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PHILIPSBURG--New service standards for the local telecommunications industry can now officially be implemented, which will allow telecom regulator Bureau Telecommunications and Post (BTP) St. Maarten to quantitatively measure the Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) of telecommunication services being rendered to residents of St. Maarten.

Claret Connor, who was Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) until recently, signed off on Quality of Service (QoS) documents that set clear guidelines and standards for St. Maarten telecommunication providers to comply with, for the further enhancement of telecommunication services in St. Maarten. The documents were received by BTP late last week.

The performance indicators are mostly focusing on bandwidth, through put, drop call rate, set-up time, success rate, error rates, transmission delays and signal strength.

With the implementation of these new QoS/ QoE standards, former TEATT Minister Connor took a major step in the improvement of telecom networks on the island and telecom services that are offered to end-users, a BTP press release stated.

Connor was quoted as saying that “all levels and areas of service on St. Maarten must be based on defined standards and these standards must be measurable in order to be effective.”

The QoS and QoE are aimed to ensure that all consumers receive what is promised. Connor also stated that “a promise made should be kept,” and that it is government’s duty to ensure that its regulators, in this case BTP “is equipped with the necessary instruments to measure performances.”

“This way, the citizens and visitors alike will be assured that they are receiving the highest possible quality of service from our telecom providers. And that can only add to a high quality of experience.”

BTP St. Maarten Director Anthony Carty expressed the importance of the QoS document for the regulator in this process: “We now have a document which we can apply across the board for telecom services on St. Maarten, and by same, hold service providers accountable for the level of service provided.”

“To measure and manage performance, additional modern measurement equipment will be acquired. As the regulator for telecommunications services, we have the responsibility to ensure consumer satisfaction and to create a level playing field, by enabling fair competition among telecommunications operators in the industry.”

BTP St. Maarten Chief Operations Officer Giovanni King, who was instrumental in developing the service standards, stated: “With the liberalisation of the telecommunications market and the ongoing technological developments in the sector, measuring of quality of service and quality of experience have become important concepts.”

“Measuring and improving QoS and QoE, though challenging, should be undertaken in order to assess the most accurate and complete vision of the value offered by network providers to consumers.”

With the signing of the QoS/QoE documents, former TEATT Minister Connor has given BTP the means by which to evaluate to what extend the networks’ operators of St. Maarten are providing the consumers with value for money.

Operators will be given a year to make the necessary amendments to their networks in order to be in compliance with the QoS/QoE values as outlined in the document.