Almost 15% of the territory of Faial Island, Azores, has “poor, very poor or non-existent quality” of data and voice communications, reveals today a study of mobile network coverage released by the National Communications Authority (ANACOM).
“The three communications operators that exist on the island [MEO, NOS and Vodafone] also have poor signal quality,” explained João Cadete de Matos, chairman of ANACOM’s Board of Directors, speaking to journalists in the city of Horta, after presenting the study’s findings to the municipality of Horta.
According to the same study of mobile network coverage in Faial, voice services are considered “acceptable or satisfactory”, with an “average of 96.8% of calls completed across all operators”, while radio coverage ranged from 97.3% at MEO to 99.5% at Vodafone.
With regard to data services, ANACOM’s study points to “acceptable” results, but of “average quality”, noting that “many tests were not completed” because they had “low or acceptable speeds” (75.4% at MEO, 90.2% at Vodafone and 94% at NOS).
“There is a deficit in the quality of internet access in the municipality of Horta”, said João Cadete de Matos, stressing that communications operators “are obliged” to offer a higher data service speed on the islands.
The study carried out by ANACOM identified as “worst performers”, in terms of voice and data, the areas of access to Levadas, the island’s interior road, the Capelo area and the Pedro Miguel Botanical Garden area, where MEO also has “the worst performance”, among the three operators.
In the opposite direction, the residential areas of all the localities of the municipality of Horta present “the best performances” in most of the routes made, in voice and data services.
The mobile network coverage studies carried out by ANACOM have been developed in municipalities identified as having areas with deficiencies or greater weaknesses in terms of quality of service.
“The studies aim to simulate the experience that any consumer has when using their operator’s network, namely in terms of the existence of a signal, making telephone calls and data speed tests”, justifies the Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações on its website.
The tests are carried out using software installed on mobile phones/smartphones, with signal/technology levels collected at idle, as well as during voice calls and data tests, simulating normal citizen use.
