NCA sanctions telcos for poor quality of service

The National Communications Authority has sanctioned telecommunication companies in Ghana for violating sub standard services rendered to Ghanaians in the Central Region.

This follows testing of various issues in congestion, call drop and audio quality trends in Kasoa, Swedru and Saltpond.

Tigo was the only one who met the NCA’s standards of call set up time of 10 seconds. Under this criterion, MTN failed in all towns except Kasoa.

Tigo’s performance in the call set up time, notwithstanding, they failed to pass the call congestion test. They got less than the 1% standard for call congestion Test. This standard means, a mobile operator is only allowed a congestion rate not higher than 1%.

Airtel Ghana also had poor network coverage in the four town where the test was conducted, according tot the NCA. It is unclear if the National Communication Authority will charge the companies for the violations or not.

This monitoring exercise forms part of the NCA’s monthly monitoring regime of the standard of services rendered by telcos to customers across the country.

The authority assess the user-experience of voice services in order to direct improvement in the quality of Service. The monitoring also enhances NCA’s understanding of current problems faced by consumers to enable it work more closely with operators to improve customer experiences.

The Quality of Service monitoring began following incessant complaints from consumers who have over the years expressed their dissatisfaction with the poor quality of service offered by the mobile phone network operators.

Policy makers have, in recent times, described the service standards offered to telecom consumers as unacceptable and unjustifiable as the network operators have used challenges confronting the sector — including poor energy supply, fibre-cuts and fuel-theft — as excuses for poor service delivery.

Recently, telecom operators and infrastructure providers have pinpointed poor energy supply, fibre-cuts and fuel-theft as the topmost challenges threatening their delivery of quality of service in the country.The operators contend that frequent disruption of network infrastructure and increasing utilities rates, which do not match service improvement, are impacting negatively on quality service delivery and operating expenses of telecom operators.