Huawei and Ovum, a leading global technology research and advisory firm, jointly released a Quality Mobile Broadband Network whitepaper.

Focused on achieving quality network, the paper highlights the requirements for mobile network operators to attract and retain subscribers.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek recalled that at the recent Huawei Cloud Computing Summit in West Africa, held in Lagos, recommendations were made on how developing economies like Nigeria can leverage opportunities and technologies in deepening the broadband access.

In the whitepaper so released, it shows that network quality provides a true competitive differentiator, and investment has commercial benefits for mobile network operators.

Consumers are quick to identify a good-quality network and satisfaction, from personal experience or third-party feedback, plays a huge part in choosing a provider.

An Ovum Global Consumer Survey, published in October 2014, identified the elements that define a good-quality network.

Those metrics include network speed or capacity, consistent performance, responsiveness and footprint. In the whitepaper, Ovum outlines recommended steps a mobile operator should take to improve network quality.

“We believe that quality is the most important element of a mobile broadband network as it gives an operator a true point of differentiation and a clear competitive advantage when it comes to attracting and retaining subscribers. In this paper, we have provided our recommendations for players to improve their network quality.” Said Daryl Schoolar, Principal Analyst, Ovum.

Although at HCC, Huawei’s Global Connectivity Index ranked Nigeria third on the emerging broadband nations, however, the whitepaper released in collaboration with Ovum pointed at the recommendations made by Mr. Peng Song, president of Huawei Western Africa Region.

For instance, the first recommendation is planning. Operators should start by setting clear goals and definitions to improve the performance quality from the customers’ perspective. An assessment of the current performance will help operators identify the key areas of focus and challenges.

A well-defined plan, aligned with business goals, will help operators manage the process and maximize the results. Building in key performance indicators (KPIs) and key quality indicators (KQIs) specific to the network operators’ competitive situation, will provide quantifiable metrics for measuring the network performance.

The second stage is continuous assessment. Operators should continually assess the network performance, competitive situation and challenges during the improvement process. Network quality is not a fixed thing.

While everyday events may not pose a challenge to networks, major events could strain the network, making it unusable. Planning for peaks in demand will help eliminate negative consumer experiences.

In addition, new services put additional requirements on the network, for example voice services, video streaming, or online gaming.

The third stage is looking to large-scale partners to help scope out and manage the network transformation process.

The capabilities and features of a strong partner are outlined in the whitepaper as: a history of performing network transformations; the ability to support revenue opportunities; ongoing investment in customer experience management; and a deep understanding of the technologies that make a good-quality network.

“Huawei has been a long-standing partner to many mobile network providers. Through our key capabilities including service quality modeling, precise service quality demarcation, and multi-vendor and multi-network optimization, we continue support operators with improving their networks. This whitepaper is a must-read for all mobile network operators who are focused on achieving a good-quality network.” said Weibing, Head of Marketing, Global Technical Service Department, Huawei.

Likewise, Song while presenting the GCI in Lagos, said, “Overall, the 2015 GCI shows that 20 per cent growth in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) investment will increase a country’s GDP by 1 per cent. It also identifies five enablers of digital transformation – Data Centres, Cloud Services, Big Data, Broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoTs). These technologies represent the targets that stakeholders should focus their investments on in order to most efficiently transform their economies for the digital age.”

According to him and based on the GCI findings, Huawei came up with three commendations for a better connected West Africa, to include increasing data centre investment, developing economies need to moving from investing in supply to building demand and learning from developing countries’ success, to become leaders in GCI.

“The Global Connectivity Index is not merely a ranking of countries. We see it as a platform to partner with policymakers and enterprise leaders to identify, harness, and create new digital economy opportunities with the aim of building a better connected West Africa,” he said.

Huawei forecasts that by 2025, as many as 100 billion connections will be generated globally, 90 per cent of which will come from intelligent sensors. This increase will be attributed to enterprises becoming enabled by the internet.

Huawei explained that leveraging connectivity to streamline business processes, would not only reduce costs and improve efficiency, but would also enable enterprises to drive innovation and move the focus from a consumer driven internet to an industrial one.

On the hand, the Huawei SmartCare® Network & Service Quality Improvement solution helps operators improve their network quality by offering a superior service experience to end users through optimum delivery of voice, web and streaming services.

As at the end of 2014, Huawei has provided optimization services to over 100 network providers, improving service quality and supporting the development of building a good-quality mobile network.