Globe, Smart pass NTC's network performance test

The National Telecommunications Commission on Tuesday said the two biggest telcos passed the Quality of Service Benchmarking Tests the industry regulator staged in 17 cities in Metro Manila during the second quarter.

 

The results reflected on the respective network performance of Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. Both telcos recently completed their respective modernization and transformation programs.

 

“The tests were conducted using post paid Globe and Smart SIM cards subscribing to regular services,” the commission noted in a statement. “Sun, Talk and Text, and Touch Mobile SIMs were not used because these SIMs are using the networks of either Globe or Smart,” the NTC added.

 

The NTC measured the network performance of both telcos and compared the test results with existing minimum service performance standards prescribed by the commission.

 

One of the areas tested was blocked calls or grade of service which refers to the percentage of calls that were denied access by the network or the percentage of the network's failure to establish connection between the caller and the receiver.

 

According to the commission, the grade of service of Smart deteriorated to 1.26 percent in the second quarter from 0.87 percent in the first quarter. 

 

Globe's grade of service improved to 1.46 percent from 2.6 percent, the commission noted.

 

“Based on the grade of service, both parties passed the less than or equal to four percent performance standard of the Commission, meaning no more than four blocked calls is allowed for every 100 call attempts,” the commission said.

 

Both companies also passed the parameter called dropped call rate. During the test, the NTC said its benchmarks placed a limit of two calls for every 100 in terms of involuntarily terminated calls.

 

Smart's dropped call rate was basically steady at 1.07 percent from 1.0 percent while Globe's improved to 1.4 percent from 1.56 percent.

 

"Just as in the last quarter, Smart had a clear edge in all five parameters of the 2nd Quarter Quality of Service Benchmarking tests of the NTC," said Smart spokesman Ramon Isberto.

 

As of this posting, Globe is still preparing its statement on the matter.

 

In terms of the Average Receive Signal Level, Smart registered -65.52 dBm against Globe's -71.45 dBm. The measure rated the signal strength from a cell site to a subscriber's mobile handset during a conversation in progress ongoing, with results near 0 considered better.

 

In the Average Signal Quality category, Smart scored 0.72 while Globe got 0.91 over the minimum acceptable range of 0 to 4, with a score near zero also considered better. 

 

For Call Set Up Time—the time it takes for a network to activate the called party—Smart scored 11.12 seconds, while Globed scored 12 seconds against an acceptable industry standard below 14 seconds.

 

"These numbers only validate what Smart subscribers experience, that of a mobile service that is clearly superior in terms of reliability, quality, and coverage,” Isberto noted. 

 

“To us it's a reminder to keep improving and strengthening our network even as we move to more advanced services like LTE or Long-Term Evolution," Isberto added. — VS, GMA News