Ofcom announces fixed-line quality of service comparison website

Ofcom has announced the launch of TopComm, a scheme designed to provide consumers with a comparison of quality of service levels among fixed-line telecoms providers in the UK. The TopComm website address is www.topcomm.org.uk.

Independent research commissioned by Ofcom showed that quality of service is consistently identified by consumers as an important factor in deciding whether to switch to another fixed-line provider.

Cost continues to be the most important determining factor for consumers choosing between fixed-line providers. Various price comparison services are available online. To date the only such service accredited by Ofcom's PASS scheme is uSwitch at www.uswitch.com.

The TopComm service will provide comparable information on:

- the percentage of orders that are completed on or before the agreed date;

- faults reported per 100 lines on a quarterly basis;

- the percentage of faults repaired within the agreed service time; and

- the percentage of complaints processed within 28 calendar days.

TopComm will also measure the level of billing accuracy by tracking the numbers of complaints that are upheld per 1000 bills issued.

Ofcom requires that all fixed-line providers with at least £4 million net revenues and 100 million minutes of voice calls handled to end users per quarter participate in the scheme. Ofcom will use its powers under Sections 94 to 96 of the Communications Act 2003 to enforce compliance.

The first publication comprises 12 residential brands and 16 business brands. The data must be approved by Topcomm's independent auditor before it is published who will ensure that the results are comparable.

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Ofcom will continue to monitor consumers' need for information when making purchasing decisions in fixed-line services. At the end of 2006 it will review the TopComm scheme and may consider broadening its scope to include more providers and more services such as broadband.

In a separate initiative, a group of mobile network operators have commissioned independent surveys to measure mobile network voice quality across the UK. The results will be published on an interactive website called TopNet.UK in September.

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