Spatial evaluation of celtel (Zain) Kenya network coverage as per user experience based index: a case study of Mavoko municipality and its environs

Abstract

Careful network coverage planning targeting the consumer's needs is paramount to any Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile operator. Celtel Kenya operator promised their customers a given level of service quality. Evaluation of Service Level agreements (SLA) using network elements alone is deemed insufficient to capture the perceived user service quality expectations. Therefore, a consideration comprising both network element measurement and user opinion evaluation is sought. This study assessed the spatial quality of coverage service offered by Celtel Kenya as perceived by consumers under everyday conditions of use within Mavoko municipality and its environs. From the user's point of view, coverage quality of service is regarded crucial in determination of an acceptable standard that can deliver high consumer satisfaction levels (loyalty). However, perceived level of quality is also influenced by several factors including user expectation based on the local setting i.e. whether rural of urban. Though with little disparity, the study showed that the urban based consumers tend to have higher quality expectations than the rural users. This may be attributed to varied lifestyles considering that the urbanites are always indoors or aboard cars on the move as opposed to the rural set ups where the users are most of the time on outdoor activities or in houses with very thin walls that offer little obstruction to radio signals. It was noticed that when a customer takes up a new service, it is vital that coverage is available in all the areas the service will be used, whether in the office, at home, in rural areas, or other locations. Understanding the coverage requirements and providing adequate network and service coverage enables the freedom that customers value. ,Key words: Mobile network coverage, planning efficiency, quality of service, user satisfaction, Quality of Experience Index.