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Network Quality Testing
Earlier this year an audit was set up by an independent South African testing authority to analyse data delivery in 9 separate South African regions. The results were gathered between October 2014 and February 2015, the tests measured metrics affecting dropped call rates, upload and download speeds, network coverage and setup success rates.
Vodacom came out on top with the highest data quality ranking for data upload and download speeds, as well as having the least latency issues. MTN ranked in second for data delivery, with Telkom in 3rd and Cell-C in 4th. It is worth noting that in terms of latency, Cell-C had less reported issues than Telkom. Voice quality rankings were also established, and the results where identical to the data rankings with Vodacom in first, MTN in second and Telkom in third place.
Customer Service
The latest South African Customer Satisfaction Index has determined which of the country’s mobile service providers have the highest customer service rankings. The scores are measured on a ranking of 0-100, which are determined by measuring customer service expectations against actual service delivery. In terms of customer expectations, Vodacom customers have the highest expectations, while Cell C subscribers have the lowest. These are similar to the customer expectation rankings from last year.
However, all South African mobile providers have dropped in their actual service levels over last year, apart from Cell-C who reported better scores. The industry average is considered a 75.6 score, both MTN and Telkom scored below average with 72.9 and 69.4 respectively. Cell-C also scored below the industry average with 72.9, but this is 1.1 higher than what they scored in 2014.
In terms of perceived customer value, which measures the service a customer expects for the price they pay, Cell-C has the highest perceived value while Vodacom is considered the most expensive. However, the overall industry standard for perceived value did drop to 74.8 in 2015.
