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THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has picked Globe
Telecom Inc. as the most reliable and efficient mobile phone service
provider in Metro Manila.
Based on the regulator’s benchmarking of
mobile operators’ network performance, the Ayala-led telecom
company scored better with 3.41 percent, compared with rival Smart
Communications Inc.’s 5.21 percent and Sun Cellular’s 19
percent. Smart is a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.
(PLDT), while Sun is the telecom arm of the Gokongwei group.
The NTC said ranking among network operators was
generated based on the total percentage of blocked and dropped calls
from a total of 2,475 calls to measure the quality of service they
render to subscribers.
Tests were conducted from September 17 to
October 6 this year among the three cellular mobile telephone
service (CMTS) operators, to determine the quality of their service
offering and to ascertain that operating standards issued by the NTC
were met.
The NTC said data was obtained on quality of
service indicators, parameters affecting network performance and
subscribers’ satisfaction as reflected by percentage of good
calls, blocked calls and dropped calls.
“Lower percentage of blocked call plus dropped
call is desirable to ensure higher quality of service and therefore,
operator with lower percentage of dropped call plus blocked call was
given higher ranking,” the NTC said.
Data from the NTC showed that the average
blocked calls of Globe stood at 1.99 percent, while Smart had 3.79
percent and Sun Cellular, 17.05 percent.
In terms of dropped calls, Globe had 1.42
percent, while Smart and Sun had 1.42 and 1.95 percent,
respectively.
A dropped call pertains to an irregularly
terminated call such that neither the calling party nor the called
party sent a call clear signal or initiated the end of the call. A
call attempt that is dropped before six seconds after the called
party answers shall not be considered a call.
Under the NTC’s circular on service
performance standards for CMTS, the allowable drop call rate is 5
percent.
The agency noted that blocked and dropped calls
are caused by network congestion and system failure.
At end-June, Smart and Talk ‘N Text had a
combined 33.2 million subscribers, while Globe had 22.7 million and
Sun, more than six million. Talk ‘N Text is the mobile service
brand of Smart unit Pilipino Telephone Corp.
In terms of network accessibility, the three
telcos scored 100 percent, while for service accessibility, Globe
scored better at 97.98 percent, Smart, 96.24 percent and Sun, 83.02
percent.
Globe also beat Smart for signal quality
performance at 93.79 percent, while Smart had 93 percent and Sun,
84.47 percent.
Smart however scored better in terms of received
signal level with a score of 91.81 percent, followed by Globe, 86.58
percent and Sun, 84.48 percent.
The NTC also plans to undertake a performance
review of the Internet broadband service of telcos amid rising
consumer complaintsn.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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