Call for contributions of interested Stakeholders on BEREC Guidelines detailing Quality of Service (QoS) parameters

24 May 2023

According to Article 104 of the EECC, national regulatory authorities in coordination with other competent authorities may require providers of Internet access services (IAS) and of publicly available interpersonal communications services (ICS) to publish comprehensive, comparable, reliable, user-friendly and up-to-date information for end-users on the quality of their services and on measures taken to ensure equivalence in access for end-users with disabilities.

National regulatory authorities in coordination with other competent authorities must also specify, taking utmost account of BEREC guidelines, the QoS parameters to be measured, the applicable measurement methods and the content, form and manner of the information to be published, including possible quality certification mechanisms.

In 2020, BEREC published the first guidelines detailing QoS parameters (BoR (20) 5353). The guidelines stated that the process of undertaking a review will commence two years from the adoption and publication of the guidelines by BEREC.

The purpose of the project in question is to prepare and publish the first review of the guidelines detailing QoS parameters.

The project will address the constituent elements of the legislative task assigned to BEREC, including:

• The relevant QoS parameters in relation to ICS and IAS;

• The parameters relevant for end-users with disabilities;

• The applicable measurement methods for QoS parameters including, where appropriate, the ETSI and ITU standards set out in Annex X to the EECC in relation to ICS and IAS respectively;

• The QoS parameters of 5G networks, including the identification of appropriate technical KPIs to qualify service levels and comparison of network deployment in Member States on the basis of available QoS 5G connectivity, including mechanisms to collect and process QoS data to ensure the monitoring of 5G network deployment; the feasibility and conditions for using 5G QoS data in geographical maps made available to users could also be considered;

• The content and format of QoS information;

• The quality certification mechanisms.

Please note that BEREC does not intend to provide individual responses to inputs or publish stakeholder inputs. Contributions should be sent preferably in English.

Stakeholders will have an opportunity (on a later stage) to provide their further submissions to BEREC when Report on Guidelines detailing Quality of Service (QoS) parameters is going to be in Public Consultation in Autumn this year.

This call for inputs is intended to inform BEREC on the views of stakeholders related to any update of Guidelines detailing Quality of Service (QoS) parameters.

Stakeholders are kindly invited to answer the following matters:

1) Do the existing Guidelines detailing Quality of Service (QoS) parameters assist stakeholders to use them? Are there any challenges to implementing the Guidelines?

2) Which points in the Guidelines could be more detailed or clarified?

3) Which parameters, listed in Annex X of EECC, assist end-users to evaluate the most the quality of service?

4) In your opinion, do you think any new parameters should be added, and which ones?

Answers would be highly appreciated by 9 June 2023 COB and should be sent to: [email protected]