also working on a number of regulatory measures to improve mobile cellular quality of services and it is hoped this will be reflected in the next report.
Source: CIO
