"Communications Commission" reveals results of service provider ranking according to user care level during the third quarter of 2019

The Communications and Information Technology Commission issued today an index ranking telecom service providers in terms of complaints escalated to the Commission during the third quarter of 2019, according to the level of customer care shown by each service provider, with the aim of enhancing competition among service providers to raise the efficiency of the services provided, enhance their quality, and drive them towards developing these services in line with user expectations, through publishing the results of the indices and data according to transparent and clear mechanisms.

The index recorded that the total number of complaints escalated by subscribers to the Commission after not being resolved by the service provider reached (11,504) complaints, which the Commission handled and resolved, compared to (12,076) complaints in the second quarter of 2019, after the Commission adopted a number of supporting solutions to shorten and facilitate procedures, most importantly shortening the complaint processing period from 15 days to 5 business days, in addition to referring failures observed by operators in resolving customer complaints to the committee responsible for reviewing violations of the Telecommunications Law, to take the penalties prescribed under the Telecommunications Law and its implementing regulations.

The index recorded an improvement in the care shown by both Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Saudi Telecom Company (STC) regarding user complaints in mobile communications services during the third quarter of 2019 compared to the same quarter last year, with Mobily recording its best performance since the index was launched. Conversely, the performance of both Virgin and Lebara declined during this quarter compared to the third quarter of 2018, while Zain topped the list of companies with the most complaints.

Etihad Jawraa (Lebara) and Virgin had the lowest number of complaints escalated to the Commission in the mobile communications category, with two complaints for Lebara per hundred thousand subscriptions, and 3 complaints for Virgin per hundred thousand subscriptions.

Saudi Telecom Mobile Company (Zain) topped the list of companies with the most complaints in the mobile communications services category, recording (14) complaints per hundred thousand subscriptions, while Saudi Telecom Company came second in terms of most complaints in the mobile communications services category with (12) complaints per hundred thousand subscriptions, and Etihad Etisalat Mobily recorded (9) complaints per hundred thousand subscriptions in the mobile communications services category.

Regarding the number of complaints in fixed-line communications services, Integrated Telecom Company recorded (146) complaints per hundred thousand subscriptions, followed by Etihad Atheeb Telecom with (99), and Saudi Telecom with (64), while Mobily recorded the lowest number in fixed-line communications services with (62) complaints per hundred thousand subscriptions.

The index ranking telecom service providers in terms of complaints escalated to the Commission is one of the latest practices applied globally in achieving transparency and stimulating competition among service providers to raise service efficiency and enhance its quality and development, as the index, based on automated monitoring of complaints from the website and its associated applications, analyzes data against every hundred thousand subscribers for each service provider.

It is noted that the Communications and Information Technology Commission receives complaints escalated to it through an integrated system for handling complaints, and periodically issues ranking indices, ensuring the provision of the most accurate data to users about the performance of telecom service providers in resolving their customers' complaints, and contributing to enabling users to choose the appropriate service provider in light of these indices.

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