Telkom lashes out at MTN

By Staff Writer for Telkom

Johannesburg, 15 May 2009

Telkom has hit back at MTN over yesterday's accusations that the utility is the source of 53% of mobile operator's network problems.

In a statement, released late last night, the company said: “Telkom rejects the claims made by Tim Lowry, MD of MTN SA, where he reportedly blamed the company for their own network and capacity shortcomings as an attempt to deflect attention from MTN's own failure to adequately service its customers.”

The rumble follows a rush of consumer complaints against the mobile operators which led them to be summoned to the chambers of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA). MTN, Vodacom and Cell C were asked to explain why customers were experiencing dropped calls, delayed messaging and poor network access.

According to Lowry, this week's meetings led the mobile operators to call on the regulator to investigate Telkom's network. He says that the majority of its mobile network issues can be traced back to Telkom's transmission and backhaul.

However, Telkom is grated by the accusations, saying they are merely a way for the mobile operators to escape blame for trouble on their own networks. “It is ironic and unacceptable that every time some of the mobile operators are made to account for their network availability and reliability, blame is conveniently apportioned to Telkom,” the company's statement notes.

Network nothings

According to Telkom, over the weeks where mobile customers have reported trouble, Telkom did not detect any network trouble that could have caused the problems reported by mobile users.

“Also, delays in messaging and dropped calls are not a function of Telkom's access or core network, but a reflection of the switching and transmission capacity of the mobile operators' network dimensioning practices.”

Telkom has also called on MTN to prove how these problems can be directly linked to Telkom's backhaul.

“Another factor that needs to be considered is that the deployment of mobile broadband networks requires significantly more bandwidth and network capacity which, in turn, could impact the quality of service of the mobile networks,” adds Telkom.

The fixed-line operator says it is also not the sole provider of the mobile network's backhaul anymore. “It must also be remembered that the mobile operators had the right to self provide since September 2005 and that Telkom is no longer the sole provider of all their network capacity requirements.”

Bucking bull

Telkom has also defended its service agreements with the mobile companies. “They do order links from Telkom at a specific service level agreement (SLA). This may be at either 99.5% or 99.95% availability levels.”

Telkom is adamant it has upheld its side of the bargain. “In fact, Telkom is proud to highlight that we have achieved our service level agreements regarding network availability with all three mobile operators over the last 12 months, with the only exception being the month of November 2008, where we were 0.007% outside the SLA for MTN.”

Telkom says that the only problems it has experienced in terms of provision for the mobile companies has been caused by cable theft, weather trouble and construction that caused faults.

The company has also called on the mobile operators to take responsibility for their own services. “In addition, it must be emphasised that the mobile operators, and not Telkom, are fully responsible for the end-to-end performance of their respective networks,” the company says.

ICASA has not let the mobile operators off the hook lightly. It has decided to pursue the matter, instructing MTN, Cell C and Vodacom to find a solution to the problems as soon as possible. “Failing which, the complaints raised by consumers would be referred to the Complaints and Compliance Committee (CCC) for adjudication and possible penalties.”

In the meantime, all the operators have agreed to make network statistics available to the general public, much like their financial reports. The reports will include information on network performance and availability; network parameters, including reports about dropped calls and delayed text messages; as well as active subscriber Information.