ANACOM launches meter speed Internet - The Associated Press

ANACOM launched on Monday a tool through which consumers can compare the speed that contracted with your supplier of Internet access services which effectively corresponds to enjoy.

is a tool “without legal value”, but that may have the effect “of a disciplinary operators” if Internet customers compare, through forums or social networks, the results of testing services they hired, explained the president of the organization that regulates the telecommunications market, ANACOM.

Fátima Barros, who spoke to journalists at a meeting to explain the functioning of Net.mede, explained that the tool, although not legally valid to discuss the terms of a contract with a service provider, can serve to “press “companies if there is a large discrepancy with the contracted speed,” making the market more transparent and enabling customers to carry out better choices. “

Even dissatisfied customers are within the period of loyalty services, Fátima Barros believes that the results of NET.mede can “assist in its contractual relationship” with the vendor. If an operator is consistently mentioned in a social network like paying a lower service, it will impact the “your reputation” level, exemplified the Chairman of ANACOM.

In the provision of Internet access service contracts, no minimum speeds safeguarded and are often the maximum “up” certain level. “In ‘to’ fit all,” said the administrator Anacom, Filipe Baptista. Already the president of the organization said the NET.mede will prove “that impression that users often have” that your internet is not as fast as the one who hired and envisions using the tool – to generate a PDF file with results – will “greatly increase the number of complaints” submitted to ANACOM, and Internet service is already the most complaints with the regulator

.

To use the instrument to measure the “three most important indicators in terms of quality of Internet service,” delay (latency period) and speeds download and upload , just to have a computer with Internet access (have the latest version of Java installed) and put the test to run. “It’s a very intuitive procedure that requires no computer knowledge”, stressed the responsibility of ANACOM, stating that in future versions will be available for tablets smartphones and .

Fátima Barros noted that there are already other speed meters, some accessible from the websites of the operators, but this has the advantage of being a “neutral tool” and of ascertaining whether they use a practice that despite legal , can distort the quality of service, which is the traffic shaping .

In practice, traffic shaping corresponds to constraints in terms of speed when the client uses certain applications, such as downloading large files or streaming video, for example. This is not a question of legitimacy, because the traffic shaping is not prohibited, but that consumers are fully informed about your internet connection, defends the supervisor.

administrator Anacom Filipe Baptista pointed out that besides the information provided to consumers through the use of NET.mede governor also gets “a lot of raw information” that will analyze “to see what is needed in terms of regulation, “particularly in terms of the parameters of quality of service.

Fátima Barros said that ANACOM “is doing a very serious job” analysis of the sector to contractual clauses “to prevent abuse.” This is “one of the priority areas of ANACOM,” stressed the President of the regulator.