Home  |  About Us  |  Press Room  |  2004  |  THUS Highlights Urgent Need For Replacement Carrier Performance Indicators

2004

THUS plc, today voiced its concerns about the time it will take to implement Ofcom's proposed replacement for the Comparative Performance Indicator (CPI) scheme, involving new compulsory Quality of Service (QoS) measures for telecoms providers.

Ofcom's proposed replacement to CPI is expected to take up to eighteen months to instigate. Ofcom is currently reviewing its proposed scheme after receiving responses to its consultation paper from industry players including THUS. With no measures currently in place, customers could be left unnecessarily exposed to low quality of service from operators. THUS therefore believes that new measures are required urgently and is calling for a quick response from Ofcom and the industry in moving these proposals forward.

The old CPI scheme, a voluntary QoS structure which required operators to list fault, repair time and billing accuracy statistics, had been in operation for a number of years. However, only a restricted set of operators participated. THUS consistently participated and regularly came out top in measures laid down by the industry and regulators but the value of the scheme was lessened by the lack of comprehensive participation of other providers in the industry.

"Today's households and businesses have a variety of telecoms providers to choose from and decisions on which services to select are increasingly influenced by quality of service as well as price. A new compulsory scheme is urgently required that gives end-users access to authoritative, trusted information that provides a benchmark to help them make informed decisions when purchasing services," said THUS's chief executive officer, Bill Allan.

"We urge all industry players to work together, with Ofcom, to produce a structure so that new compulsory standards can be rolled out within short timescales," continued Allan. "New performance measures should be objective, transparent and, above all, mandatory for all communications providers over a specific size."