A Regulatory Framework for Monitoring Mobile Internet Services Pricing In Sudan Based on Quality of Service

Abstract

In order to keep pace with the growing demand and the significant developments in progress within communication technology, especially wireless data transmission services, the adoption of new mechanisms for the pricing of mobile internet services has become a necessity and a duty. It is well known that pricing mechanisms require the existence of a regulatory framework to monitor and ensure the benefit of the service provider and the service user at the same time. Firstly, the study under discussion, looked at the mechanism for the formation of a regulatory framework, mainly, to monitor mobile internet service pricing on the basis of the level of quality of service provided, then, to encourage service providers to adopt such a mechanism and, ultimately, to acquaint users with such service so they can learn how to link the tariff level with the quality provided. To achieve such objectives, recommendations, courtesy of the International Telecommunication Union for the quality of services were chosen by the study as a parameter. Moreover, the experiences of some countries that have special regulations for the quality of mobile services were taken into account however; those countries were purposefully selected at random. Furthermore, a field survey targeting mobile service providers in Sudan, the regulatory system and the users of the services was chosen to gather the much needed information for this study. As a result, the broad analysis of the study, which was conducted on the information that has been collected through the field survey (questionnaires) revealed that Nigeria is the country which bears the most resemblance to Sudan in terms of the number of operators who are in the market, the level of competition between service providers, penetration rate of Service Mobile, the proportion of people who use the Internet, the level of annual per capita income and the rate of enrolment in universities. The analysis have also produced the general outline of the regulatory framework which will regulate and monitor the pricing based on the level of quality provided to mobile internet service. The results had, on the other hand, showed large interest accruing to the service providers in return if and when they eventually adopt such a mechanism. Finally, the study has elucidated the mechanisms and channels that can be used to increase the awareness of users of Mobile Services and how to acquaint them with the quality of services on offer.