ISLAMABAD - Ministry of IT on Tuesday directed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to take immediate steps to address growing number of complaints regarding quality of telecom services provided by the telecom operators.
According to a handout, the concerns were expressed about speech quality, call drop, latency and session disconnect rates, for the voice calls and data sessions over the legacy 2G as well as the mobile broadband (3G & 4G) data networks.
Over the past few months, direct consumer level complaints as well as media reports regarding deteriorating QoS of telecoms services, are consistently on the rise. The issue has also been raised numerous times during the parliamentary committees meetings and the extent of concerns has reached a level where a special emphasis is required to improve the situation.
It is pertinent to mention that not only is the provision of quality services by the licensees mandated by the Act, stringent provisions to this effect as well as the relevant metrics are included in the licenses issued to the operators. It is worth mentioning that QoS is the single most important factor not only for protecting consumer interest but also for improving confidence of users for optimal growth of the sector.
The ministry accordingly has required the authority to share an analysis report as well as a comprehensive plan for a measurable improvement in quality of consumer experience.