The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority on Sunday attributed the poor level of mobile phone service over the past few months to unstable security conditions. In a quarterly report on the quality of mobile phone services, the authority said mobile phone networks were subjected to unprecedented incidents of theft that have impacted the quality of the service. The report — which covers the months from April to June, inclusive — said that cables linking stations were cut off, stations sabotaged and others entirely dismantled. Mobile phone operators faced difficulties in setting up new stations or providing technical support for stations that broke down, the report went on. The report gauges three main criteria: the average ability of clients to make a call, the average number of times a call gets cut off during a phone conversation, and the quality and clarity of voice. The criteria depend on pre-determined international standards. The report said Etisalat and Vodafone failed to meet required standards for making a call in southern Cairo. Etislalat also fell below standard in eastern Cairo. The three mobile phone operators did not commit any violations in Alexandria. In the Nile Delta, Vodafone violated standards for the ability of a client to make a call in 10th Ramadan, Kafr al-Sheikh and Mansoura. In Port Said, Mobinil registered an extremely low record on the ability of clients to make calls. In Upper Egypt, Etisalat violated standards for call-making in Fayoum.
