Posted: 23rd Jul, 2009 By: MarkJ
Cable operator Virgin Media UK has appointed SamKnows , Ofcom’s appointed Technical Partner for broadband performance/speed testing , to conduct an independent trial to measure the performance of its cable broadband services.
The 12 month project will give Virgin Media customers the opportunity to participate and help develop the provider’s next generation UK broadband services. Some 750 customers’ connections, across its product portfolio, will be repeatedly analysed through a series of tests to gain the results.
Alex Salter, Chairman of SamKnows, said:
“This deal represents a significant shift in service provider attitudes. Instead of simply complying with external regulation, in a pioneering step, Virgin Media is proactively looking to assess itself to make sure its customers are getting value for money. The move can only be good for the consumer, especially if it encourages other ISPs to follow Virgin Media’s lead.”
“With Digital Britain top of everyone’s mind and conclusions of the first Ofcom Broadband Speeds project illustrating the gap between advertised and experienced speeds, now is the ideal time for broadband providers to take a long, hard look at their services to ensure customers are getting what their broadband packages promise.”
The SamKnows method works by getting end-users to install an additional piece of hardware, which is usually a modified broadband router, to monitor the connection and perform tests that may also eat some additional customer bandwidth.
Customers interested in joining the trial can do so here:
http://www.virginmedia.com/myvirginmedia/broadband-quality-trial.php