Telcos prepared for election traffic surge

As election day approaches, telecommunications companies are confident that their respective networks are well-equipped to handle an expected spike in voice calls and text messages.

A Maxis Communications Bhd spokesman said that the company is expecting a surge of anything between 10% to 30% in both voice and SMS usage for the coming elections, which is scheduled for March 8.

“For major nationwide events, including the general elections, Maxis works on the assumption that there will be surges in voice calls and SMS traffic,” he said.

Maxis is confident that its network will be able to handle the expected surge in voice and SMS traffic, based on its experiences during the festive seasons.

“Generally in the past, the traffic increase during elections is lower than that during the festive seasons,” he said.

During the recent Chinese New Year celebrations, Maxis claimed that it handled over a 30% increase in the number of calls and delivered over 30% more SMS, without any traffic congestion issues.

“Therefore, we are confident that our network is prepared to handle additional traffic expected during the upcoming general elections,” he said.

However, Maxis also has backup plans in case the unexpected occurs.

“We are still putting in place plans to mitigate surges, if any. For instance, Maxis will deploy additional capacity in the form of portable base stations to support the existing network infrastructure,” he said.

“In addition, we monitor traffic changes by the minute to ensure the highest level of service and network availability for our customers,” he said.

A DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd spokesman expressed a similar confidence that the company’s network is prepared to handle any surge in voice or data traffic.

“We are ready for higher usage during the elections. Our network is able to sustain voice calls and SMS surge/peak traffic,” the spokesman said in a statement.

The other local network operator, Celcom Communications (M) Bhd, did not respond by press time.

Source: The Star
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