The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a set of key performance indicators for the quality of service of all telecommunications companies in the country.
The new QoS Regulations 2024 just released by the Commission sets specific parameters for the different network segments of the telcos covering 2G, 3G, and 4G and it focuses on parameters such as Drop Call Rates, Call Setup Success Rate, Traffic Congestion, among others.
According to the telecom regulator, failure to meet each parameter attracts N5 million, with an additional N500,000 per day for the period the infraction lasts.
The Commission said the telcos are to file their QoS report on a monthly basis while it would also carry out its measurement through methods which may include drive tests, consumer surveys, and data collection from its Network Operating Centres (NOCs).
The new QoS regulation may have been prompted by the recent 50 percent telecom service target set by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani. NCC said it has resolved to meet this target before the end of this year.
According to a recent statement from the telecom regulator, other targets in Tijani’s Strategic Agenda 2023, include boosting Nigeria’s broadband penetration rate to 70 percent by the end of 2025; delivering data download speed of 25Mbps in urban areas and 10Mbps in rural areas by the end of 2025; and to provide coverage for, at least, 80% of the country’s population, especially the underserved and unserved populations by the end of 2026.
To achieve the quality of service target, the Commission said rather than taking a national outlook on data collection for quality of service delivery, it has adopted an approach where more granular data is collected from operators and analysed to determine the quality of service at very small, local levels, to allow the deployment of optimised solutions or regulatory actions where needed.
It added that the approach focuses on ensuring that the consumers receive an enhanced Quality of Experience, beyond the narrow and very technically-evaluated Quality of Service.
While the telecom regulator has been quiet for a long time on the issue of quality of service even amid complaints from subscribers, the new regulations may mean that the regulator is ready to bite again and impose fines.
The most recent fine imposed on a telecom operator over the issue of QoS was in 2020 when the Commission fined Airtel N2.3 billion for disconnecting Exchange Telecommunications Limited without regulatory approval. This was deemed a violation of the NCC’s QoS and enforcement process regulations.
Before that, in 2019, the Commission also fined all four GSM operators, MTN Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile a total of N2.97 billion for a variety of infractions, including QoS.
In the same year, Airtel and 9mobile were fined N5 million each for violating the NCC’s Do-Not-Disturb rule. This rule protects subscribers from unsolicited Value-added Services (VAS).
Meanwhile, the issuance of new QoS regulations is coming amid struggles by the telecom operators to mitigate the impacts of the Naira devaluation and high inflation in the country.
With huge forex losses, the telcos are cutting down on their operating expenditure with investment in network capacity taking a hit. This is already impacting the quality of their service.
The operators have argued that the only way to salvage the situation for the telecom regulator is to allow them to increase tariffs.
