Posted: 15th Oct, 2008 By: MarkJ
Ofcom has given its official support to the
Samknows broadband Performance Monitoring project, which we've previously reported on
here and
here. The regulator will use this same data to help it publish a comprehensive broadband speed survey:
Regulators Statement: Our extensive research is looking at how speeds and service varies by region, choice of ISP and by time of day. In association with our technical partners,
Samknows Ltd, and market research company GfK, we have recruited a sample of around 2,000 residential broadband consumers and we will be carrying out tens of millions of speed tests, using specialised monitoring equipment.
The system installs a special (highly modified Linksys WRT54GL router) unit into the broadband customers network, which monitors the real world performance of the connection and reports back.
Samknows currently has 1000 units installed and is fast heading towards its next target of 2000.
Ofcom was unable to offer a precise date for when its own interpretation of the latest data would surface, except to say "
within the next few months". The first small scale sample report from August is linked within the first paragraph of this news item.