CEO update: the impact of the pandemic on telecoms

With confirmed Covid-19 cases now exceeding 73 million across the globe and with some areas introducing curfews and returning to restricted movements, we continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on telecoms infrastructure globally.

ARGENTINA recently passed a tax on its wealthiest people to pay for medical supplies and relief measures amid the pandemic. Connection rates in Argentina have improved slightly with an average failure rate of 0.65%. However, a significant drop of 11.06% was recorded on December 13th. Audio quality has performed well in the past 4 weeks.

Please note: The connection rate scale for Argentina starts at 80.

Please note: The audio rate scale for Argentina starts at 3.2.

With the world’s third highest Covid-19 case count and second highest death toll, the telecoms infrastructure in BRAZIL is experiencing a level of volatility in performance with an average connection failure rate of 2.72% observed. A drop of 5.18% was recorded on December 13th. Audio quality remained stable during this period.

Please note: The connection rate scale for Brazil starts at 70.

Please note: The audio quality scale for Brazil starts at 2.0.

CROATIA recently imposed temporary restrictions at all border crossing points until January 15th. These restrictions and limitations to mobility have led to an increase in the usage of telecommunication tools to maintain communications and relationships. Overall, the country demonstrated a strong call connection performance, with an average failure rate of just 0.10% recorded. However, drops of 2.19% and 0.59% were observed on December 6th and December 7th respectively. Excellent audio quality performance was observed with scores consistently remaining above 4.0 in the past 4 weeks.

Please note: The connection rate scale for Croatia starts at 75.

Please note: The audio quality scale for Croatia starts at 2.0.

FRANCE has experienced some volatility with its connection performance in the past month with dips of 1.04%, 2.06% and 1.82% recorded on December 5th, 6th and 7th respectively. Positively, audio quality continued to perform at high levels. The country has now introduced a curfew which runs from 20:00 to 06:00 each night; it is expected to be lifted in early January.

Please note: The connection rate scale for France starts at 80.

Please note: The audio quality scale for France starts at 3.5.

The Covid-19 recovery rate in INDIA has reached an impressive 95%, which is among the highest in the world for countries with such high case numbers. The continuation of lockdown measures in India has impacted negatively on telecoms infrastructure with a weak connection performance with an average failure rate of 1.8% recorded over the past 4 weeks. Despite this audio quality continued to perform well.

Please note: The connection rate scale for India starts at 85.

Please note: The audio quality scale for India starts at 0.5.

The foreign ministry in MEXICO recently proposed extending non-essential travel restrictions with The U.S. until midnight on January 21st. Mexico was challenged with intermittent connection performance with an average failure rate of 1.62%. Audio quality scores remained stable and strong throughout the past 4 weeks.

Please note: The connection rate scale for Mexico starts at 90.

Please note: The audio quality scale for Mexico starts at 3.2.

As a measure to curb the spread of Covid-19, TURKEY will impose a nationwide curfew spanning the traditional New Year’s holiday period, from December 31st to January 4th. Turkey’s connection rates have remained volatile with an average failure rate of 1.14% recorded in the past month. Audio quality performed well with high scores continuously observed.

Please note: The connection rate scale for Turkey starts at 85.

Please note: The audio quality scale for Turkey starts at 3.5.

Countries showing signs of connection failures and audio quality degradation are included in the table below. The table also includes countries whose telecoms infrastructure has been performing extremely well in spite of having very high volumes of Covid-19 cases. 

* Data as of December 13th 2020

For more information, please contact your trusted Customer Engagement Manager, our 24/7 support team by email support@spearline.com, or phone +353 28 51460, or visit www.spearline.com.