This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
On November 8, 2019, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) called on mobile network operators to deploy more masts in mountainous and valley regions to enhance their quality of service.
This request came amid complaints of increased drop calls and weak signals in such areas, as highlighted during the 18th ICT Consumer Forum, also known as Kikao Kikuu, held in Nyandarua County.
According to Mercy Wanjau, the acting Director General of CA, despite a high mobile penetration rate of 109 per cent in Kenya, the quality of voice and data services remains a significant challenge for consumers.
During the forum, Nyandarua County was identified as one of the regions whose unique topography affects the services offered by mobile operators, resulting in residents experiencing dropped voice calls, poor internet connections, and weak signals.
At the forum, Mrs. Wanjau emphasized the importance of quality of service, stating, 'At the Authority, quality of service provided to consumers is very dear to our heart. While we have a high mobile penetration of 109.2 per cent in Kenya, the concerns for the quality of these services are still not satisfactory in some areas, Nyandarua county included.'
The County ICT Consumer Forum, organized by CA in partnership with the County government, aims to enable communication service providers to understand consumer issues and concerns directly presented by consumers.
Francis Kememia, the Governor of Nyandarua County, noted that the County is committed to promoting faster adoption of ICTs and improved network connectivity will enable residents to effectively leverage on ICTs and boost their socio-economic development.
Mr. Kememia emphasized the importance of stable networks, stating, 'We are cognizant that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have an impact on socio-economic development. The focus on ICT utilization and their development is therefore key to support our traditional economic activities and retain our competitiveness, however this can only be realized through stable networks.'
Section 23 of the Kenya Communications Act, 1998, mandates the CA to ensure that licensed telecommunications operators and service providers offer good quality services, in line with the licence conditions that obligate licensees to provide good quality service to their customers.
Over the years, the Authority has been releasing the Quality of Service report, measurements in line with global best practice. While QoS improvements have been noticed over the years, none of the mobile network operators has met the set threshold of measuring the QoS parameters.
