Annex

Quality of Service Parameters (QSP) For access to the Public Telephone Network at a Fixed Location and publicly available Telephone Service at a Fixed Location

The quality of service parameters established in the present annex and identified in the following table are based on ETSI Guide EG 201 769-1 V1.1.1 (2000-04):

The parameters identified above do not apply to:

- Service facilities (understood as supplementary services as defined in recommendation I.250 of ITU-T¹), except for parameter QSP5;

- Calls for audiotext services, except for parameter QSP5;

- Calls for Internet access and services for private voice networks;

- Calls made through the use of virtual call cards, except for parameter QSP4, the measurement of which includes the whole of calls received, provided that they regard requests within the scope of services under consideration.

QSP1 - SUPPLY TIME FOR INITIAL NETWORK CONNECTION

1. Definition:

1.1. The QSP1 is intended to measure the time duration, in calendar days, from the instant a valid service order is made by a client regarding the supply of a connection to the public telephone network at a fixed location, to the instant the access thereto is made available.

1.2. To calculate the present parameter, a valid service order to supply a connection means any solicitation made to the providing undertaking and accepted by it, concerning:

- The supply of a new connection; or

- The transfer of an existing connection to a different client; or

- The supply of an additional connection; or

- The migration between different technological systems (ex. Migration from an analogue line to RDIS or ADSL).

1.3. The supply of a connection to the public telephone network at a fixed location means installing and making effectively available to the client, for his use, a connection between the local switching central or concentrator and the first terminal device for exclusive use of the client, or in alternative, to the client?s network, pursuant to legislation in force regarding telecommunication infrastructure in buildings.

1.4. In those cases where a request for installation involves more than one connection for access to the public telephone network at a fixed location, the installation of each one of these connections shall be accounted in separate for the calculation of the parameter.

1.5. The measurement of the QSP1 shall not consider:

- The temporary installations, which refer to those the duration of which is of one month at the most;

- The cases where the providing undertaking resorts to third parties? infrastructure (local loop, leased lines) for the supply of the connection to the service.

2. For the measurement of the quality of service according to the present parameter, providing undertakings shall assemble:

a) Average delay values in the supply of a connection to 95% and 99% of the swifter installations;

b) Rate of supply requests fulfilled up to the date agreed with the client.

3. Calculation method regarding the information provided for in point a) of the preceding paragraph:

3.1. The calculation of values provided for in point a) of the preceding paragraph 2 shall not include the cases where the client defines an aim date, nevertheless, the providing undertaking shall supply, in addition to the present parameter, information on the ratio between the number of initial connections supplied, the client having established an aim date, and the total number of initial connections supplied.

3.2. For the purpose of the preceding paragraph, an aim date is deemed to exist where the established installation date has been requested by the client and is subsequent to the date which results from the application of the average time necessary for an initial connection (information to be published and made available to end-users in the scope of article 40 of Law no. 5/2004, as well to be included in the contract to be signed between the subscriber and the undertaking, pursuant to point b) of paragraph 1 of article 48 of that law).

3.3. The supply time limit shall be considered:

- From the date of reception of the request by the providing undertaking;

- From the date of amendments/additions to agreements already signed.

3.4. The parameter calculation shall not include:

- Time imputable to the client that elapses from the moment the providing undertaking is informed or is aware that the premises of the client do not offer conditions for the supply of the connection, up to the moment the referred situation is cleared;

- The delays associated to the installation of the client?s network or to the first terminal device for the client?s exclusive use, pursuant to legislation in force regarding telecommunication infrastructure in buildings, where such installation is not under the responsibility of the providing undertaking.

3.5. The periods between delays imputable to the client, where they exist, are deemed as being under the responsibility of the providing undertaking, and as such, shall be added up for parameter calculation purposes.

3.6. The present parameter concerns the whole of the requests for connection supply fulfilled within the reference period and shall be unbundled, where applicable, by the different types of access:

- Analogue²;
- Basic RDIS³;
- Primary RDIS;
- ADSL⁴;
- Others⁵.

4. Calculation method regarding the information provided for in point b) of the preceding paragraph:

4.1. The date agreed with the client shall mean:

- Any date requested by the client and accepted by the providing undertaking;

- Any date set by the providing undertaking and not refused by the client.

4.2. In case of postponement of a first date agreed with the client and later setting of a new date for reasons imputable to the providing undertaking, the first date shall be considered for parameter calculation purposes.

4.3. The cases where the client defines an aim date shall be considered for calculation purposes of the present parameter.

QSP2 - FAULT RATE PER ACCESS LINE

1. Definition:

1.1. The QSP2 measures the number of valid fault reports made by users to the services of the providing undertaking, for reasons of disrupted or degraded service attributable to the network of the providing undertaking or any interconnected public network involved in eligible communications⁶ for calculation purposes.

1.2. Any fault report shall be deemed valid, even where not confirmed following testing, except where the providing undertaking may prove that the fault occurred as result of error or misuse of the part of the user.

1.3. For the measurement of the QSP2 shall not be considered fault reports concerning the physical state of public pay phones for the access to the telephone service at a fixed location, but the reports on faults concerning communications made from public pay phones where the disrupted or degraded service is attributable to the network of the providing undertaking of the telephone service at a fixed location shall be considered.

1.4. The services of the providing undertaking shall mean the services intended for the report of faults on the part of clients.

1.5. For each valid report regarding a basic or primary access, only one fault shall be accounted for, regardless of the number of activated channels that have been affected by the fault.

1.6. Until the fault has been repaired by the providing undertaking, the reports on the same access shall be accounted for as a single report.

1.7. The common faults that affect several clients shall be accounted for the number of client reports associated to each fault.

1.8. For the purpose of parameter calculation, faults and accesses shall be accounted for evenly, even when the same client has reported them.

1.9. The network faults from the first terminal device for the client?s exclusive use shall be excluded, pursuant to legislation in force regarding telecommunication infrastructure in buildings, and likewise shall be excluded faults in the equipment on the side of the client.

2. To measure the quality of service according to the present parameter, providing undertakings shall assemble the total number of faults reported per access in the course of the reference period, only the values regarding direct access being considered for this purpose.

2.1. For the purpose of the preceding paragraph, the average access for the period shall be accounted for, including all type of access⁷ made available by the providing undertaking, namely, analogue access (including public pay phones for the access to the telephone service at a fixed location), and digital access⁸, regardless of the means/technology involved (for example, copper, optic fibre, FWA, local loop, leased lines).

QSP3 - FAULT REPAIR TIME

1. Definition

1.1. The QSP3 is intended to measure the time duration, in consecutive hours, from the instant a valid fault in the network of the providing undertaking (or in any interconnected public network involved in eligible communications for calculation purposes) has been reported to the services of the providing undertaking to the instant where the service has been restored to full normal working order.

1.2. The services of the providing undertaking shall mean the services intended for the report of faults on the part of clients.

1.3. For the purpose of calculation of the present parameter, full normal working order is deemed to exist where the initial situation that existed before the fault occurred has been restored, that is, where the problem reported by the client has been solved (this corresponds to the moment of notification to the client concerning the fault repair, and this notification is not contested by the client within at the most 15 working days).

1.4. In the event the same fault is reported more than once, by the same client/user or not, the instant in which the providing undertaking is aware of the fault for the first time, by means of the client/user report, shall be considered for purposes of parameter accounting.

1.5. The valid fault reports considered for the calculation of the present parameter correspond to those defined within the scope of QSP2.

1.6. Where the fault repair is scheduled for a date/hour later that that established by the providing undertaking, for convenience of the client, the time elapsed between these two dates/hours shall not be accounted for.

1.7 The calculation of the present parameter shall include faults repaired within the reference period, regardless of the report date.

1.8. The calculation of the QSP3 shall not include:

- Situations where, following a prior notice of the visit, it is impossible to restore the service to full normal working order for reasons imputable to the client;

- Situations where the providing undertaking provides a swifter repair service through the payment of an additional amount.

2. To measure the quality of service according to the present parameter, providing undertakings shall assemble the values regarding:

a) Average fault repair time of the local access network for 80% and 95% of the swifter repairs (direct access);

b) Average fault repair time of other type of repairs, for 80% and 95% of the swifter repairs (direct access);

c) Rate of repairs carried out within the repair time limit intended to be offered to clients (direct access).

2.1. For the purpose of calculation of the present parameter, the full list of events occurred shall be considered for the reference period.

2.2. Faults in the local access network shall mean those imputable to the connection between the local switching central or concentrator and the first terminal device for exclusive use of the client, or in alternative, to the client?s network, pursuant to legislation in force regarding telecommunication infrastructure in buildings.

2.3. ?Other repairs? shall mean those deemed not to be imputable to the local access network.

2.4. The entity responsible for sending parameters shall, within the scope of parameter c), submit to ANACOM updated information on the fault repair time limit it has established to be offered to the clients for the reference period (direct access).

2.5. In addition to the information provided for in 2 a), b) and c), the providing undertaking shall submit to ANACOM updated information on the access numbers to services made available for fault repairs.

QSP4 - RESPONSE TIME FOR OPERATOR SERVICES

1. Definition:

1.1. The QSP4 is intended to measure the time duration, in seconds, from the instant the calling signal is established to the instant the calling user is answered by the human operator, to whom the service effectively desired shall be solicited.

1.2. Operator services shall mean those services with specific access codes used for the establishment of communications with assistant intervention, to be charged at the destination or not, intended for the support as regards difficulties in obtaining calls.

1.3 The calculation of QSP4 shall include the time spent with the equivalent systems activated by voice of other means, up to the moment the caller effectively requests the desired service.

1.4. The calculation of QSP4 shall not consider:

- Services provided wholly by automatic response systems;
- Emergency services;
- Time spent with the treatment of the request, namely the conversation time between the caller and the human operator.

2. For the calculation of the quality of service according to the present parameter, providing undertakings shall assemble:

a) Average response time for operator services (direct and indirect access)

b) Rate of calls taken within 20 seconds by the human operator to whom the calling user requests the service effectively desired (direct and indirect access).

2.1 For the purpose of calculation of the present parameter, the full list of events occurred shall be considered for the reference period.

2.2. Where the providing undertaking provides both direct and indirect access, it shall present an unbundled parameter for both types of access.

2.3. In those cases where there is a third entity subcontracted to provide operator services, the providing undertaking of the publicly available electronic communications service at a fixed location, notwithstanding the fact that it is responsible for the presentation of parameters, may subcontract with that entity the parameter calculation.

QSP5 - BILL CORRECTNESS COMPLAINTS

1. Definition:

1.1. The QSP5 is intended to measure the number of bills claimed by clients, where they do not agree or understand values billed.

1.2. For the purpose of the indicator, only bills that have been validly claimed shall be considered.

1.3. A valid complaint means any communication on the part of the client, where he does not agree or understand values billed or variables that influence them, regarding which:

- The providing undertaking concludes, following an analysis of the matter, that there was an inaccuracy under its responsibility;

- The providing undertaking concludes, following an analysis of the matter, that no inaccuracy took place under its responsibility, but the client claims this assessment within 15 working days from the respective communication on the part of the providing undertaking.

1.4. From the calculation of the QSP5 shall not be excluded the complaints solved over the telephone or in the act or in the presence of the client;

1.5. The complaints presented regarding bills which have been previously analysed and to which the providing undertaking has already provided a response shall be accounted for as new complaints, provided that such bills had not been previously deemed valid and that they report to new factors.

2. To measure the quality of service according to the present parameter, providing undertakings shall determine the percentage of bills claimed, calculated as regards the total number of issued bills (direct and indirect access).

2.1. The bills issued refer to the bills regarding services provided (comprising, among other, bills of calls to audiotext services and mobile services) with issue date within the reference period, regardless of the counting period.

2.2. Each bill may only be accounted for once in the parameter.

2.3. The values regarding the whole of valid complaints presented during the reference period shall be assembled.

2.4. It is incumbent upon the entity responsible for the issue of bills to calculate the parameter and make it available.

2.5. The information on this parameter may be submitted to ANACOM within two months from the end of each semester at the most.

Notes

 
¹ Recommendation I.250 of the International Telecommunications Union - ?Definition of supplementary services?.
² ADSL access supported on analogue access is not included.
³ ADSL access supported on basic RDIS is not included.
⁴ Including ADSL access (supported on analogue access, basic RDIS, etc.).
⁵ Including DIginet access.
⁶ The communications referred to in the notes following the summary table comprised in the first page of the present annex shall be excepted.
⁷ The number of accesses shall be accounted for (not the respective number of channels).
⁸ Analogue and digital xDSL accesses, regarding which it is possible to determine the existence, even if residual, of voice traffic, shall not be excluded from the calculation.