Bigger eyes to watch telecoms services

Telecoms Regulatory Authority signs $1.2 million contract to obtain Quality of Service Management System

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced the signing of the Quality of Service Management (QoS) System contract with Telecom and IT provider, Wicom.

The Dubai-based firm was the winning bidder of the request for proposal TRA had launched in 2009. Wicom will provide and maintain the equipment required for the QoS Measurement Architecture (QoSMA) project, which aims at improving the quality of telecommunications services in the country.

The implementation of the new system would allow the TRA to oversee the performance of every type of telecom service - whether fixed-line, wireless, or data networks - across the country. This would allow the telecom watchdog to take the necessary actions to improve the quality of the services.

The TRA is an independent governmental institution established in 2007, as entailed in the 2002 Telecom Law 431.

The QoSMA solution is based on a high-tech data measurement and processing system. It collects and processes data from mobile (GSM, 3G, etc.), fixed (PSTN, IN, etc.), and data networks (Wireless, Wi-Fi, etc.) platforms, calculate the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and publish the results to the public.

The cost of the equipment required for the project is around $1.2 million, provided through the Ministry of Telecommunications. The equipment will be installed at the TRA premises. The installations include a platform to measure fixed and mobile KPIs, a drive test gear for mobile services, and a broadband QoS measurement device.

The TRA said that it will initiate the project with monitoring mobile services. It said that the first reports are due to be published by April 2012. The TRA said that users will be involved at a later stage in the broadband Internet measurement through specific software which they could download from the TRA’s webpage.