Showing papers on "GSM published in 2019"

A health monitoring system for vital signs using IoT

Abstract: This article presents the design of a real-time health monitoring system which can store a patient's basic health parameters. The data can be made available to a medical practitioner as an alert and for monitoring by multiple means of communication. At present, healthcare systems exist with single mode communication option – popularly either in GSM or data access on a web application. The proposed health monitoring system enhances healthcare delivery by communicating multiplexed data over three modes – BLE (mobile application), GSM (messaging services) and Wi-Fi (Internet).

Avoidance of Time-Varying Radio Frequency Interference With Software-Defined Cognitive Radar

Abstract: Congestion in the RF spectrum is rapidly increasing, which has motivated the need for efficient spectrum sharing techniques. A cognitive radar system has been developed to implement a perception action cycle, for spectrum sharing, in which the RF spectrum is sensed, other RF signals are identified, and the radar frequency band of operation is adapted to avoid interfering signals in the spectrum. The system operates in real time and is capable of coexisting with common communications signals. A system with this capability requires efficient programming that pushes the limits of the technology available. In order to properly test the performance of a radar system designed for this kind of reactive spectrum sharing, a rigorous set of synthetic interference signals is generated and several informative evaluation metrics are defined. Additionally, the system's performance is evaluated with common communications signals such as LTE and GSM. The performance of the system is found to be adequate for avoiding signals that are either varying in frequency or turning on and off at rates on the order of 10 ms.

Drive me not: GPS spoofing detection via cellular network: (architectures, models, and experiments)

Abstract: The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been proved to be exposed to several cybersecurity attacks, due to its intrinsic insecure design. GPS spoofing is one of the most easiest, cheap, and dreadful attacks that can be delivered: fake GPS signals can be sent to a target device and make it moving according to a pre-computed path. Although some proposals exist to discriminate between legitimate and rogue GPS signals, those solutions are still difficult to deploy, since they resort to special hardware capable of identifying physical properties of original GPS signals. In this paper, we propose a brand new approach, exploiting the broadcast signals transmitted by the mobile cellular network infrastructure to validate the position received by the GPS infrastructure. In detail, we provide several contributions: (i) the architecture of our solution; (ii) the analytic models related to the GSM infrastructure, including the number of in-range base stations, the distance to the base stations, and the received signal strength; and, (iii) the results achieved via an extensive measurement campaign, carried out by first collecting GPS signals while driving for more than 158 Km, and then using these data to build an experimental model for the evaluation of the performance of our technique in the detection of a wide number of emulated spoofing attacks. Finally, we also tested our solution against a real GPS spoofing attack. We proved it being able to guarantee 0% false positive and 100% detection with an almost negligible delay---all the system parameters being finely tunable, allowing for a wide range of possible trade-offs.

Arduino Based Smart Energy Meter using GSM

Abstract: India faces the issue of energy theft at a very large scale. This paper introduces a system that removes human intervention in meter readings and bill generation thereby reducing the error that usually causes chaos and energy related corruption. The proposed system is implemented using a GSM shield module on microcontroller (Arduino®) together with LDR sensor and relay. Existing metering system can be minutely modified to implement the proposed meter. The proposed scheme is to connect an LDR sensor with the blinking LED and send the data to microcontroller via GSM shield. RTC provides delay and acts an interrupt. The system includes a provision of sending an SMS to user for update on energy consumption along with final bill generation along with the freedom of load re-configuration via SMS. The disconnection of power supply on demand or due to pending dues was implemented using a relay. Hardware implementation results suggest that the accuracy of the proposed system is slightly greater than that of existing smart meters. The cost of system has been estimated to be less than the available smart meters, offering the same functionality. Bilateral communication between user and system sets it apart from the commonly available smart meters

Cellular Signal Identification Using Convolutional Neural Networks: AWGN and Rayleigh Fading Channels

Abstract: Spectrum awareness is crucial in wireless communications systems for dynamic network environments. It is required for spectrum resource management, adaptive transmissions, and interference detection. Existing spectrum awareness research includes tasks of spectrum sensing, modulation classification, and medium access control protocol (MAC) identification. This paper explores the identification and classification of signals of various cellular networks, including Global System for Mobile (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS), and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). We utilize deep learning, specifically, convolutional neural networks (CNN), in training and testing wireless fading signals in those cellular networks. Experimentations demonstrate the effectiveness of deep learning in cellular signal identification.

Evaluation of next-generation low-power communication technology to replace GSM in IoT-applications

Abstract: The large demand for smart metering and control, asset tracking, remote monitoring, and other applications has resulted in the emergence of innovative new internet of things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) featuring low power consumption, low cost, high scalability and low data rate transmissions. This article compares the performance of LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and NB-IoT as emerging technologies, in terms of power consumption, throughput, scalability, and range. For practical reasons, the comparison also includes cellular GPRS. Although GPRS does not fit the description of LPWAN technologies, it is a legacy method for IoT communications and provides insight into application areas where LPWAN technology can be applied. The study gives a clear comparative overview of the advantages and shortcomings of the various communication networks and highlights the most suitable applications cases for each technology on the basis of the tested metrics.

GPS and GSM Based Vehicle Tracking System

Abstract: Copyright © 2019 by author(s) and International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development Journal. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0) ABSTRACT A vehicle tracking system is very useful for tracking the movement of a vehicle from any location at any time. An efficient vehicle tracking system is designed and implemented for tracking the movement of any equipped vehicle from any location at any time. The proposed system made good use of popular technology that combines a smartphone with an Arduino UNO. This easy to make and inexpensive compared to others. The designed in vehicle device works using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) technology that is one of the most common ways for vehicle tracking. The device is embedded inside a vehicle those positions is to be determined and tracked in real time. An Arduino UNO is used to control the GPS receiver and GSM module. The vehicle tracking system uses the GPS module to get geographic coordinates at regular time interval. The GSM module is used to transmit and update the vehicle location to a database. This paper gives minute by minute update about vehicle location by sending SMS through GSM modem. This SMS contain latitude and longitude of the location of vehicle. Arduino UNO gets the coordinates from GPS modem and then it sends this information to user in text SMS. GSM modem is used to send this information via SMS sent to the owner of the vehicle. Location is displayed on LCD. And then Google map displays location and name of the place on cell phone. Thus, user able to continuously monitor a moving vehicle on demand using smartphone and determine the estimated distance and time for the vehicle to arrive at a given destination.

6G-Next Gen Mobile Wireless Communication Approach

Abstract: In this modern era, Wireless Communication emerges as the most flexible and convenient way of communication among the users present across the globe. In this scenario, 6G communication networks will satisfy the user requirements of high data speed without any network interrupts. It provides the data speed in the range of 10-300 Mbps and an extension of up to 10-11 Gbps. 6G is considered as the fastest and efficient wireless communication networks in this modern Mobile Technology, as it uses full duplex radio-wave transmission methodology in its communication process[1]. 6G network uses radio technology and fiber network as the underlying architecture to enhance the capability of high data speed regardless of their distance and mode of connectivity. 6G network has the tendency to provide superfast-streaming, without any interruption and buffering, which does not exist in previous network generations. The main purpose of this research work is to implement 6G networks in India, which can support various emerging communication technologies to achieve a high data speed at low cost.

Cellular System Identification Using Deep Learning: GSM, UMTS and LTE

Abstract: Deep learning (DL) is an effective tool in artificial intelligence (AI), especially in image based and human behavior recognition applications. However, there are many applications that are not very well explored using the DL tools. The telecommunications and networking applications are among those applications that can be explored more extensively using DL. In this paper, the neural network is utilized to identify different cellular communications signals including GSM, UMTS, and LTE. Our study results show that the cellular system identification method achieves very good identification performance without any necessity to select signal features manually.

IOT Based Real-Time Vehicle Tracking System

Abstract: Recently, it has became critically important to have flexibility on monitoring and controlling physical properties and personal data, respectively. Although physical transportation systems have made it easier for the public to travel, it has turned to be hazard in several ways. Therefore, a real-time vehicles tracking and monitoring device has been proposed in this paper. Additionally, develop a system using Arduino Uno R3 is being developed by our team, global system for mobile (GSM) device, and global positioning system (GPS) to track the exact and accurate position of the vehicle at any location. The device is also equipped with display to show the information on the current location of the vehicle to the user. Furthermore, two software are utilized to display the data namely ThingSpeak which is used to display the trend of the vehicle’s motion by using longitude and latitude charts, and Freeboard which is utilized to display the same information in the form of a map that is accessible to all. Results show that users can easily track their vehicle location via their mobile phone through the internet. The entire system has been tested thoroughly in real time and it has proven to function successfully in helping users to locate their vehicles in the event of a theft.

Smart Power Monitoring System Using Iot

Abstract: Energy saving is the most important and challenging issue. Automatic Electrical Power meter is used in domestic electric power distribution system. The integration of the Arduino, WIFI and GSM Short Message Service (SMS) provides the system as Smart Power Monitoring system. Smart power meter provides data for optimization and reduce the power consumption. This system communicates with embedded controller and GSM modem to transmit the data.This system also includes a motion sensor such that if there is no human in the place or house it will automatically cut the power supply. Domestic consumers get benefited through this system.

Network slicing as enablers for 5G services: state of the art and challenges for mobile industry

Abstract: The next generation of mobile communications, 5G, is expected to enable global economic output of USD 12.3 trillion by 2035. This would be achieved by applying 5G networks not only to mobile broadband, but also to diverse use cases such as machine-type communications and ultra-reliable low-latency communications. The diverse use cases and requirements are best handled by network slicing, which creates virtual networks over a single physical network. In this paper, we provide an overview of the standardization landscape of network slicing and identify major challenges for mobile operators such as end-to-end scope, roaming, interoperability, and migration. We conclude that the mobile industry and academia should focus on virtualizing base stations and sharing wireless spectrum resources, while selecting set verticals for which to create standardized slices and to formulate relevant requirements, where the GSM Association is a major player to be monitored. The industry should also provide a resolution to ensure the interoperability of network slicing, and study measures to ensure the stable and seamless migration from the physical to virtual networks. With the challenges resolved, mobile operators will be able to harness the full potential of network slicing in their mobile networks.

LTE Phone Number Catcher: A Practical Attack against Mobile Privacy

Abstract: Phone number is a unique identity code of a mobile subscriber, which plays a more important role in the mobile social network life than another identification number IMSI. Unlike the IMSI, a mobile device never transmits its own phone number to the network side in the radio. However, the mobile network may send a user’s phone number to another mobile terminal when this user initiating a call or SMS service. Based on the above facts, with the help of an IMSI catcher and 2G man-in-the-middle attack, this paper implemented a practicable and effective phone number catcher prototype targeting at LTE mobile phones. We caught the LTE user’s phone number within a few seconds after the device camped on our rogue station. This paper intends to verify that mobile privacy is also quite vulnerable even in LTE networks as long as the legacy GSM still exists. Moreover, we demonstrated that anyone with basic programming skills and the knowledge of GSM/LTE specifications can easily build a phone number catcher using SDR tools and commercial off-the-shelf devices. Hence, we hope the operators worldwide can completely disable the GSM mobile networks in the areas covered by 3G and 4G networks as soon as possible to reduce the possibility of attacks on higher-generation cellular networks. Several potential countermeasures are also discussed to temporarily or permanently defend the attack.

ProTecht – Implementation of an IoT based 3 –Way Women Safety Device

Abstract: In this paper, an IoT based women safety device is proposed and implemented for effective self-alert and protection. The proposed device is a three-way safety module for it provides self-defense, evidence recording and tracking information. Due to increase in the rate of crimes against women, today's age safety of women is a major concern. For self-defence the device produces shock to the attacker through a nerve stimulator and rings a buzzer on pressing a button. It also allows to record evidence via a video camera which gets activated through the button and stores the footage in the Raspberry Pi. The prototype also consists of a GSM and GPS module which is activated by voice command through an Android Application. When the user will say the words "emergency" in his mobile application the device will send SMS alert containing the location of the user and auto dial the pre-set emergency contact number. A microphone and speaker are connected with the GSM module through which the user can hear and speak with the contacted person. Hardware used are Raspberry Pi 3 b+, GSM module, GPS module, relay module, buzzer and nerve stimulator.

Rectifier Using UWB Microstrip Antenna as Electromagnetic Energy Harvester for GSM, CCTV and Wi-Fi Transmitter

Abstract: Rectenna (rectifier antenna) is a device that functions as an electromagnetic energy harvester that works by changing the RF waves that have shaped AC into DC electrical energy that is able to save and as a source of energy electronic devices or other recipients. Rectenna using the energy harvesting is in fabrication, can be applied in the 1700-2650 MHz frequency`s which include working frequencies in GSM devices, CCTV and Wi-Fi devices. To obtain an electromagnetic wave that works at a frequency of 1700-2650 MHz it needs Ultra Wideband (UWB) antennas who are able to work at a frequency > 500MHz. The design process includes an antenna and a rectifier that is a calculation, simulation, fabrication, and measurement. Main materials of the antenna are Phenolic White Paper FR4 with a dielectric constant (εr) = 3.9 and the rectifier circuit using Schottky diodes HSMS-2850.

Flood disaster indicator of water level monitoring system

Abstract: The early warning systems for flood management have been developed rapidly with the growth of technologies. These system help to alert people early with the used of Short Message Service (SMS) via Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). This paper presents a simple, portable and low cost of early warning system using Arduino board, which is used to control the whole system and GSM shields to send the data. System has been designed and implemented based on two components which is hardware and software. The model determines the water level using float switch sensors, then it analyzes the collected data and determine the type of danger present. The detected level is translated into an alert message and sent to the user. The GSM network is used to connect the overall system units via SMS.

5G Cellular: Concept, Research Work and Enabling Technologies

Abstract: The enormous growth in communication technology is resulting in an excessively connected network where billions of connected devices produce massive data flow. The upcoming 5th generation mobile technology needs a major paradigm shift so as to fulfil the growing demand for reliable, ubiquitous connectivity, augmented bandwidth, lower latency and improved energy efficiency. All new mobile technologies for 5G are expected to be operational by 2020. This paper presents the basic concepts, working research groups for 5G, standards and the various enabling technologies. Besides, the paper presents a comparative analysis of 5G over the contemporary cellular technologies (LTE, GSM) based on various relevant parameters. This review is helpful for the new researchers, aspiring to work in the field of 5G technology.

Dual Door Lock System Using Radio-Frequency Identification and Fingerprint Recognition

Abstract: In this paper, we present a dual lock system using radio-frequency identification (RFID) and fingerprint recognition. It is a secure and reliable locking system which can be implemented in home, offices, school and in any kind of organization. Even if the users lost the RFID card, they can unlatch the lock with their fingerprints. Only the registered users are able to access using their fingerprints and the RFID tags. If any unauthorized persons try to have an access, first of all short message service (SMS) will send a text message to an owner using global system for mobile communications (GSM), and at the same time a TTL camera will take a snap of that person and store it in a SD card for reference of the owner. The core of the system is the Arduino Mega 2560 which is interfaced with a fingerprint scanner module, a RFID card reader module, the TTL camera, an SD card module, a GSM shield, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an electric door strike.

Design prototype of a smart household touch sensitive locker security system based on GSM technology

Abstract: This paper illustrates a portable domestic locker security system which is based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology. A handcrafted low-cost touch sensitive box is designed (using Vero board) for the project which is one of the most attractive features of the system. The system will operate in a way that if there is any unexpected user, tries to touch any portion of the touch sensitive box, a feedback system will be turned on immediately. The feedback system will alert the property holder about the unexpected user by sending SMS (Short Message Service) and turning on an alarm system. The alarm system will be turned off only if it receives a specific SMS from the property holder. This system not only has the advantages of high sensitivity, small size and lightweight, but also it is easy to use. This system is featured with an uncomplicated design, convenient use, strong flexibility and reliable performance. Since the circuit in the system is simple and easy to contrivance, the system can be installed without any difficulty at homes & offices. It will also provide a good security in the vehicles and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) booths.

ANFIS Model for Path Loss Prediction in the GSM and WCDMA Bands in Urban Area

Abstract: Path loss propagation is a vital concern when designing and planning networks in mobile communication systems. Propagation models such as the empirical, deterministic and theoretical models, which possess complex, inconsistent, time-consuming and non-adaptable features, have proven to be inefficient in designing of wireless systems, thereby resulting in the need for a more reliable model. Artificial Intelligence methods seem to overcome the drawbacks of the propagation models for predicting path loss. In this paper, the ANFIS approach to path loss prediction in the GSM and WCDMA bands is presented for selected urban areas in Nigeria. Furthermore, the effects of the number of Membership Functions (MFs) are investigated. The prediction results indicated that the ANFIS model outperformed the Hata, Cost-231, Egli and ECC-33 models in both Kano and Abuja urban areas. In addition, an increase in the number of MFs conceded an improved RMSE result for the generalized bell-shaped MF. The general performance and outcome of this research work show the efficiency and usefulness of the ANFIS model in improving prediction accuracy over propagation models

Outdoor Location of Mobile Devices Using Trilateration Algorithms for Emergency Services

Abstract: With the rise of mobile technologies, it seeks to solve a large number of needs that users have, for example locating people for emergency services. At present, there are a large number of applications dedicated to providing service of positioning through mobile devices, with the global positioning system (GPS) which is the main positioning technology used. However, other technologies exist that using the correct algorithms can give the position of a target with good precision; one of these technologies is the global system for mobile communications (GSM). The most popular positioning methods include the angle of arrival (AoA), time of arrival (ToA), triangulation, time difference of arrival (TDoA), and trilateration. At the beginning, the GSM service was simply a means of transmitting voice and short messages, with the passage of time the technologies evolved and expanded their characteristics, providing values that can be used to locate a person based on the signal strength received by a person, device, and in the known position of three or more reference nodes. When an emergency occurs, the current communication services (3G or 4G) are insufficient due to the high concentration of mobile subscribers in a single place that exceeds the capacity of an antenna. This means that calls to emergency services are not completed, which makes it difficult to rescue people in danger. Although GSM does not have a technology dedicated to positioning, it can provide valuable data for location by using dedicated algorithms, such as trilateration, with which the coordinates of the target device can be processed by the coordinates of three or more reference nodes.

Performance Evaluation of GTP-U and SRv6 Stateless Translation

Abstract: The GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) has long been deployed for GSM, UMTS and 4G LTE. Now for 5G, IPv6 Segment Routing (SRv6) has been proposed as an alternative user plane protocol to GTP-U in both 3GPP and IETF. SRv6 based on source routing has many advantages: stateless traffic steering, network programming and so on. Despite the advantages, it is hard to expect to replace GTP-U by SRv6 all at once, even in a 5G deployment because of a lot of dependencies between 3GPP nodes. Therefore, stateless translation and coexistence with GTP-U have been proposed in IETF. However there are no suitable measurement platform and performance evaluation results between GTP-U and SRv6. In particular, it is hard to measure latency on commercial traffic generators when a receiving packet type is different from a sending packet type. In this paper, we focus on the performance evaluation between GTP-U and SRv6 stateless translation. We designed an SRv6 measurement platform using a programmable switch, and measured GTP-U and SRv6 functions with pre-defined scenarios on a local environment. Well-known performance metrics, such as throughput and packets per second (PPS), are measured by the traffic generator while the latency at the functions was measured using telemetry on our SRv6 platform. In our evaluation, we cannot find the abrupt performance drop of well-known metrics at SRv6 stateless translation. Moreover, the latency of SRv6 stateless translation is similar to GTP-U and their performance degradation is negligible. Through the evaluation results, it is obvious that the SRv6 stateless translation is acceptable to the 5G user plane.

Real Time Tracking and Alert System for Laptop through Implementation of GPS, GSM, Motion Sensor and Cloud Services for Antitheft Purposes

Abstract: This paper report explains the methodology to track a stolen laptop through the implementation of GPS, GSM, Motion Sensor, and Cloud Services. Unlike other existing laptop tracking techniques available in the market, the methodology mentioned in the paper tracks the laptop even if it is not connected to the internet or is in turn off mode. With the implementation of IoT, the owner will be able to track his or her stolen laptop the moment it makes a small movement and can trigger an alarm that will be embedded in the laptop. The alarm will make noise audible up to 10 meters that will make the thief think twice before carrying the laptop with himself. Meanwhile the owner will also be able to monitor the location of his or her stolen laptop through the mobile application installed on his or her phone by communicating with the GPS and GSM modules embedded in the laptop, through the cloud.

A cost-effective decentralized vehicle remote positioning and tracking system using BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and Mobile Network

Abstract: Most existing production vehicle tracking services rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and a proprietary server/client infrastructure. This type of inflexible and centralized architecture incurs severe vender-dependency and high service cost. In this paper, we propose a cost-effective decentralized vehicle remote positioning and tracking system architecture. This architecture only consists of two components: (1) a vehicle terminal for collecting real-time vehicle location from a navigation satellite system and report it to a user terminal via the existing mobile network and (2) a user terminal on a mobile phone for analyzing the location information from (1) and inform the owner. We prototype the positioning and tracking system using the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and Global System for Mobile Communication(GSM) Network. Experiment results illustrate that the system is capable of tracking vehicle location and warning the owner if the vehicle unexpectedly moves more than 100 m at low cost. With maximum vender-neutrality and high-availability as the design philosophy, the system is able to utilize multiple available navigation satellite systems and mobile networks.

An IoT based system for telemetry and control of Greenhouse environment

Abstract: Maintaining suitable environmental conditions like soil moisture, temperature, humidity etc. is required for good crop produce in industrial greenhouses. Internet of Things (IoT) can enable a complete remote visualisation and control of greenhouse environmental parameters in real time. The state of art systems use zigbee based wireless sensor networks for monitoring and control, which have a limited range of operation, bandwidth and cognitive abilities. This paper presents a novel IoT based system for telemetry and control of greenhouse environment. The developed system provides real time wireless sensor data transmission, data visualization and processing at the central monitoring server / PC via ThingSpeak cloud and ubiquitous GSM infrastructure. The use of lightweight and fast Blynk IoT platform for implementing the mobile app for messaging and control of greenhouse environment is a key feature of the developed system. Real time irrigation needs are received via messages on the Blynk app installed on the mobile phone. The experimental results show that the proposed system is an effective solution for energy efficient smart farming in greenhouse and thus contribute towards a sustainable and green environment.

A smart weather station based on sensor technology

Abstract: In this paper a new approach to utilize technology in a practical and meaningful manner within a smart weather station system is presented. This system is primary intended for use in agriculture and meteorological stations, but its application is not limited here. Weather parameters observing plays an important role in human live, so the observing, collecting and storing of information about the temporal dynamics of weather changes is very important. The primary goal is to design a low cost smart system for storing data obtained by measuring various physical parameters in the atmosphere without human involvement. Realized system use Internet of Things technology to storage measured results, and allows the user to access the results anytime and anywhere. In this research Internet of Things is used as technology for storing measured data, because this technology is an advanced and efficient solution for connecting the things to the Internet and to connect the entire world of things in a network. The proposed smart weather station system is based on the following steps: direct environment sensing, measuring and storing data and then allowing user to customize the settings. This research will present the design and implementation of a practical smart weather station system, which can be further extended. The system is based on: group of embedded sensors, Peripheral Interface Microcontroller (PIC) microcontroller as a core and server system and wireless internet using Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM) module with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) as a communication protocol.

Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Search and Rescue Using Software Defined Radio

Abstract: To find missing people in a remote area, we propose an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) approach which attempts to locate the target by detecting and localising the radio signals produced by a GSM cell phone. By using a low- weight software defined radio and companion computer, the UAV can act as a GSM base station and induce the missing person's device to attempt to make contact. Through the signal strength values and known UAV location, a series of these contact attempts can be used to quickly and accurately localise their position. As the area in which the missing person might be located may be quite large, and the interaction of radio signals with terrain is potentially complex, an efficient search strategy for exploring the area is required in order to reduce time taken to make contact. We make use of a constraint-based graph-based path planning approach to produce a route for the UAV to traverse in the air passing through expected signals from a large number of possible source locations, and demonstrate through experiments the timely identification and localisation of the cell phone.

A Benchmarking of Service Quality in Telecommunication Services: Case Study in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract: This study aims to evaluate the comparative advantages of each GSM firm toward one another via applying benchmarking methods. To do this, a survey questionnaire has been conducted on 514 GSM service users in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Collected data has been analyzed proposing analytic hierarchy process and VIKOR method. Based on the evaluations of the GSM service users, better and worse performing firms have been identified based on each criterion. Finally, minimum utility regret providing firm has been determined. Finally, strategic suggestions have been given to the firms according to the analysis results. The benchmarking can be used by the different policy influencing and making agencies to develop future policies for the improvement. The industry can also use the benchmarking for its peer performance improvement.