Yet more issues
Virgin Media's position
- We know customers want to check their speeds to ensure their line is running as expected, but the information they rely on must be accurate - currently it is not, yet many web-based speedtest sites make judgements on broadband performance using what is effectively dirty data.
- Most web-based speedtest sites are also broadband comparison sites or re-sellers. Speedtest results often average out each ISPs result, meaning there is often no distinction between faster packages and slower ones - this is too simplistic.
- We are keen to work with all speedtesters - hardware and software - to help improve industry standards in reporting of broadband performance.
- Just as we share the consumers' view to have clear advertising of speed and performance in broadband marketing, we feel the industry needs to help consumers understand any limitations of different testing methodologies and agree some common standards to ensure the information customers are relying on from comparison/switching sites is as accurate as it can be.
- We have launched an initiative whereby we are inviting all main speedtest sites to work with us to help improve their services ahead of the launch of our 50Mb service.
Do you think Virgin Media has a point or is this just an attempt to pressurise the speed-testers into doing things their way? Do you use speed-testing websites and if so how reliable do you find them? Let us know in the HEXUS.community.
