QoS Regulations 2024

• The Federal Republic of Nigeria publishes the Official Gazette
• Issued as No. 130, Vol. 111
• Published in Lagos on July 31st, 2024
• Government Notice No. 26
• Includes Nigerian Communications Regulations
• These are supplement to the Gazette
• Short Title: Nigerian Communications (Quality of Service) Regulations, 2024
• S. I. No. 25
• Page B589-609
• Printed and Published by The Federal Government Printer, Lagos, Nigeria
• The Nigerian Communications Act is No. 19 of 2003
• Sets out the Arrangement of Regulations

Part I Objectives and Scope

• Lists objectives and scope of regulations

Part II - Measurement, Reporting and Record Keeping

• Covers the use of parameters
• Discusses reporting periods and combines reporting areas
• How to measure, report and keep records
• Consumer complaint resolution

Part III - Publications

• Touches on the timing of publication of information
• Covers content, format and explanatory remarks

Part IV - Investigation

• Auditing of quality of service data
• Investigating measurement, reporting and record keeping procedures

Part V - Contraventions and Enforcement

• Defines what constitutes a contravention
• Lists enforcement measures
• Factors in applying enforcement measures

Part VI - Miscellaneous

• Looks at reviewing the Regulations

• Issuance of directives and business rules

• Quality of service ranking

• Administrative fines

• Revocation and savings

• Interpretations

• Citation

• The Nigerian Communications (Quality of Service) Regulations 2024 take effect from July 29th, 2024

• Made by the Nigerian Communications Commission (“the Commission")

• In exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 70 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 (“the Act"), and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf

Objectives of the Regulations

• To protect and promote the interests of consumers

• Against unfair practices related to tariffs, charges, and the quality of communication services

• To improve service quality

• Identifying service deficiencies and encouraging changes

• To maintain service quality

• While recognizing environmental and operating conditions

• To make available information

• To help customers make informed choices of services and service providers

• To improve the operation and performance of interconnected networks

• To assist the development of related communications markets.

• The Regulations stipulate the minimum quality and standards of service, associated measurements, reporting and record keeping tasks

Use of parameters under these Regulations

• Measurements required for significant features of services, mainly those with limited competition
• Measurement methods and related reporting
• To enable the Commission to compare service quality of Licensees fairly, and not restrict Licensee’s monitoring practices

Other key points in the document:

• Key Performance Indicators ('KPIs') are used
• Reporting periods are generally monthly
• Unless otherwise stated in the Regulations
• Measurements and data acquisition use methods like- drive tests, mobile station probes, surveys, and data collection from operators
• Measurements recorded for specific geographical areas, states, or the Federal Capital Territory normally should be taken separately
• Licensees must take measurements using defined methods, submit them to the Commission within one week of the reporting period's end, provide any additional requested information within one month, and retain quality of service data for at least twelve months
• Licensees must resolve consumer complaints within specified timeframes
• Failure to resolve complaints may result in compensation to the consumer and fines imposed by the Commission
• The Commission may publish KPI measurements within two months after the end of each reporting period
• The content and format of publications follow Business Rules and include service names, area identification, measurements, target indications, and explanatory remarks
• The Commission may audit service data from Licensees and vary the audit frequency
• Failure to meet targets, providing false information, or obstructing investigations are contraventions
• The Commission can issue additional rules or directives, which may be generally applied or specific to a Licensee
• The Commission issues Business Rules that apply as part of Regulations, these can be amended separately
• The Commission may develop a service quality ranking for licensees and may impose administrative fines for contraventions as per the Schedule
• The Quality of Service Regulations, No. 13, 2013, are revoked
• These Regulations can be cited as the Nigerian Communications (Quality of Service) Regulations, 2024

Definitions:

• "Access Service": a service for communications to/from network termination points that serves the end user without passing through more than one public network
• "Act": Nigerian Communications Act, No. 19, 2003
• "Average" or "Mean": Sum of numerical values / Number of values
• "Broadband Internet Access Service": Internet access service that isn't a Voiceband Internet Access Service
• "BSC": Base Station Controller
• "BTS": Base Transceiver Station
• "Busy Time": Set of same six hours in each of same four days in each of twelve weeks of a reporting period during which the highest average traffic for a service is measured
• "Busy Hour (BH)": Continuous 1-hour period in the time interval for which the traffic/number of call attempts is greatest
• "Call Attempt": An attempt to achieve a connection to a communication network
• "Commercial Launch Date": Date Licensee commences commercial provision of a service in a reporting area
• "Commission": Nigerian Communications Commission
• "Contravention": Failure to comply with the requirements in these Regulations
• "End User": Customer that is not an Interconnecting Licensee, or a provider of an international route to or from the Federal Republic of Nigeria
• "Fixed Telephony Service": Telephony service that isn't a Mobile Telephony service
• "Fixed Wireless Telephony Service": Telephony service that relies on wireless connectivity
• "Fixed Wireline Telephony Service": Fixed Telephony service that uses radio frequencies to achieve communications at the network termination points
• "Interconnecting Licensee": Licensee that has an interconnect with another Licensee at a network termination point
• "Internet Access Service": Access service that is an Internet service
• "Internet Service": A service that is provided substantially for data
• "IP": Inter-network protocol defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force
• "KPI": Key Performance Indicators
• "Licensee": Person who holds an individual licence or undertakes activities which are subject to a class licence granted under the Act.
• "Measurement": Numerical value obtained by using a measurement method
• "Measurement Method": Method of measuring a parameter under these Regulations
• "Mobile Communications Service": Requires radio frequencies, allows users to move between different locations without communications loss
• "MSC": Mobile Switching Centre
• "Network Termination Point": Point at which a customer has physical access through customer equipment to a Licensee's network
• "Parameter": Measurable characterization of the quality of a service
• "Published Measurement": Measurement intended for publication with identified content and format
• "Quality of Service standards":
  • Parameters defining applicable quality of service standards
  • Methods of taking measurements that measure service performance
  • Applicable targets for prescribed parameters
• "Reporting Area": Geographic area for which measurements are taken and recorded
• "Reporting Period": Time over which measurements are taken and recorded for assessing fines
• "Service": Application, content, network, or facilities service for communications between network termination points
• "Target": Attainable standards based on parameters outlined
• "Telephony Service": For voice communications to/from Network Termination Points with telephone numbers
• "Voiceband Internet Service*": Internet access service that provides communications from network termination points using a telephony access service

Schedule:

• Part A lists fines for not meeting targets
• Part B lists fines calculated on other basis

Part A - Administrative Fines

• Schedule calculates fines regarding the occurrence of contravention of regulations covering key performance indicators (KPIs)
• General KPIs covered
• Percentage of cells reporting QoS data for each KPI
• Percentage of NCC QoE applets registered in QoS Infrastructure Tool Server
• 2G network KPIs
• Related to traffic channel congestion, SDCCH congestion, CSSR KPI at various levels
• 3G Network KPIs
• Call setup success rate, RRC connection establishment, RAB Establishment, HSUPA, HSDPA Setup, IUB Congestion
• Also, the number of various release rate targets and handover success rate targets
• 4G Network KPIs
• Cell Availability Target
• CSFB CST target
• ERAB and RRC Set up Success Rate
• Average Downlink Throughput per User
• Data Service KPIs
• Latency, Availability, Packet Loss, and Jitter Targets

Part B - Other Fines

• Fines calculated on other basis include:
• Failure to submit information in a timely fashion
• Submission of misleading information
• Obstructing Commission investigations
• In these cases the fine is N15,000,000 and N2,500,000 for each day the failure continues
• Abuja, 29th day of July, 2024.
• DR. AMINU MAIDA, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission