Mobile call quality is 'poor'

Mobile calls on the move are often poor quality

Mobile phone users have a raw deal with call quality, a report says.

A more expensive handset does not guarantee better quality either because it depends on your network, say voice quality experts Psytechnics.

Calls on eight handsets across the five networks were tested, and no network performed very well.

Telecoms watchdog Oftel said it was in everyone's "best interest" to continue providing information about phones and network choices.

Trade-off

"We found the most expensive handset is not always the best in terms of quality," John Winchester from Psytechnics told BBC News Online.

"Out of the eight handsets tested, there was a 30% difference in quality between them."

The handsets tested across the five mobile networks ranged in price from £40 to £400 and were some of the most popular phones.

In a competitive mobile market, it is in the interest of operators themselves to provide consumers with information to make best choices Oftel spokesperson

The results question whether handset manufacturers are trading in features like cameras and expensive smart phone technology for voice quality.

In general, the quality of calls on mobiles is 20% worse than calls on landlines, even though people are paying more for them.

Despite the mobiles showing five bars to indicate a strong signal, the tests found that did not necessarily mean the call would not break up mid-conversation.

People could be given more information about which handsets perform best on which network to help them make informed decisions about the best deals, the report suggests.

Oftel, the telecoms watchdog, told BBC News Online they continue to work with operators to make sure people get the information they need.

"In a competitive mobile market, it is in the interest of operators themselves to provide consumers with information to make best choices," said a spokesperson.

But she added voice quality had not been raised as an issue for consumers in their research.

A Nokia spokesperson told BBC News Online the mobile industry has come a long way since the crackling analogue lines of a few years ago.

"These days we have phones with colour screens, longer battery life and quality is better than we have ever had.

"As we move to 3G, things will only improve", he said.

Experience

Voice quality is one of the three big issues the mobile industry has to address in terms of its future growth, along with health issues and call costs, says Mr Winchester.

As more ITU (International Telecommunications Union) approved software is made available to operators, network performance and call experience can be evaluated more easily, he added.

The tests were done using customer experience metrics in 20 different urban locations, with 150 calls made on GSM networks Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile, and the 3G network 3.