The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) recently introduced a new 4G Quality of Service (QoS) standards to ensure mobile phone users experience an acceptable level of service quality in Singapore.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) providing 4G services are expected to comply with the new standards .
The IDA, for instance, will require MNOs to cover 95 percent of outdoor areas from 1 July 2016, and will increase it to at least 99 percent from 1 July 2017. It will also impose similar standards on the fourth new MNO, if any, who will be provided with more lead-time to roll out its network to meet the standards.
The new standards are similar to the 3G QoS standards that were enhanced in 2012, and IDA will concurrently impose both sets of QoS standards on the MNOs.
Gabriel Lim, CE-designate, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Co-Managing Director, IDA, said during the opening of CommunicAsia 2016 last week that Singapore will be looking into new areas – both from the regulatory and industry development perspectives – to strengthen Singapore’s connectivity landscape, enhance users’ experience, and protect consumers’ interests.
IDA noted that 4G-enabled phones have become more common in Singapore, with more than half of the total mobile users turning to 4G networks for faster connectivity to meet their usage needs.
"With the increasing adoption of 4G as the main form of communications, it is timely to implement standards to better protect consumers’ interests," it said in a statement.