Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), has warned telecommunications companies that they could face sanctions if they fail to meet the regulator’s stricter call quality requirements.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, March 9, Ing. Fianko explained that the NCA has tightened the allowable call drop rate from 3% to 1%, signalling a shift from mere network access to the quality of the user experience.
“The shift now is from access to quality of the experience. In the past, the requirement was that about 3% of the millions of minutes of calls could drop, and it was okay by the regulatory requirement. We have reduced it to 1%. Meaning that it is more stringent now.
“Now you have to provision your network or dimension it to make sure that not more than 1% of the calls drop. There are fines, but our first action is not to fine, our first action is to bring it to your attention and give you time to remedy,” he stated.
Ing. Fianko added that if a network repeatedly fails in a given location, sanctions could follow.
The Director-General emphasised that the NCA’s approach prioritises protecting consumers by ensuring improved call quality before imposing financial penalties.
“If we go back to the location and, after some decisions by the Electronic Communication Tribunal, for sanctioning purposes, we test in one location for three days. We will take the same measurements so that if you fail, it means that it’s not just a snapshot, it’s a consistent issue in that locality.
“There are fines that are in the licence we are able to issue. If we fine them, the money comes to us, but it doesn’t help the consumer. So, we will first give notice to cure, but if you fail again in the same location, then we will issue a fine,” he said.
