Quality of Service for Mobile Telecommunications
Mobile telephony holds great promise for increasing access of Mozambicans to a range of critical services. Beyond voice, SMS, and basic data, cellphones offer an ideal platform for delivering innovative education, health, and financial services.
However, consumer trust is a critical building block for rolling out these types of services, especially mobile money. There is a sense that the quality of service is not optimal in Mozambique, a perception that could kill trust and prevent the successful rollout of services vital for Mozambique's development.
The first step toward improving quality is to explicitly measure it and promote transparency around actual, as opposed to perceived, performance. INCM, the telecoms regulator in Mozambique, sought support from SPEED to help clarify the methodology for measuring the quality of services for mobile communication. Mobile operators and other communications companies are required to report on their quality of services as defined in Decre 6/2011 of May 3. But first INCM must define a consistent methodology for self-reporting, as well as a system for spot-checking the operator's reports. This report outlines an international best practice roadmap for implementing the recommended methodology.