Islamabad:  Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has started an automated country-wide survey to check the quality of service (QoS) being provided by Cellular Mobile Operators (CMTOs) to the consumers. PTA Zonal Offices located at Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi are carrying out the survey.

The survey is being conducted through QoS monitoring equipment recently acquired by PTA. PTA officials have already been trained on this new equipment. The survey would be completed by December 2007. After the completion of survey, results would be finalized and action would be taken against the companies not meeting the required quality standards.

Besides, checking Cellular Mobile service quality, PTA is also conducting a survey of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the country. This survey will cover both rural and urban areas.

PTA, the regulatory body of countryâ??s telecom sector, regularly monitors the QoS of all telecom services by conducting comprehensive surveys throughout the year, results of which are published in the media. In addition, periodic inspections based on subscriberâ??s complaints are also conducted.

It may be mentioned that the last QoS Survey of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMTOs) was conducted in 2006. In September 2006, PTA conducted Wireless Local Loop (WLL) Survey to check the quality of WLL operators the result of which were published in the press and on PTA website. PTA has also carried out ISP survey in 2006.

A PTA spokesman said that PTA has sufficient experience in conducting QoS surveys, and now with latest equipment acquired, it will monitor the services of telecom operators more effectively. He further said that these checks and surveys have resulted in quality improvement of services being provided by Cellular, Fixed and Wireless operators as well the ISPs.

Khurram Ali Mehran

Deputy Director (PR)