The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is looking to procure a new network performance monitoring system.
It will be used to monitor quality of service on SA's mobile networks, verify operator compliance reports and enable the implementation of punitive measures as prescribed in the regulations.
According to the details provided in the regulator's tender documentation, its current system leaves it "no means or methods" of establishing mobile network operator compliance with the End-User and Subscriber Service Charter Regulations.
"[This] makes it impossible to regulate," says ICASA.
The regulator says in the tender documentation that it currently uses a drive-test method to measure quality of service. This method does not represent the average of a user's locations over the whole network; instead, it gives a snapshot in time and location of the performance of the network.
ICASA is now looking to acquire a new system which includes the "latest mechanism available to regulators": a passive 24/7/365 methodology.
"As the real traffic provides measurements from the entire network, all the different locations and different times are measured, so the representativity is assured [...]. A combination of both the drive-test method and the passive network performance monitoring system will cater for all four viewpoints of quality of service." it explains.
ICASA expects the new system to allow it to expand the elements it monitors to reflect the expectations of a modern-day mobile network. Currently, the regulator only reports on two key performance indicators: accessibility of the network for voice calls and the ability of the network to retain the voice call.
The new tender, however, specifies a range of key performance indicators across both voice and data services. These include, among others:
- Voice service access delay (time for call to connect)
- Call setup success rate
- Call drop ratio
- Data service availability
- Data service access time
- Data service access rate
- Data service drop rate
- Downlink average user throughput
The authority has also stipulated the system be configured with performance-management alarms in response to service degradation in breach of licence conditions.
The closing date for tender submissions is 19 February. The tender document can be found here.
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