PHILIPSBURG:--- Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten purchased advanced measurement probes to effectively measure the quality of Telecommunications services provided by the St. Maarten Telecommunications Operators.
The equipment have extensive control capabilities that will allow the regulator to collect valuable data on mobile- and fixed telecom networks, to determine the actual performance of the network from the consumers perspective. Parameters such as network availability, coverage area, connectivity, throughput, download- and uploads speeds can now be measured with military precision, and a tailor made software solution will be used to store and analyze data.
Main objective of this latest equipment purchase is to make the performance of operators quantifiable. With all collected data the regular will be perfectly able to see if the operators are in compliance with quality of service standards in the telecom industry, as outlined in St. Maarten’s quality of service policy. It’s also an effective tool to determine if providers are giving the level of service to their clients as agreed on in service contracts.
In the initial part of the pilot project 8 mobile measuring probes will be installed in vehicles of third parties that constantly drive around the island, and 6 fixed measuring probes will be placed in private homes, both of which are unknown to the service providers. The collected data will give a good impression of the mobile and fixed broadband services delivered on the island. The pilot project is expected start mid April. Data will be collected over a period of 6 month, and the first results will be shared and discussed with the respective service providers. An important step to work towards improvements.
Director of BTP, Mr. Antony Carty stated; “The policy on Quality of Service/ Experience was approved back in 2015. I’m now very pleased to have equipment in place that can measure throughput in accordance with the Qos/ QoE policy. It will give us a clear overview of the actual performance of St. Maarten Service Providers, and we can hold them accountable for the level of service delivered. By effectively measuring the QoS of the local networks, we also want to make ongoing efforts to assist providers in improving their services. All our findings will be shared with the service providers and they will then be given 6 months to make the necessary amendments to their networks, in order to be in compliance with the QoS/QoE values as outlined in the Quality of Service Standards document that was approved by the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications.
