The network wars is heating up. Globe has given us a heads up
yesterday that a recent NTC benchmark has said that Globe’s legacy
network is better than Smart’s upgraded network when it comes to the
Grade of Service. Grade of Service or Call Setup Failure Rate is touted
as the most important metric in the telco industry, as this particular
metric determines if you will be able to call whoever you want.
Globe
has managed to nab 4.45% (lower is better) while Smart got 9.95%. Globe
says that this score was achieved using Globe’s legacy network, while
Smart’s score was achieved using their upgraded network. By the way,
both networks have failed that particular metric – NTC’s standard is 4%,
so it’s fair to say that both have failed on that particular metric,
it’s just that Globe failed closer to the passing grade than Smart.
Understandably, Ernest Cu, President CEO has lashed out against the
negative ads that Smart has been running lately, saying that there’s a
bigger chance of you not being able to call on the other network than on
theirs. He adds “We know our network isn’t perfect, but that’s the
reason why we’re spending 700 million dollars to improve our network.”
The NTC benchmark was made during the second quarter of the year, in 16
cities in Metro Manila using network drive tests with a sample size of
1,506 on-net calls. Cu adds that it’s important to note that even though
Globe only managed to get one metric up on Smart, they’re pretty much
on parity with Smart on 3 of the other metrics (there are five including
the CSFR).
As for the attack ads against Globe, Cu shrugged it off and said
“when you spend 250 million pesos for those ads about this issue, you’ll
end up sensitizing the public.”
