The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has published its latest round of quality of service (QoS) reports for Vodacom, MTN and Cell C, focusing on Johannesburg and Pretoria.
This comes over three months since the authority published its QoS reports for the 2012/13 financial year, covering the three main operators' services in the Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, after a lengthy hiatus.
ICASA says the latest QoS monitoring report focused on call set-up success rate and dropped call rate in the tested areas.
For retainability key performance indicators (KPIs) - expressed as average drop call rate - MTN and Cell C missed the target in Johannesburg, while all three operators met the target in Pretoria.
In terms of accessibility KPIs - expressed as average call set-up success rate - all network operators met the target in Johannesburg, while only Cell C fell short in Pretoria.
ICASA points out that although some of the operators were able to meet the targets in specific areas, voice quality measurements were not taken. In some areas where received signal levels were below average, says the regulator, customers' experience during the voice call could be affected.
With regards to signal levels, MTN failed to make the grade in Tembisa, the Pretoria CBD and Mabopane - while Cell C flunked out in the Johannesburg CBD and Atteridgeville.
Consumer satisfaction
ICASA explains the methodology it uses for its QoS reports provides "a snapshot view of the operators' quality of service, giving a realistic picture of network performance from a user's point of view".
The authority notes the drive test results do not represent Vodacom, MTN or Cell C's overall network performance, and are based on the specified routes during the time of day when the measurements were carried out and using a particular type of handset.
Quality of service is the collective effect of service performance, which determines the degree of satisfaction of a user of the service - the capability of a network to provide a quality service to selected network traffic over various technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications.
The purpose of publishing QoS reports, says ICASA, is to enable consumers to make informed choices when selecting a service provider based on their network quality, identify shortcomings in the services offered by the three major mobile operators, and thereby promote redress in the interest of the public.
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