A new regulation coming in the form of an amendment in the Telecommunications Act of Germany could radically change the relationship between consumers and internet service providers.
According to the draft, users will be able to test their internet speeds and, if there’s a too large deviation between their real-world results and what their ISPs promised, they will be eligible for a bill discount.
The discount amount will be comparable to the deviation between the contractually agreed Internet speeds and the actual ones.
To determine their connection speeds, customers will have to use the official internet speed measurement app provided by the German Federal Network Agency.
The measurement process includes 20 tests on two consecutive days, spread as ten tests each day.
This method ensures that any speed deviations are recurring and/or continuous and not the result of a momentary hiccup on the network.
If the Internet download and upload speeds are below 90% of the ISP-promised figures, the customer becomes eligible for a discount.