The PTA has directed operators to take corrective actions in order to improve service quality in accordance with licensed standards.
Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) have failed to meet the majority of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set in their license and applicable regulations in terms of webpage loading time and latency, according to an independent quality of service (QoS) survey conducted by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The PTA has directed operators to take corrective actions in order to improve service quality in accordance with licensed standards.
An independent QoS Survey was conducted at Thirteen (13) x Motorways and Highways during the 4th Quarter, i.e. October-December 2022, to measure the performance and service quality of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs).
Furthermore, an independent QoS survey was conducted in 22 cities across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan during the fourth quarter of 2022, from October to December.
The automated QoS monitoring and benchmarking tool “SMARTBENCHMARKER” was used to conduct the QoS survey. Drive test teams planned survey routes to cover major roads, service roads, and the majority of sectors/colonies.
During the survey, mobile handsets for Voice Calls and SMS were kept in technology auto-detect mode, whereas mobile handsets for Mobile Broadband/Data Sessions were kept in both auto-detect and locked mode.
Licensees are required to meet the Webpage Loading Time threshold of 5 seconds under the Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations 2021. However, CMOs in cities did not meet this KPI.
Furthermore, according to the Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations 2021, licensees must meet a latency threshold of 75 milliseconds for 4G/LTE technology and 150 milliseconds for 3G technology.
In cities, however, operators fell far short of this KPI. Operators on highways and highways missed this KPI by more than 200 milliseconds. During the survey, 4G/LTE signal strength samples were collected on survey routes while performing data tests in technology auto-detect mode and locked mode.
Licensees must meet the -100 dBm or higher of Reference Signal Receive Power (RSRP) threshold with a 90 percent confidence level, according to Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) licenses.
However, in most cases on highways and highways, operators fell far short of this KPI. According to industry sources, Pakistan’s telecom industry is facing serious challenges, particularly in light of recent floods and the issue of Letters of Credit, which are impeding project implementation and resulting in service degradation.
Due to the current economic downturn and related liquidity issues, telecom companies have been forced to cut costs and face challenges in upgrading their capacity to meet demand. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications has repeatedly admitted to poor service quality while claiming that service parameters are not on par with other regional countries.
Every month, approximately 1.5 million internet connections are added, but operators have failed to meet the requirements and have not upgraded their capacity. PTA recently imposed a Rs. 29 million penalty on four CMOs for failing to meet the quality of service standards outlined in their licences.