Service Performance standards of telcos increased

Posted by migs

July 3, 2009

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has released a cricular to all telcos regarding improvements in “service performance standards’

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MEMORANDUM ORDER

No. 03-06-2009
SUBJECT: SERVICE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR THE CELLULAR MOBILE TELEPHONE SERVICE

WHEREAS, Sec. 5(a) of RA7925 mandates the Commission to ensure quality, safety, reliability, security, compatibility and inter-operability of telecommunications facilities and services in conformity with standards and specifications set by the international radio and telecommunications organizations to which the Philippines is signatory;

WHEREAS, Sec. 5(e) of RA7925 mandates to Commission to promote consumer’s welfare by facilitatingaccess to telecommunications services whose infrastructure and network must be geared towards the needs of individual and business users;

WHEREAS, MC No. 07-06-2002 prescribes the service performance standards for the cellular mobile telephone service (CMTS);

WHEREAS, Sec. 4 of MC No. 07-06-2002 provides that “CMTS operates are encouraged to improve the grade of service (GOS) by 1% and drop call rate (DCR) by 1% every two (2) years until the GOS is 4% and the DCR is 2%;

WHEREAS, since six (6) years have already elapsed from the promulgation Memorandum Circular No. 07-06-2002, the GOS and DCR should have improved by 3% each;

WHEREFORE, the Commission, by virtue of the powers vested upon it by law, does hereby prescribe the following standards:

Grade of Service (GOS) : 4% or 4 lost calls for every 100 call attempts
Drop Call Rate (DCR) : 2% or 2 dropped calls for every 100 calls

All existing memoranda, circulars, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this memorandum circular are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

This Memorandum Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days following the completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines; Provided, that at least three (3) certified copies thereof be filed with the University of the Philippines Law Center.

Quezon City, Philippines, 30 June 2009.

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So what does this means? This means that the NTC is now doing its job of taking care of the public by providing circulars that will be more benefitial for the consumers.

Now, the grade of service has been dropped from 7% to 4%. Meaning there is less probability that calls during certain peak hours will fail thus making consumers less prone to drop call charges.

Similarly, Drop call rates have been reduced from 5% to 2%. So if you experience drop calls, charges to those calls will be reduced.

Lets take note that the NTC has also define what a drop call is “ a call that is irregularly terminated (neither the calling party nor the called party has sent a call clear signal or initiated the end of the call). A call attempt that is dropped before six (6) seconds after the called party answers shall not be considered a call.