And the PH Telco War continues… Smart vs Globe

Globe legacy network better than Smart’s upgraded network
NTC test results show Globe 2x better in grade of service

A recent network benchmark test conducted by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), comparing the Grade of Service and overall signal quality of both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications against NTC Cellular Mobile Telephone System (CMTS) standards showed the Globe legacy network outperforming competition’s recently modernized network in terms of grade of service. The Globe legacy network also performed at parity with the upgraded network of Smart in almost all other metrics.

In the most important benchmark where the NTC has an applied industry standard consisting of Grade of Service or Call Setup Failure Rate (CSFR), Globe Telecom’s legacy network outperformed its competition who has widely announced its network upgrade completion. With the Grade of Service or CSFR standard set by the NTC at 4%, Globe recorded a nearly identical 4.45% while Smart registered a distant 9.95% (closer to the industry standard is better). This means that call success rates are higher using the Globe legacy network at 95.55%. For consumers, the experience is that it is easier to call using the Globe legacy network with more calls getting connected even at first try.

For Drop Call Rate, the NTC standard is 2%, and test results showed both telcos performed within the standard with Globe registering 1.6% at parity with Smart’s 1.5%. Clearly, the results belie the claims made by Smart in its multi-million negative advertising campaigns pointing out drop calls and difficulty in making calls within the Globe legacy network.

In terms of Call Set Up Time, both telcos performed within the acceptable standard of below 14 seconds. The Globe legacy network performed at parity with 11.9 seconds versus the Smart upgraded network at 11.74 seconds. This is a measure of how fast domestic calls get connected from one number to the other.

Other metrics in the study included Average Signal Quality with a minimum acceptable range of 0-4, the closer to 0, the better. The telcos performed at parity, both performing above 0.50. The final metric is the Average Receive Signal Level with a minimum acceptable range of -85 dBm. Both telcos did not make it to the standard.

The NTC benchmark study was conducted during the second quarter of 2012 in sixteen cities in Metro Manila, through network drive tests using prepaid SIMs of both telcos with a sample size of over 3,000 test calls.

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba earlier called the attention of both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications on what he referred to as increasing complaints from customers about drop calls and undelivered text messages, asking both firms to explain the causes for the disruptions and to give a timetable for completion of their network modernization programs.

Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu in his reaction to the recent NTC benchmark results said, ”It is now clear who is telling the truth and really giving good service to the public even with just our legacy network. Competition has claimed they are done with their upgrade and there’s no denying the official results from NTC quality tests show their upgraded network performs even below NTC standards. As soon as we fully fire up our brand new network, our subscribers and the entire nation will enjoy a whole new mobile experience that is once again pioneered by Globe Telecom.”

Globe announced recently that its $700-million network modernization program is more than 50% done and is progressively rolling out ahead of schedule for change-out completion nationwide within the first quarter of 2013. Cu said that unlike other transformation programs that involve merely upgrades, Globe is building a brand-new network that is future-proof and built to provide higher call quality, pervasive 3G and 4G coverage, and faster mobile internet experience.

Smart Communications, Inc.’s Statement on the NTC’s Q2 network quality tests

[20 September 2012] Yesterday, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) confirmed the network superiority of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) following the release of the results of its network quality tests for the second quarter of this year which showed Smart posting significantly better test results than Globe Telecom.

Globe, however, issued a statement that attempted to turn the results of the NTC’S Quality of Service Benchmarking Test upside down.

According to that test, Smart’s network rated higher in four of the five parameters that had been defined by the NTC in consultation with all three mobile phone operators. These four important parameters where Smart posted better scores are: 1) Drop Call Rate; 2) Call Set Up Time; 3) Average Signal Quality; and 4) Average Receive Signal Level.

In its statement, however, Globe conveniently downplayed or disregarded these parameters and focused on the “blocked call” parameter, which was the only test that showed better results for Globe. On that basis, Globe said that its “legacy network” was better than that of Smart.

This is the same legacy network that Globe officials have admitted, in several recent occasions, to be congested.

This selective reading of the test results defies arithmetic, and, more importantly, flies in the face of consumer experience.

Globe’s press statement also contains a substantive misinterpretation of the test results in one of the key parameters – the Average Receive Signal Level. Globe said in its statement that: “The final metric is the Average Receive Signal Level with a minimum acceptable range of -85 dBm. Both telcos did not make it to the standard.”

The truth, however, is quite different: Both carriers actually passed the standard. Globe registered a score of -69.83 dBm. But Smart delivered lopsidedly better results: -62.63 dBm. In this parameter, the lower the negative number is, the better the signal.

Translated into layman’s terms, what this result means is that Smart’s signal level is up to five times stronger than Globe’s. In terms of customer experience, a stronger signal level means better indoor coverage, resulting in better voice quality, less drop calls, faster and more reliable SMS and higher data speeds.

Though we are encouraged by the NTC test which validates our network superiority, Smart continues to work hard in order to provide our customers superior service. By completing our network transformation in mid-2012, we are now moving on to deliver to our subscribers next generation services such as the Long Term Evolution, or LTE.

This is vital because we realize that, in the end, it is the satisfaction and judgment of our customers that really matter. [END]