The Federal Network Agency has published the detailed findings of its broadband test today.
“The results are not yet satisfactory. Often, customers are still not getting the Internet speed they were promised,” says Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency.
Developed by zafaco GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), the broadband measurement tool has been in operation since 2015 to test and assess the performance of stationary and mobile Internet access services.
Fixed network results
In the fixed network sector, 83.5 percent of users across all broadband categories and providers received download speeds of at least half the contractually agreed maximum data transmission speed. The maximum data transmission speed was equalled or exceeded for 36.5 percent of users.
The results differed greatly between the individual broadband categories and providers. In terms of the absolute data transmission speed, the providers sometimes differed greatly, due in part to technological factors. There were also differences between the providers in the comparison of the contractually agreed data transmission speed.
Most customers (80.3 percent) rated their broadband connection service between very good and satisfactory. Less than 10 percent of customers said their connection was poor or unsatisfactory.
Mobile network results
The overall standard in the mobile sector is again far lower than that in the fixed network sector. Across all broadband categories and providers, 20.1 percent of mobile broadband users (2019/2020: 17.4 percent) received download speeds of at least half of the contractually agreed estimated maximum speed; for 2.6% of users (2019/2020: 2.1%), the delivered speed equalled or exceeded this.
The findings revealed that the percentage of connections delivering the contractually agreed estimated maximum download speed tended to be lower among the higher-performance broadband categories. As in the fixed network sector, the findings also revealed differences among the mobile broadband providers.
The vast majority of end users rated their providers between very good and satisfactory (75.7 percent). This is slightly higher than last year (2019/2020: 74.2 percent). The fact that the calculated broadband measurement percentages remain low suggests that mobile broadband users still prioritise mobility and absolute data transmission speed over receiving the promised download speeds.
Broadband coverage cannot be inferred from measurements
The broadband measurement results depend on the tariff contract between the user and provider. Consequently, no statements about broadband coverage or the availability of broadband Internet services can be derived from the broadband measurement. The sole purpose of the test is to compare the speed actually received by customers with the speed contractually agreed with the provider.
Further information about the annual report
The sixth annual report covers the period from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021. Overall, 167,985 valid measurements were counted for the desktop app (since 1 February 2021), and 315,638 valid measurements were counted for the browser measurement (up until 1 February 2021). There were 441,233 valid measurements for mobile broadband. Since there was a change in method for recording in the fixed broadband sector, a meaningful comparison with the findings of previous years is not possible.
The complete report has been published at https://breitband-monitor.de/breitbandmessung/jahresberichte . The corresponding validation, methodology and measurement results are also explained in a separate document.
Further information and charts – especially on all providers – can be seen in the interactive presentation of results at https://breitband-monitor.de/breitbandmessung/interaktive-grafiken-und-tabellen.
The information can also be found on the Breitbandmessung (broadband measurement) website.