The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is preparing new rules to regulate internet-based calling services, including calls made through 4G and 5G networks.
The authority will hold a stakeholder validation forum on Wednesday, September 30, to review the draft guidelines before they are finalised.
The online meeting is scheduled to start at 10am and will bring together stakeholders who took part in the earlier public consultation process.
The proposed rules are meant to set standards for commercial internet telephony services, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The technology allows people to make voice calls using internet networks instead of traditional telephone networks.
Under the proposed framework, mobile operators will have to meet new quality standards for voice calls on 4G and 5G networks.
The CA plans to replace the quality-of-service standards introduced for 2G and 3G networks in 2018 with new requirements designed for newer mobile technologies.
For 4G networks, operators will be required to achieve a Call Setup Success Rate of 99 per cent, with calls connecting within two seconds.
The quality of voice calls will also be measured using the Mean Opinion Score (MOS), while muted calls, one-way audio and data packet loss will each be required to remain below one per cent.
The proposed rules also require mobile operators to install an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a core network component used to support voice services over 4G.
For 5G networks, operators will be required to keep call drops below two per cent across their coverage areas. Calls will also have to connect within two seconds and achieve a minimum MOS score of 4.0.
The CA said performance on VoLTE and 5G voice services will form part of the overall assessment of mobile operators.
Operators that fail to meet the proposed standards could face regulatory action as the authority begins using the framework to assess network performance.
The CA said it had reviewed comments received during the public consultation and will use the September 30 forum to validate the proposed guidelines before they are finalised.
