Monitoring and Control of the Spectrum (MCE)https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=55129
Quality of Servicehttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=55130
Other Monitoring Activitieshttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=55131
The monitoring and control of the spectrum (MCE) encompasses the management of frequencies and has the following main objectives:
- Verification of the operating conditions of radio networks and stations, according to current legislation, in particular Decree-Law no. 151-A/2000 of 20 July.
- Compilation of information on the ground to assist the activities of spectrum planning and the licensing of radio stations and networks.
In 2008, ICP-ANACOM invested in the technological upgrade and equipping of infrastructure supporting its MCE activities, specifically two communications receivers with measuring capability, two selective radiation measurement systems, one portable spectrum analyzer, in the upgrade and maintenance of its systems for analyzing the quality of service of the mobile networks and a number of other radio frequency devices.
In addition three switching antenna systems were acquired, together with two telegraph and digital communications analyzers, two communications receivers with measuring capability and various other devices for the Porto Centre as part of the Integrated Monitoring Project (PMI) which has almost been concluded in this centre, with only some adjustments to the applicational software still required.
With respect to the technical management of MCE equipment and systems, the following activities, which took place over 2008, should be noted:
Equipment calibration
- Definition of the calibration profiles for the new equipment;
- Internal calibration of 94 appliances;
- External calibration of 33 appliances.
Corrective conservation
286 operations were carried out with respect to various appliances of all the MCE centres, or which just 17 made use of resources external to ICP-ANACOM. Of particular note was the extensive conservation work carried out internally on MCE equipment of the Automatic Inspection Position of Barcarena.
Preventive conservation
Work was undertaken in respect of the hardware and software of SINCRER and the sets of antenna of the Barcarena and Madeira centres.
In operational terms, periodic monitoring campaigns were conducted over the course of 2008, to verify whether the operation of stations and networks is in accordance with current legislation and in particular with the conditions imposed in the licenses of radio stations and networks.
As part of these inspection and enforcement activities, legal proceedings were begun in 84 processes with respect to verified infringements.
There were 1,846 requests for intervention, with the resolution of most requests needing the local intervention of a technical team. Of the total, 48 percent resulted from complaints about interference, with more than half of these referring to complaints resulting from interference in terrestrial television reception systems. Note should be made of the high level, with respect to complaints, of occurrence/interference in communications of the Aeronautical Mobile Service (13 percent), of the Amateur Service and Amateur Satellite (9 percent) and the networks and stations of the terrestrial mobile service with CDMA technology, operating in the 450 MHz band (7 percent).
Finally it should be noted that of the remaining 52 percent of requests received, 14 percent related to requests for verification of compliance with reference levels for the protection of the general population.
Furthermore operational actions were undertaken which arose from requests from the Media Regulator (ERC), under the current protocol with ICP-ANACOM.
Cooperation with other public entities, including the PSP, GNR, PJ and with our international counterparts made up a large part of the activity undertaken in this area over the year, accounting for about 12% of the overall activity.
Particular note should be made, as regards MCE, of those activities which are designed to address harmful interference affecting frequencies, channels and stations, which are detailed as follows:
- The frequencies of the aeronautical mobile service for runway approach , distress and safety, and national airport control towers;
- Calling, distress and safety channels of the maritime mobile service;
- Aeronautic and maritime radionavigation service stations;
- Responses to requests from the authorities responsible for search and rescue (search and rescue at sea coordination centre and/or Portuguese air force), with respect to false or deceptive alarms whether intentional or caused through negligence, have been given top priority by the operational services of spectrum management.
In all cases activity is based on the principle that it is vital to eliminate harmful interference as quickly as possible, with recourse, if need be, to exceptional measures that can include the closure of the station causing the disturbance. When interference is caused by a foreign station and/or a station outside the jurisdiction of this Authority, it may take a substantial length of time to resolve the problem. In such cases the notification procedures of the Radiocommunications Regulations are of particular relevance.
Regarding international cooperation, in 2008 Portugal registered 178 requests for cooperation, with a view to resolving problems of interference or eliminating illegal emissions. Cooperation was closest with European countries (United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Spain and France), whereas in certain cases there was a need for participation by the United States of America.
During 2008 and in an international context, five automatic HF monitoring campaigns were conducted, as part of the continued monitoring of the HF bands for the CEPT (January, September, October, November and December 2008).
Non-ionising radiation
By the end of 2008 ICP-ANACOM had received 1,254 requests related to non-ionising radiation. 1220 cases were concluded (159 involving educational institutions), many of which were in response to on-site measurements.
The results point to values of at least 50 times lower than the reference levels of power density set in Administrative Rule no 1421/2004 of 23 November. There were 35 cases which failed to ensure levels of 50 times lower than the reference levels from the outset, however, all of them, guaranteed the fulfilment of reference levels. All conclusions of the actions undertaken were brought to the attention of persons or entities who requested the evaluations.
Regulation on the Quality of Service (RQS) applicable to the public telephone service
In 2008, ICP-ANACOM conducted verification of compliance with the following obligations arising from the Regulation on Quality, applicable to the service of access to the public telephone network at a fixed location and to the publicly available telephone service at a fixed location, published in Diário da República, series II, on 14/06/05, as Regulation no 46/05:
- provision of information on levels of performance for the year, for each defined parameter;
- provision of information on levels of performance for the year, which providers propose to offer over the course of the year, for each of the defined parameters;
- it was determined that this information should be provided to users in writing, at all points of sale and shall be disclosed on the websites of the companies, where a website is provided, which information shall be provided in a visible and easily identifiable form.
Regulation no 46/05, the objective of which is the publication and availability to end-users of clear, complete and comparable, updated information on the quality of service achieved by providers, includes a list of quality parameters in its annex for which methods of calculation have been established, which are to be followed by providers in their measurement and which take as a reference the document of the ETSI Guide - EG 201 769-1 V1.1.1 (2000/2004).
As part of its monitoring activities, ICP-ANACOM noted the need to make the information established in this Regulation available in a manner that is clearer, consistent and easier for end-users to find. Accordingly, in September 2008, ANACOM gave approval, by means of a recommendation, to the ''Disclosure model'' to be adopted by companies providing the telephone service at a fixed location (STF) for the disclosure of information on quality of service to end-users pursuant to the RQS.
Evaluation of actions implemented by CTT in 2007, to comply with the decision of this Authority in respect of compensation of users for failure to meet quality of service indicators in 2006
On 20 February 2008, ICP-ANACOM received CTT's report with the overall results of the actions implemented by CTT in 2007 to compensate users for non-compliance with the indicators of quality of service in 2006, subsequent to the decision of this Authority, taken in 2007, to apply a deduction of 1% to the weighted average of variation in prices of services reserved to CTT, authorised for 2007 and to determine that CTT shall present a proposal on the measure's implementation.
ICP-ANACOM concluded that the set of actions accepted by ICP-ANACOM would result in benefits for users with a value corresponding to about 2.8 million euros, meeting the established objectives.
Quality of service of Internet access
Following the consultation launched on the extension of Regulation no 46/2005, which sought to include quality of service parameters for access to the Internet within the RQS, ICP-ANACOM decided, by determination of 16 January 2008, not proceed with the amendment in question. As a result, the regulation continues to apply only to the service of access to the public telephone network at a fixed location and the publicly available telephone service at a fixed location.
It was considered, in particular, to ensure that users have maximum benefit in terms of choice, price and quality and to promote clarification for users on quality of service provided with respect to Internet access, that there were already faster and less onerous means available which were more easily adaptable to the changes of the market for the entities involved.
Furthermore continuity was given to actions aimed at improving the quality of that service including, and in addition to the monitoring of complaints, the publication of a study on the Quality of Service of Internet Access/2007 and preparation of the public tender for the study on the Quality of Service of Internet Access/2008.
In addition the contracts of subscription to the service were checked, to assess the inclusion of the obligations and recommendations set out in the determination which gave approval, under Articles 39 and 48 of Law no 5/2004 of 10 February, to the guidelines on minimum content to be included in contracts governing the provision of electronic communications services.
Studies on the Quality of Mobile Services
Over 2008 several studies were conducted and published, of which the following were key:
- Publication of Study on Quality of Mobile Services/2007 (voice, video telephony and coverage), in the Autonomous Regions of Azores and Madeira;
- Publication of Study on Quality of Mobile Services/2007 (voice, video telephony and coverage), on the mainland;
- Publication of the Study on Quality of Mobile Services/2007, on the Alfa Pendular Service of CP (Portuguese Railways);
- Publication of the Study on Quality of Mobile Services/2007, (SMS and MMS), on the mainland;
- Completion of the Study on the Quality of Mobile Services/2008 in terms of voice, in the light of the support technology used - GSM or UMTS;
- Completion of the Study on the Quality of Mobile Services/2008 (SMS and MMS), on the mainland;
- Completion of the Study on the Quality of Mobile Services/2008 (voice, video telephony and coverage), on the mainland.
Audit of the quality of service indicators and complaints system of CTT with respect to financial years 2006 and 2007
Following the audit conducted with regard to the quality of service indicators and complaints system of CTT, in respect of the years 2006 and 2007, in November 2008, after the prior hearing of CTT, approval was given to the publication of the reports on the performed audit, and a set of determinations and recommendations were made to CTT with the aim of achieving improvements in the systems for monitoring the quality of service indicators and the handling of complaints.
Audit of the quality of service indicators with respect to the year 2005
By determination of 17 December 2008, following the prior hearing of CTT, approval was given to the report to be published by this Authority concerning the results of the audit conducted on the levels of quality of service offered by CTT in 2005.
Regulation of international roaming
Over the course of 2008 ICP-ANACOM took various measures with respect to monitoring the implementation of Regulation (EC) no 717/2007 of 27 June, on roaming on public mobile telephone networks within the Community, allowing consumers to benefit from a "Eurotariff" from summer 2007. The maximum price cap of the ''Eurotariff'', which during the first year of the Regulation was 0.49 euros (excluding VAT) and €0.24 euros (excluding VAT) for voice calls made or received in roaming within the EU, respectively, was reduced to 0.46 euros (excluding VAT) and 0.22 euros (excluding VAT) as of the end of August 2008.
The Regulation also imposes a price cap on the average wholesale tariff that the operator of a visited network may charge the operator of the roaming client's home network for a voice call in roaming, with origination in this visited network. This limit was set by the Regulation at 0.30 euros per minute, in the first year of its application, falling, under the same Regulation, to 0.28 euros on 30 August 2008.
The regulation also made it mandatory for operators to automatically provide to their roaming customers - when they enter a Member State that is not that of their home network - a free instant messaging service that reports on the charges for calls made and received in roaming.
ICP-ANACOM has carried out the following actions:
- monitoring and supervision of compliance in the national territory: in this context, note should be made of the compilation of information from providing companies, the performance of inspections to check the effective implementation of measures to increase tariff transparency and the monitoring of complaints received with respect to roaming;
- information to the public on the application of the Regulation, by updating the relevant information on ICP-ANACOM's website;
- monitoring of tariffs and of the use of traffic steering techniques to the detriment of customers;
- monitoring of situations of involuntary cross-border roaming;
- participation in the International Roaming Project Team (IRPT) of the European Regulators Group (ERG).
It should be noted that in January and August 2008t he ERG published two reports on the implementation, in various European countries, of the measures established in the Regulation, recognizing that, for the time being, in most countries there was a reduction in the tariffs of the roaming service and a good level of compliance by operators with the measures established to improve the transparency of retail tariffs; - six-monthly reporting to the Commission, as required by the Regulation, of information on the activity of international roaming of the operators active in Portugal.
In late September 2008, the European Commission presented its proposed revision of the Regulation on International Roaming to the European Parliament and the Council, seeking to extend it until 2012 and broaden its scope to services of text messages (SMS) and data (used in roaming) in the intra-community area.
Monitoring of trends in wholesale and retail prices with respect to portability and the obligation to provide information to the consumer as set out in the Portability Regulation
In this respect, in 2008 ICP-ANACOM conducted:
- the compilation of information from companies providing the mobile telephone service and companies providing the fixed telephone service on the prices charged to subscribers for operations of portability (retail prices) and on the prices charged to service recipients (wholesale prices);
- a survey sent to different European NRAs via the CN (Contact Network) of the IRG, to collect a range of information on portability, especially on retail and wholesale prices charged by operators and information relating to compensation for delays in the implementation of requests for portability;
- the monitoring of complaints received with respect to the free online message provided by companies offering the mobile telephone service;
- the monitoring of compliance with the obligations set out in art. 21 of the Portability Regulation, including the provision by providers of the mobile telephone service of a free online notice for national voice calls between mobile networks and services for ported numbers, the provision of information to subscribers on procedures for deactivation and reactivation of hearing the same notice and implementation of the service of information on the prices for calls to ported numbers.
In 2008 these measures also covered virtual mobile network operators (MVNO).
Audit of 2005 and 2006 results of the costing system of CTT
By determination of 19 November 2008, ICP-ANACOM approved the final reports of the audits performed by KPMG & Associados on the analytical accounting system used by CTT with respect to the years 2005 and 2006 and decided to also hear CTT on the statements of evidence of conformity issued by this Authority and the determinations and recommendations aimed at improving CTT's existing costing system.
