Directive No. 10/2005/CT-BBCVT on ensuring and improving the quality of telecommunications services

DIRECTIVE

On Ensuring and Improving Quality of Telecommunication Services

The quality of telecommunication services has a particularly important significance for service users and the development of enterprises. To ensure consumer rights, create an environment for enterprises to improve service quality and compete fairly, based on the Ordinance on Postal and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued Regulations on the Management of Service Quality of Postal Services, Networks, and Telecommunication Services (Decision No. 176/2003/QĐ-BBCVT dated November 10, 2003) and the List of Postal Services, Networks, and Telecommunication Services Required to be Managed for Quality (Decision No. 177/2003/QĐ-BBCVT dated November 10, 2003).

Implementing these documents, service-providing enterprises have registered and reported service quality. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has also conducted multiple rounds of service quality inspections. State management of telecommunication service quality has gradually become systematic. Enterprises have strived to meet the set quality standards. However, alongside positive achievements, many service-providing enterprises have not strictly adhered to regulations on quality management: they have not publicized and posted registered quality indicators on mass media and at transaction locations; they have not seriously reported quarterly service quality; some reported quality indicators do not comply with industry standards. There have been violations of failing to ensure service quality, causing losses to both customers and service-providing enterprises.

To address these issues, enhance service quality management, protect user rights, promote fair competition among telecommunication and Internet enterprises, and prepare well for active economic international integration, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications instructs:

1. Telecommunication and Internet enterprises:

a) Strictly implement the Ministry's regulations on service quality management, especially the publicizing and posting of registered quality indicators and quarterly service quality reporting.

b) Organize management structures, with dedicated units and assigned leaders to manage and oversee telecommunication service quality issues.

c) Review existing quality service issues reported by the Postal and Telecommunications Quality Management and Information Technology Department following inspection rounds. Find solutions to address these issues and report resolution plans and results to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

d) In the short term, focus particularly on resolving mobile phone service quality issues (call setup success rate indicator) and fixed-line telephone service quality issues (billing, invoice issuance, and payment indicators; subscriber line fault indicators).

e) To ensure and improve telecommunication service quality, enterprises shall implement the following measures:

Strengthen network capacity measurement and comprehensive data collection on telecommunication service quality provided to customers.

Effectively forecast, plan networks, optimize network infrastructure, and enhance network capacity. Develop plans and measures to maintain service quality during peak hours and at special events (festivals, holidays...).

Expand and improve technical capabilities of networks in tandem with increasing subscriptions, reducing tariffs, and promoting marketing activities; coordinate and connect networks with other enterprises.

Study, construct, and renovate peripheral networks to ensure urban safety and aesthetics: replace poor-quality cables, consolidate overhead cable networks, increase underground cable deployment within cities, and enhance shared infrastructure usage.

Enhance interconnection between Internet access service providers through Internet service connection providers; ensure domestic and international connection capacities meet Internet service quality requirements.

2. Functional Units of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications:

2.1. Science and Technology Department:

a) Research a framework for telecommunication services required to be managed for quality. Review and amend industry standards on service quality to ensure appropriate quality indicators.

b) Lead specialized meetings on service quality with enterprises and related organizations to uniformly and effectively implement throughout the sector.

2.2. Postal and Telecommunications Quality Management and Information Technology Department:

a) Propose amendments and supplements to regulations on telecommunication service quality management to ensure stricter and more specific enforcement.

b) Study and implement a service quality monitoring project. Plan to strengthen service quality measurement capabilities. Enhance cooperation with enterprises regarding measurement procedures.

c) Publish enterprise service quality reports and inspection results conducted by the Department.

d) The Postal and Telecommunications Quality Management and Information Technology Inspection Bureau will lead the review of procedures for handling quality service violations, implementing administrative penalties for quality service violations according to authority.

2.3. Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Inspectorate:

Coordinate with the Postal and Telecommunications Quality Management and Information Technology Inspectorate to review and unify procedures for handling quality service violations, enforce administrative penalties for quality service violations, especially serious and recurring ones.

2.4. Telecommunications Department:

Study and develop regulations and policies on inter-enterprise channel leasing connections to ensure end-to-end service quality provided to customers.

2.5. Planning and Finance Department:

a) Consider and recommend adjustments to the management mechanism for leased line tariffs and inter-enterprise connection tariffs to facilitate enterprises in improving service quality.

b) Complete the set of standards and unit prices for quality inspection of telecommunications services to facilitate the implementation of quality management work.

2.6. The Radio Frequency Management Agency:

Complete the frequency band planning and reasonable allocation of radio frequencies to minimize interference. Strengthen the inspection and control of frequencies and interference resolution, improving the quality of radio information.

3. Postal and Telecommunications Departments:

a) Prepare organizational arrangements and designate a focal point to monitor the quality of telecommunications services. Identify and report existing quality issues within their jurisdiction to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for planning and measures to address them.

b) Advise provincial People's Committees on planning and constructing technical infrastructure within their jurisdictions to ensure consistency and uniformity, creating conditions for enterprises to quickly deploy peripheral networks and underground cable networks.

The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications requests telecommunications and Internet businesses, functional units of the Ministry, and Postal and Telecommunications Departments to implement the spirit of the Directive, organize its implementation, and report the results in writing to the Ministry in the fourth quarter of 2005. Any difficulties encountered during the process should be reported to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for appropriate solutions.

The Science and Technology Department will cooperate with the Postal and Telecommunications Quality Management Bureau and the Vietnam Post Information Center to widely publicize the spirit and implementation of this Directive./.