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ICASA releases Limpopo call quality report

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 28 Nov 2014
Operators have previously questioned ICASA's testing methodology.
Operators have previously questioned ICASA's testing methodology.

Accessibility and retention of voice calls have been problem areas in the Limpopo province, according to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa's (ICASA's) latest quality of service report which looks at the performance of SA's three biggest mobile network operators.

Monitoring was conducted in selected areas of the province, including Mokopane, Mutale, Polokwane, Sekhukhune and Thohoyandou. "The metric used to measure the above were Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR) and Drop Call Rate (DCR)".

In a statement released today, ICASA said: "The results show that MTN met the accessibility target in all areas under test (Thohoyandou, Mutale, Sekhukhune and Mokopane), but failed the retainability test in Sekhukhune. Cell-C failed accessibility test in Thohoyandou, Mutale and Mokopane as well as the retainability test in Thohoyandou, Mutale, Sekhukhune and Mokopane.

"Vodacom met the accessibility target in all areas where the measurements were performed but failed retainability in Thohoyandou, Mutale and Sekhukhune".

ICASA said, based on the average results, Cell C did not meet targets set out in key performance indicators (KPIs) for the average drop call rate (ADCR) during retainability tests. In the accessibility KPIs, which are expressed as Average Call Set-up Success Rate (ACSSR), Cell-C and Vodacom did not met the target.

ICASA noted it offered operators the opportunity to comment on the areas of concern highlighted in its report. "Both Vodacom and Cell C have taken to address areas of concern and ICASA continues to engage with the licensees for better quality of service.MTNdid not submit any further comments".

'Questionable tests'

Operators have previously questioned the methodology and technical aspects of ICASA's testing, with Cell C noting difficulties to determine the accuracy of the results in the "absence of an industry-recognised testing methodology".

MTN said the findings do not reflect the true overall end-user experience its customers are experiencing in the affected areas, while Vodacom noted it supports ICASA in refining the testing process in conjunction with the SABS.

Ovum analyst Richard Hurst also previously noted ICASA needs to be better empowered so it has the skills and technical resources that will leave its results unchallenged.

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