SamKnows Calls on EU Consumers to Join the Global Broadband Revolution
London, UK – SamKnows, the world leader in broadband measurement, announced the expansion of its widely successful European broadband improvement campaign. It needs the public’s assistance to help it continue making a real difference to the broadband in their countries. By signing up participants join a global SamKnows community that is working together to improve the internet services across the world.
The campaign is being run in direct partnership with the European Commission in 30 countries. SamKnows has been working with the organisation since 2011 with a shared goal and vision – encourage social and technological change through broadband improvement.
This is made possible with the data gathered by its community. SamKnows uses it to publish regular reports – independent intelligence used by regulators, governments, ISPs, academics, the press and the public to campaign for and create better services.
Alex Salter, CEO of SamKnows said, “The EU is leading the charge in super-fast broadband, but as our regular reports show, there is always more to do. Internet providers must be held accountable to the speeds they advertise and with the help of our community we have ensured they never rest on their laurels. In our latest expansion, we are offering consumers a unique opportunity to get involved and have a real sustainable impact.”
In its latest 2014 report, SamKnows found that:
• The download speeds consumers actually received was 24.4% slower than what was advertised – insight that is used to improve consumer rights and service delivery
• Speeds have increased since the previous year – 30.37 Mbps being the average –evidence the SamKnows community is helping improve EU broadband
• The disparity between advertised speeds and actual speeds was larger for xDSL compared to cable – useful knowledge for consumers to leverage when choosing their broadband provider
The full reports are available to download for free (2014, 2013). Country-specific data is available within the reports.
Once accepted onto the campaign, participants are sent a free SamKnows Whitebox, an easy to install, purpose-built device that connects to the user’s router. There is no complicated configuration necessary and it starts collecting data as soon as it is plugged in.
The data collected is entirely secure and confidential and SamKnows only measures performance data (latency, jitter, download/upload speeds, other common metrics), not what a user is accessing or viewing online. This can be assessed and compared to other consumers via SamKnows’ online portal, while monthly updates are sent out by SamKnows to keep everyone informed of the programme’s progress.
To learn more and to take part in the campaign, sign up at https://www.samknows.eu.
About SamKnows
SamKnows is the global leader in broadband measurement. Since 2008 the regulator-approved organisation has worked alongside governments to accurately measure broadband performance to help improve and shape global markets. Its free, open and transparent consumer resources are crucial in ensuring the public receives a fairer mobile and fixed internet service.
Past projects include work with the USA’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the European Commission, UK’s Ofcom, the Brazilian government, the Singapore IDA and other regulators.
For more information, please visit http://www.samknows.com/.
