COMPLAINTS ON MOBILE TELEPHONE RECEPTION

COMPLAINTS ON MOBILE TELEPHONE RECEPTION

30.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts how many complaints have been lodged with the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) in the past 12 months about poor mobile telephone reception.

RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: I thank Mr Lim for his interest in the standard of mobile telephone service coverage, and would like to take this opportunity to explain the measures to safeguard consumers' interests.

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), has received a total of 91 complaints on mobile telephone service coverage from January to October last year. This forms 11.2% of the total complaints received by IDA. One of the issues highlighted was an inability to make calls due to low signal strength, and poor service coverage within buildings.

Currently, mobile operators have to comply with the Quality of Service (QoS) standards that IDA has set out to ensure acceptable mobile telephone service coverage. There are two key QoS standards: (i) 95% coverage on street level and in tunnels, and (ii) 85% coverage at public access areas within buildings(4). Public access areas include (a) main lobby areas, (b) high human traffic areas, such as podium floors, multi-storey car-parks, and basement levels with services for the public(5), as well as (c) basement car park areas.

The in-building coverage QoS requirements do not apply to areas within private buildings that are not publicly accessible, such as private offices and residences. This is because owners of private properties would sometimes refuse to allow mobile operators access to their property to install the necessary equipment that would boost radio coverage. While the current arrangement is for mobile operators and property owners to commercially negotiate on how best to provide better service coverage within these private areas, IDA would actively request mobile operators to look into ways to improve service coverage when there is feedback on poor coverage.

The QoS standards are measured monthly, and IDA requires mobile operators to submit QoS reports every quarter to show compliance. IDA also conducts audits on operators' QoS performances. Mobile operators who fail to comply with IDA's QoS

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standards may be fined. So far, IDA has not imposed any financial penalty on the three mobile operators as they have been able to meet the QoS standards. Members of the public can find more information on these QoS standards on IDA's website.

(4) The definition of service coverage is based on signal strength. The availability of service coverage is therefore the ability of a network in achieving a minimum signal strength of -100dBm.

(5) Examples are shops, food courts and supermarkets.

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