PTA notifies regulations for cellular operators
By: Muhammad Yasir
KARACHI: The cellular operators must take all remedial measures to remove shortfall in the services immediately identified by authority inspections and submitted its compliance reports within 30 days.
This was stated in the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) “Cellular Mobile Network Quality of Service Regulations 2011” issued recently.
The regulations have been formulated for cellular mobile communication licensees for the purpose of identifying the minimum service quality standards and associated measurements, reporting and recording tasks.
PTA stated that cellular operators at all times meet or exceed the minimum requirement of service quality of voice calls, call connection time, call completion ratio, SMS success rate and end-to-end delivery time.
The telecom authority shall measure the performance of the operators using modes for collection of data and documents including surprise drive test.
The cellular operators shall conduct periodic tests and surveys at intervals as required by the authority with latest measuring and testing equipment to be procured by themselves.
The cellular operator shall furnish results of survey and quality of service test in each quarter specified by the authority in terms of nature, direction and procedure. The test and surveys shall be designed to give the overall detailed picture of the cellular operators’ quality of service.
PTA may depute its own representative(s) at operators’ network to inspect the process of quality of services test and surveys. The operators should maintain record of tests and survey so that it could be available for authority’s auditor officer without any prior notice.
The regulations stated that all the record of test and surveys should be retained by the operators for the period of three years.
The authority shall conduct inspections, survey, test or carry out surprise checks by the designated officers or conduct performance audit for quality of service from time to time to ensure that users of the telecommunication service get standard quality of services.
PTA asked cellular operators to extend full cooperation and provide all assistance to the inspecting officers in carrying out test and surveys, including provision of all required equipments.
The inspections may be carried out without representative of cellular operators, the regulation stated.
PTA said that it may engage a third part or consultants to conduct quality of service audit provided extraordinary circumstances. The authority may publish such survey results, service audit results or rating of the cellular operators for general public without prejudice with or without additional notices or comments on its website. All operators should provide complete information about service and network as per regulations.
Source: Daily Times
Date:7/29/2011
” 
” 
” 
” 
” 
