Evaluation of Quality of Voice Service (QoVS) Offered by Mobile Network Operators in Akure, Nigeria
A. Oladipupo, Folasade Mojisola Dahunsi, Ayokunle A. Akinlabi · International Journal of Applied Information Systems · 2025
Voice communication is the transfer of audio signal from one person to another.If the parties involved are at distance apart to each other, it becomes telecommunication.In Akure, mobile customers have been experiencing poor Quality of Voice Service (QoVS) which has affected their social and economic activities.This study evaluates the QoVS offered by the four (4) Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) -MTN, GLO, 9MOBILE and AIRTEL in Akure, Nigeria, as well as determines their level of compliance with Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) benchmarks.Data was collected using the drive test technique.The drive test was carried out for seven days between 6th November, 2023 and 12th November, 2023.The test consisted of two sessions for each day -morning and evening.The morning sessions took place between 9 am and 11 am while the evening sessions were from 5 pm to 7 pm.Six Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) measured and evaluated include: Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR), Call Success Rate (CSR), Call Drop Rate (CDR), Handover Success Rate (HoSR), Received Signal Strength Level (RSSL) and Received Voice Quality (Rx Qual).The results of the study showed that the QoVS offered by the MNOs in Akure in the morning and evening sessions differed by about 1% -2%.MTN, AIRTEL, 9MOBILE met the benchmark of NCC in term of CSSR which was ≥98%.GLO's CSSR performance was 95.3% which is about 3% less than the benchmark.In addition, the research findings reveal that area topography and time of the day affect the QoVS.The RSSL average values for AIRTEL and MTN were within NCC's benchmark of -30 dBm to -70 dBm while GLO and 9MOBILE's networks did not meet the benchmark.It is recommended that the MNOs should build more base stations to reduce blind spots and coverage gaps caused by lack of network in some of the areas covered as this will increase the network coverage areas. General Terms Drive Test (DT): A technique of determining the level of network performance through information collection when driving through certain locations.Quality of Service (QoS): QoS is the overall performance of the mobile network as perceived by the users benchmarked against set standards.Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Particular measurements that are employed to measure QoS, including call success, drop rates, and signal strength.Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR): Indicates the ability to access the network-how frequently the calls are connected.Call Drop Rate (CDR): This is a measure of the retainability of the service-how infrequently the calls are dropped.Call Setup Time (CST): A measure of responsiveness of how fast calls connect.Handover Success Rate (HoSR): Measures the performance of mobility--how well calls handover between cell sites.Received Signal Strength Level (RSSL): Signal power (greater dBm = stronger signal).Received Signal Quality (RxQual): It shows signal clarity (0 = best, 7 = worst).The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is the regulatory body that stipulates and oversees these QoS standards to the mobile operators in Nigeria.