The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is seeking to develop tools to automate tracking of users’ experiences and performance of internet, calls, and text to hold accountable underperforming providers.
The regulator has put out a tender notice for development of an automated quality of service monitoring tool, and a quality of experience measurement mobile application and web portal to improve its effectiveness in monitoring compliance.
With the new tools, CA expects to keep closer tabs at the performance of mobile network operators and internet service providers, in efforts to end deficient internet and connection speeds and quality.
“The Network Performance Monitoring System (NPMS) will enable the authority to collect, analyse, and visualise standardised Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for mobile, fixed, and IP-based networks, thereby ensuring regulatory NPMS, transparency, and continuous quality improvement,” said the regulator in a tender notice.
Currently, CA monitors performance of operators by physically driving around the country collecting quality of service data, which it then analyses to come up with a performance or compliance rate for different regulators.
The new system will be embedded in the telco’s networks across the country, consistently monitoring quality metrics like signal strength, quality of voice calls and data services accessibility and integrity, while reporting in real time.
In addition to the service quality monitoring system, CA also plans to develop a mobile application and online portal that will automatically track Kenyans’ experience with the services offered by operators.
“The authority also wishes to automate its Quality of Experience assessment methodology by introducing a mobile app that will give a more effective response on the subscriber’s perception of the network based on the variety of services they access,” said CA.
The app will automatically capture data on speed tests, voice tests, delay in sending of WhatsApp and text messages, buffering times when streaming videos and content, among other metrics from user phones.
Currently, the regulator conducts annual surveys to gauge customers’ satisfaction with different services and treatment by mobile network operators and internet service providers, which is both time-consuming and costly.
CA will use the data gathered by the app to assess users’ experiences and satisfaction with the services of the licenses, which weigh into the overall compliance with the set performance thresholds.
The automated assessment of the performance comes as the regulator plans to raise the performance threshold from 80 percent to 90 percent, and introduce county-level penalties for missed targets.
Last year, all the telecommunication firms scored less than 90 percent in compliance with the service quality indicators, meaning they would all be exposed to penalties under the planned new regime.
The regulator imposes a penalty of up to 0.2 percent of a telco's revenue for not meeting the quality standards.
