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Time to police mobile broadband highways
IDA's fixed broadband principles should apply to mobile services too
By Tham Yuen-C
RECENTLY, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) got tough with telcos that offer Internet broadband services.
It wants service providers like SingTel, StarHub and M1 to go beyond advertising maximum speeds at which their networks can carry data, as they have been doing.
Instead, it has proposed that these broadband service providers disclose actual average speeds which the majority of users will experience.
The IDA is right to do this. With the Internet becoming a key communications channel, making sure that broadband networks are up to scratch is as important as ensuring that phone lines work.
The regulator must ensure that broadband services here meet not just a minimum standard of service, but that there is also clear disclosure of the levels of service achieved.
The IDA already sets minimum standards for fixed broadband services that people get at home.
SingTel and StarHub, the two big providers of such services here, have to make sure their broadband networks are up more than 99.9 per cent of the time. The regulator also monitors other indicators, such as the number of customer complaints and the time it takes for the telcos to activate their broadband service once someone has signed up.
Any contravention of these standards could lead to fines and even a suspension of a provider's licence.
It's baffling, therefore, why the same principles have not been applied to mobile broadband.
Mobile broadband is the provision of Internet access and data via special dongles attached to computers, or SIM cards used in mobile devices that include Apple iPhones and iPads. This is to be distinguished from 'wi-fi', which is wireless access to the Internet via a modem hooked up to fixed line broadband.
These mobile broadband devices have now become ubiquitous, and their popularity and relevance to people's lives depend critically on reliable access to Internet data. Figures from market research firm GfK show that one out of every two mobile phones sold here last year was a smartphone that can access the Internet.
With this kind of growth, it is not surprising that mobile broadband networks are getting congested.
In Singapore, accessing online content on your iPhone or BlackBerry requires a lot of patience. Look online and you will find pages of complaints about slow download speeds while on the move and users having to switch back to 'wi-fi' networks for better service. Travellers also say downloads are speedier in countries like Taiwan.
Singapore's consumer association, Case, received 44 complaints about this issue from January to October last year.
In fact, mobile broadband service providers routinely promise speeds of 7.2Mbps and even 21Mbps. But do consumers have any recourse when their service providers fail to deliver?
The answer today is no. The IDA has thus far not imposed quality of service standards of any sort, leaving the mobile broadband highways completely unpoliced.
When contacted, the IDA would only say it is 'closely monitoring consumer feedback on mobile broadband services, and is studying ways to measure mobile broadband performance'.
Apparently, the difficulty in measuring performance is a big problem. The speed of a mobile broadband connection is affected by many factors, from the device a person uses, to where he is standing, and the number of base stations his telco has in that area, says the IDA. Deciding on which indicators to include and which to leave out also complicates matters, it adds.
But these difficulties are not sufficient reason to take a hands-off approach.
Regulators like the Office of the Telecommunications Authority in Hong Kong (Ofta) have already recognised this.
Like IDA, Ofta does not set minimum standards for mobile broadband service providers in Hong Kong. But it encourages service providers to set minimum standards with 'performance pledges'.
These pledges cover aspects such as how often a network should be up and running, how much time should be taken to restore the network when it is down, and even targeted download speeds. While Ofta provides the general guidelines, each service provider is allowed to pick the indicators it can commit to.
The service providers are also required to publish quarterly reports of their actual performance, so consumers can see if they have fallen short of their pledge.
In Britain, Ofcom, the communications regulator and competition authority, has hired a company called Epitoro to measure the mobile broadband speeds of five of the biggest telcos there.
Epitoro, which specialises in analysing broadband performance, will measure indicators such as the speed of data transfer, how reliable the networks are and also how easy it is to get connected, for five months starting September last year. It will use these indicators to determine how and why broadband speeds vary.
These examples show that the IDA can do more here. Clearly, the technology and methodology to measure mobile broadband speeds exist.
The IDA should ideally set a minimum standard of service. Failing that, it should at least require that mobile broadband service providers monitor and disclose their own performance, so that there is some incentive for them to remain up to the mark.
Monitoring mobile broadband performance will send a signal that the IDA is serious about Singapore's ambitions as a networked and wireless communications hub.
With the Internet fast overtaking regular telecommunications and even broadcast services as the central way people communicate, getting a decent Internet connection while on the go cannot be an afterthought for industry regulators.
IDA's fixed broadband principles should apply to mobile services too
By Tham Yuen-C
RECENTLY, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) got tough with telcos that offer Internet broadband services.
It wants service providers like SingTel, StarHub and M1 to go beyond advertising maximum speeds at which their networks can carry data, as they have been doing.
Instead, it has proposed that these broadband service providers disclose actual average speeds which the majority of users will experience.
The IDA is right to do this. With the Internet becoming a key communications channel, making sure that broadband networks are up to scratch is as important as ensuring that phone lines work.
The regulator must ensure that broadband services here meet not just a minimum standard of service, but that there is also clear disclosure of the levels of service achieved.
The IDA already sets minimum standards for fixed broadband services that people get at home.
SingTel and StarHub, the two big providers of such services here, have to make sure their broadband networks are up more than 99.9 per cent of the time. The regulator also monitors other indicators, such as the number of customer complaints and the time it takes for the telcos to activate their broadband service once someone has signed up.
Any contravention of these standards could lead to fines and even a suspension of a provider's licence.
It's baffling, therefore, why the same principles have not been applied to mobile broadband.
Mobile broadband is the provision of Internet access and data via special dongles attached to computers, or SIM cards used in mobile devices that include Apple iPhones and iPads. This is to be distinguished from 'wi-fi', which is wireless access to the Internet via a modem hooked up to fixed line broadband.
These mobile broadband devices have now become ubiquitous, and their popularity and relevance to people's lives depend critically on reliable access to Internet data. Figures from market research firm GfK show that one out of every two mobile phones sold here last year was a smartphone that can access the Internet.
With this kind of growth, it is not surprising that mobile broadband networks are getting congested.
In Singapore, accessing online content on your iPhone or BlackBerry requires a lot of patience. Look online and you will find pages of complaints about slow download speeds while on the move and users having to switch back to 'wi-fi' networks for better service. Travellers also say downloads are speedier in countries like Taiwan.
Singapore's consumer association, Case, received 44 complaints about this issue from January to October last year.
In fact, mobile broadband service providers routinely promise speeds of 7.2Mbps and even 21Mbps. But do consumers have any recourse when their service providers fail to deliver?
The answer today is no. The IDA has thus far not imposed quality of service standards of any sort, leaving the mobile broadband highways completely unpoliced.
When contacted, the IDA would only say it is 'closely monitoring consumer feedback on mobile broadband services, and is studying ways to measure mobile broadband performance'.
Apparently, the difficulty in measuring performance is a big problem. The speed of a mobile broadband connection is affected by many factors, from the device a person uses, to where he is standing, and the number of base stations his telco has in that area, says the IDA. Deciding on which indicators to include and which to leave out also complicates matters, it adds.
But these difficulties are not sufficient reason to take a hands-off approach.
Regulators like the Office of the Telecommunications Authority in Hong Kong (Ofta) have already recognised this.
Like IDA, Ofta does not set minimum standards for mobile broadband service providers in Hong Kong. But it encourages service providers to set minimum standards with 'performance pledges'.
These pledges cover aspects such as how often a network should be up and running, how much time should be taken to restore the network when it is down, and even targeted download speeds. While Ofta provides the general guidelines, each service provider is allowed to pick the indicators it can commit to.
The service providers are also required to publish quarterly reports of their actual performance, so consumers can see if they have fallen short of their pledge.
In Britain, Ofcom, the communications regulator and competition authority, has hired a company called Epitoro to measure the mobile broadband speeds of five of the biggest telcos there.
Epitoro, which specialises in analysing broadband performance, will measure indicators such as the speed of data transfer, how reliable the networks are and also how easy it is to get connected, for five months starting September last year. It will use these indicators to determine how and why broadband speeds vary.
These examples show that the IDA can do more here. Clearly, the technology and methodology to measure mobile broadband speeds exist.
The IDA should ideally set a minimum standard of service. Failing that, it should at least require that mobile broadband service providers monitor and disclose their own performance, so that there is some incentive for them to remain up to the mark.
Monitoring mobile broadband performance will send a signal that the IDA is serious about Singapore's ambitions as a networked and wireless communications hub.
With the Internet fast overtaking regular telecommunications and even broadcast services as the central way people communicate, getting a decent Internet connection while on the go cannot be an afterthought for industry regulators.
singetl, starhub, m1 are all short changing their customers. my plan is 12mbps, 'free' upgrade to 20mbps. my speed, 8 to 10mbps. sometimes drop til 5. never ever once hit that 'free' 20mbps level 
