The
Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) yesterday launched the Quality of
Service Monitoring Network (QOS), at a ceremony held at its conference room on
Kairaba Avenue.
The
launching was in line with PURA’s continuous endeavour to help in closely
monitoring the quality of service of all service providers, and to ensure they
offer expectable level of services to consumers.
In
her welcome remarks, PURA’s corporate affairs manager, Lucretia George, said
the new management system is designed to help PURA ensure and improve the
quality of service of mobile coverage and internet service providers to suit
the needs of consumers, which is a key priority area for the authority.
In
his launching statement, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Abdou
Colley, said the QOS would enable PURA to continually rise to the occasion, to
recognise and meet the demands of consumers’ main expectations of quality
service standards, as information and communication technology has become a
strategic resource and foundation to most economic activities, both at an
individual and institutional level.
Minister
Colley added that the new management system would encourage and, where
necessary, compel service providers to adopt acceptable business practices,
protect the rights of consumers with regard to the quality of service and set
certain minimum standards, which are expected from a service provider to ensure
that acceptable standards are maintained even in the event of market failures.
He
acknowledged the supportive policies and conducive environment the Gambia
government had created to facilitate the advancement of the
telecommunications/ICT sectors.
Also
speaking on the occasion was the Director General of PURA, Ansumana Sanneh, who
said the QOS was procured by PURA through the support of the World Bank WARCIP
Gambia project under the sector ministry - Ministry of Information and
Communication Infrastructure, MoICI.
Mr
Sanneh noted that the need to monitor quality of service came at an opportune
time, when a number of jurisdictions in Africa are grappling with the issue of
striking a balance between meeting universal access policy objectives and the
provision of quality telecommunications services.
“This
state-of-the-art monitoring system is one of the key regulatory instruments
that PURA shall use to help improve the quality of ICT service in The Gambia,”
he declared.
