Telecommunications
Quality Measurement on Fixed and Mobile Networks
It is commendable that the Regulators have access to tools to fit their policy needs as well as providing greater information to all stakeholders. NetLabs has developed tools to enable the regulator to carry out this part of their responsibility in a way accessible to the entire Caribbean, regardless of their size or population. These tools are categorized in the following approaches:
While there is no clear unified standard yet in measuring actual broadband quality, official measurements are encouraged to provide as rich online information as possible on the metrics set and methodologies used by the Regulator.
Quality of Service
Quality of Service (“QoS”) is a mechanism that controls the performance, reliability and usability of a telecommunications service. With regards to broadband internet access, it will now be the responsibility of the Regulator to determine what the minimum quality parameters should be that internet service providers should comply with, on both fixed or mobile infrastructures, dependent on the type of service (service category, bandwidth, SLA) offered. Not only will regulators stipulate these requirements but they should be in a position to measure the performance on these network infrastructures for compliance purposes.
By doing so, the Regulator will be in a position to provide information to consumers and businesses about the services offered by operators and service providers and how these perform in different areas on the island.
Based on the results shared by the regulators, users should be able to compare performance results for the services available to them and compare that with their respective rates advertised.
Net Neutrality
In view of the principle of net-neutrality that operators, internet services providers and governments should treat all internet data the same in a non-discriminatory manner, the Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission, Tom Wheeler, announced on February 26th, 2015, the decision to regulate broadband as a public utility, which had been initially been called for by the President of the United States, Barak Obama. With this announcement the FCC took a big regulatory step by reclassifying High-Speed Internet service as a Telecommunication Service, rather than an information service. As such, broadband internet now falls under the direct responsibility and supervision of the “Regulator”.
Access to the internet is considered too important to let broadband providers be the ones making the rules, or dictate what the quality parameters their services should comply with. An important aspect of providing internet access is Quality of Service, parameters which the regulator will stipulate and to which all network operators and internet service providers should comply with.
