The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) published on Tuesday a summary report presenting the results of its extensive audit conducted in 2022, evaluating the quality of mobile networks in the State of Qatar.

CRA conducted the audit to assess the improvements in the Quality of Service (QoS) levels offered by the telecom Service Providers Ooredoo Qatar and Vodafone Qatar.

The audit was conducted before the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, spanning from June to October 2022, and covering all days of the week, round the clock. CRA used its QoS systems with the latest versions of devices and smartphones, to obtain results that reflect the experience of mobile telecom consumers in Qatar. The audit was conducted in various areas in the country, it covered main roads, frequently accessed off-road routes popular in camping and fishing seasons, as well as official venues of the tournament.

The QoS audit benchmarked some of the related Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the services provided by the telecom Service Providers, which align with the standards and conditions outlined in the licenses granted to them by CRA, as well as the applicable regulatory framework. The audit encompassed various services such as voice calls, short message service (SMS), and data services, including the services provided through the fifth-generation (5G) network.

According to the audit’s results, the Service Providers continue to maintain high standards of accessibility, retainability, and integrity of the services provided to their customers.

Additionally, they have made significant improvements in providing better data throughputs to a wider environment compared to the previous year. Moreover, leveraging the enhanced 5G ecosystem, the Service Providers showcased their networks’ ability to deliver high download speeds.

Prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, CRA assigned an additional 5G spectrum to the Service Providers, including the Millimeter (mm) wave spectrum, which revolutionized mobile broadband performance in Qatar. The audit’s results demonstrated the readiness of both Service Providers’ networks to provide superior mobile coverage and QoS that meet the high data demands during the tournament.

CRA affirms that the purpose of the QoS audit of the mobile networks was not to identify the best network or make a comparison between the Service Providers. CRA emphasizes that the audit’s findings should not be used for any purpose that does not serve the main objective and the intended value of the report, such as promoting the best Service Provider or taking parts of the report to be used in a way that it may abuse another Service Provider or in a way that may be misleading or inaccurate, considering the audit’s scope.