Internet providers in Germany often do not deliver the data transmission speeds that they have contractually guaranteed customers. This emerges from the annual report of the Federal Network Agency, which was published on Wednesday in Bonn. In the case of fixed-line Internet, only 42.3 percent of users achieved the contractually agreed maximum data transfer rate. After all, 84.4 percent achieved at least half of the download. At 15.6 percent, the landline did not even offer half the promised speed.
Despite the often too low values, most customers (78.2 percent) were satisfied with the performance of their broadband connection and distributed school grades between 1 and 3. Less than 11 percent of customers rated their connection with a grade of 5 or 6.
Mobile communications even weaker
In mobile communications, the figures from the measurements last year looked even worse than in the fixed network. Across all bandwidth classes and providers, only 23.2 percent of users received at least half of the contractually agreed maximum data transfer rate in the download. And only 3 percent fully achieved or exceeded this.
The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, said that the results were still not satisfactory. "Affected consumers can prove a reduction in performance in the fixed network with our broadband measurement in order to assert their rights against their provider."
The results of the broadband measurement depend on which tariff the user has agreed with the provider. Therefore, no statements can be derived from the broadband measurement on the supply situation or availability of broadband Internet access services. It is only checked whether the providers provide their customers with the contractually guaranteed bandwidth.