Telecommunication Companies Fail to Meet Key Performance Indicators for Service Quality

In an effort to assess the quality of services provided by Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) in Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) conducted an Independent Quality of Service (QoS) Survey across seventeen cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh. The survey highlighted that certain key performance indicators (KPIs) outlined in the operators’ licenses and regulations were not met in terms of voice and latency.

Additionally, a joint QoS survey, conducted in collaboration with CMOs, took place in seven cities of Gilgit Baltistan during the third quarter of 2023. The findings prompted PTA to issue directives to the operators to address the identified issues and enhance service quality.

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The survey employed state-of-the-art automated QoS Monitoring and benchmarking tools to evaluate Mobile Network Coverage, Voice, SMS, and Mobile Broadband against the standards set in Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) licenses and Cellular Mobile Network Quality of Service Regulations 2021.

The ranking of CMOs in Mobile Network Coverage and Voice Services was determined based on compliance levels in surveyed cities:

Mobile Network Coverage Ranking (Punjab, KP, Sindh):

1. Ufone
2. Zong
3. Jazz
4. Telenor

Mobile Network Coverage Ranking (Gilgit Baltistan):

• SCOM

The performance of CMOs in Mobile Broadband services, focusing on download and upload speeds, network latency, and webpage loading time, was also assessed:

Mobile Broadband Service Ranking (Punjab, KP, Sindh – Download):

1. Zong
2. Jazz
3. Ufone
4. Telenor

Mobile Broadband Service Ranking (Punjab, KP, Sindh – Upload):

1. Jazz
2. Zong
3. Ufone
4. Telenor

Mobile Broadband Service Ranking (Gilgit Baltistan):

• SCOM

Additionally, Ookla® Speed Test was used to benchmark the performance of Upload and Download Throughputs and Network Latency.

Voice Call Quality Ranking (Punjab, KP, Sindh):

1. Zong
2. Telenor
3. Ufone
4. Jazz

Voice Call Quality Ranking (Gilgit Baltistan):

1. SCOM
2. Ufone and Telenor
3. Zong
4. Jazz

The results indicated that CMOs generally complied with upload and download speed requirements, while improvements were noted in network latency and webpage loading time compared to previous surveys. Some Voice KPIs, however, fell below the licensed threshold in certain areas, prompting PTA to issue corrective instructions.

In terms of overall rankings:

Overall Telecom Operator Ranking (Punjab, KP, Sindh):

• Mobile Network Coverage: Ufone, Zong, Jazz
• Mobile Broadband: Jazz, Zong, Ufone
• Voice: Zong, Telenor, Ufone

Overall Telecom Operator Ranking (Gilgit Baltistan):

• Mobile Network Coverage: SCOM
• Mobile Broadband: SCOM
• Voice: SCOM (1st), Telenor and Ufone (2nd), Jazz (3rd)