ANACOM evaluated for the first time the quality of the short message service (SMS) of GSM mobile networks provided to the public by operators OPTIMUS, TMN and VODAFONE.
This analysis was based on some indicators such as service availability, SMS delivery time, SMS delivery rate and the variation in time of these indicators. Technical and methodological options aside, the results of this analysis demonstrate that the service performs very well.
Of the 51,538 attempts to send test messages, over 99.9% were successful and more than 99.7% were delivered to the destination terminal, error-free and within the time frame defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for this service (delivery time up to 175 seconds). The average delivery time of a short message was 12 seconds, being relevant the fact that more than 99% of the messages were delivered in less than 20 seconds.
Measurements were made between 30 May and 6 June 2005 in Lisbon and Porto.
ANACOM also evaluated the quality of the mobile telephone service provided in the Azores and in Madeira by mobile operators OPTIMUS, TMN and VODAFONE, covering the main urban agglomerations (Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo and Funchal) and the main road axles of all the islands in these two archipelagoes. The following indicators were analyzed: network coverage, mobile telephone service availability and audio quality of the communications. In this case, the quality of the short message service was not evaluated.
The collected data show a not satisfactory performance regarding network coverage and service availability. Low service availability resulting from the poor coverage of networks, in special that of operator OPTIMUS, should be pointed out. The worst results were registered in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, where over 22% of the test calls were not established successfully or abnormally finished during the conversational phase. Regarding the audio quality of communications, both in the Autonomous Region of the Azores and in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, a decay was observed vis-à-vis the 2002 values.
On the other hand, regarding coverage and accessibility, there was a big difference between the results obtained in the urban aggregations and those in the road axles, the first with an adequate coverage and very good availability and the latter registering a poor or inexistent coverage and preoccupying values at the accessibility level.
The collection of measurements took place on weekdays, during normal working hours, between 13 June and 13 July 2005. In total, 5,578 test calls were made, corresponding to 84 hours of measurements made throughout 2,749 kilometers (1,710 miles).
Consult:
- GSM Mobile Networks - Quality of Service Survey - SMS - Short Message Service (May/June 2005) https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=328846
- GSM Mobile Networks - Quality of Service Survey - Azores and Madeira https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=678499
Related information on ANACOM's website:
- Quality Reports https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=293535
